Tuning the Surface Structure of Nitrogen-Doped TiO2Nanofibres-An Effective Method to Enhance Photocatalytic Activities of Visible-Light-Driven Green Synthesis and Degradation

Solar light-driven photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of beta blockers propranolol and atenolol by carbon dot/TiO2 composite

Herein improved solar light-driven photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of two emerging pollutants as well as recalcitrant beta blockers propranolol (PR) and atenolol (AT) have been demonstrated by metal-free carbon dot/TiO₂ (CDT) composite. Hydrothermally synthesized TiO₂ has been decorated with electrochemically synthesized carbon dots (CDs) and was well characterized by various analytical techniques viz. XRD, FTIR, Raman, XPS, UV-visible DRS, FESEM, and TEM. The optimized CDT composite, 2CDT (2 mL carbon dot/TiO₂), showed ~ 3.45- and ~ 1.75-fold enhancement in the photodegradation rate as compared to pristine TiO₂ for PR and AT respectively in 1 hour of irradiation along with complete degradation of PR and AT after 3 hours of irradiation. 2CDT exhibited 76% and 80% mineralization of PR and AT in contrast with 62% and 47% observed by pristine TiO₂. Further, the major reaction intermediates formed after degradation have been identified by HPLC/MS analysis, confirming more than 99% reduction of the parent compound for both PR and AT. Reusability of the optimized catalyst also showed successful degradation up to 3 cycles, showing reduction abilities of 97%, 95%, and 94% for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycle respectively. The enhanced degradation and mineralization efficiency of the 2CDT composite could be attributed to the excellent photosensitizer and electron reservoir properties of the CD along with upconverted photoluminescence behavior. The present study unlocks the possibility of using metal-free, facile CDT composite for effective degradation and mineralization of widely used beta blockers and other pharmaceuticals.

Study of the Photocatalytic Degradation of Highly Abundant Pesticides in Agricultural Soils

Organic pesticides are major sources of soil pollution in agricultural lands. Most of these pesticides are persistent and tend to bio accumulate in humans upon consumption of contaminated plants. In this study, we investigate different natural soil samples that were collected from agricultural lands. The samples revealed the presence of 18 pesticides that belong to four different groups including organochlorines (OCP), organophosphorus (OPP), carbamates (Carb), and pyrethroids (Pyrth). The photocatalytic degradation of the five most abundant pesticides was studied in the presence and absence of 1% TiO₂ or ZnO photocatalysts under UV irradiation at a wavelength of 306 nm. The five abundant pesticides were Atrazine (OCP), Chlorpyrifos methyl (OPP), Dimethoate (OPP), Heptachlor (OCP), and Methomyl (Carb). The results showed that photolysis of all pesticides was complete under UV radiation for irradiation times between 64–100 h. However, both photocatalysts enhanced photocatalytic degradation of the pesticides in comparison with photolysis. The pesticides were photocatalytically degraded completely within 20–24 h of irradiation. The TiO₂ photocatalyst showed higher activity compared to ZnO. The organochlorine heptachlor, which is very toxic and persistent, was completely degraded within 30 h using TiO₂ photocatalyst for the first time in soil. The mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of the pesticides was explained and the effects of different factors on the degradation process in the soil were discussed.

Visible-light driven rapid bacterial inactivation on red phosphorus/titanium oxide nanofiber heterostructures

Photocatalytic water disinfection has emerged as a promising approach for water purification. However, exploring efficient and rapid visible light driven materials for photocatalytic bacterial inactivation is still a challenging problem. Herein, red phosphorus/titanium oxide (TiO₂@RP) nanofibers were developed for effective water disinfection by a vacuum ampoule strategy. The complete E. coli and S. aureus (7-log CFU mL^-1) could be rapidly killed within 25 min and 30 min over the optimized TiO₂@RP heterostructure under the white LED irradiation. The efficient photocatalytic antibacterial activity should be mainly ascribed to the synergetic enhancement in light absorption by RP decoration and charge migration and separation by the interface between TiO₂ and RP. And then more unpaired photo-carriers would be transferred to the surface to facilitate the generation of photo-holes, •O₂^- radicals, and H₂O₂ species, which could destroy the bacterial cells efficiently.

Photocatalytic Decolorization and Biocidal Applications of Nonmetal Doped TiO2: Isotherm, Kinetic Modeling and In Silico Molecular Docking Studies

Textile dyes and microbial contamination of surface water bodies have been recognized as emerging quality concerns around the globe. The simultaneous resolve of such impurities can pave the route for an amicable technological solution. This study reports the photocatalytic performance and the biocidal potential of nitrogen-doped TiO₂ against reactive black 5 (RB5), a double azo dye and E. coli. Molecular docking was performed to identify and quantify the interactions of the TiO₂ with β-lactamase enzyme and to predict the biocidal mechanism. The sol-gel technique was employed for the synthesis of different mol% nitrogen-doped TiO₂. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The effects of different synthesis and reaction parameters were studied. RB5 dye degradation was monitored by tracking shifts in the absorption spectrum and percent chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. The best nanomaterial depicted 5.57 nm crystallite size, 49.54 m² g⁻¹ specific surface area, 11–40 nm particle size with spherical morphologies, and uniform distribution. The RB5 decolorization data fits well with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and the maximum monolayer coverage capacity for the Langmuir adsorption model was found to be 40 mg g⁻¹ with K_ads of 0.113 mg⁻¹. The LH model yielded a higher coefficient K_C (1.15 mg L⁻¹ h⁻¹) compared to the adsorption constant K_LH (0.3084 L mg⁻¹). 90% COD removal was achieved in 60 min of irradiation, confirmed by the disappearance of spectral peaks. The best-optimized photocatalysts showed a noticeable biocidal potential against human pathogenic strain E. coli in 150 min. The biocidal mechanism of best-optimized photocatalyst was predicted by molecular docking simulation against E. coli β-lactamase enzyme. The docking score (−7.6 kcal mol⁻¹) and the binding interaction with the active site residues (Lys315, Thr316, and Glu272) of β-lactamase further confirmed that inhibition of β-lactamase could be a most probable mechanism of biocidal activity.

Solvent-free hydroamination of phenylacetylene by plasmonic gold nanoparticles coupled with a TiO2 2D photonic layer on nanotube arrays

Plasmonic Au/TiO₂ PCNTs with extremely high anatase (004) exhibits extreme excellent performance on solvent-free hydroamination of phenylacetylene under visible-light irradiation from both sides.

Solar light driven photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin using TiO2/carbon-dot nanocomposites

This paper reports the synthesis of TiO₂ quantum dots, carbon dots (C-dots), and TiO₂/C-dots using facile sol–gel and hydrothermal methods.

Surface-mediated selective photocatalytic aerobic oxidation reactions on TiO2 nanofibres

The interaction between photocatalyst surface and the reactants may outweigh its light absorption ability in photocatalytic activities.

One-pot synthesis and Nb4N5 surface modification of Nb4+ self-doped KNbO3 nanorods for enhanced visible-light-driven hydrogen production

A facile method is developed to synthesize Nb⁴⁺ self doped KN nanorods modified with Nb₄N₅ nanoparticles, which exhibit enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution under irradiation of UV-vis light by Au-modified nitrogen-doped TiO2

Background Purpose

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen evolution is a potential way to solve many energy and environmental issues. Developing visible-light-active photocatalysts to efficiently utilize sunlight and finding proper ways to improve photocatalytic activity for H₂ evolution have always been hot topics for research. This study attempts to expand the use of sunlight and to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ by N doping and Au loading.

Methods

Au/N-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized and successfully used for photocatalytic water splitting for H₂ evolution under irradiation of UV and UV–vis light, respectively. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and photoelectrochemical characterizations.

Results

DRS displayed an extension of light absorption into the visible region by doping of N and depositing with Au, respectively. PL analysis indicated electron-hole recombination due to N doping and an efficient inhibition of electron-hole recombination due to the loaded Au particles. Under the irradiation of UV light, the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of the as-synthesized samples followed the order Au/TiO₂ > Au/N-doped TiO₂ > TiO₂ > N-doped TiO₂. While under irradiation of UV–vis light, the N-TiO₂ and Au/N-TiO₂ samples show higher H₂ evolution than their corresponding nitrogen-free samples (TiO₂ and Au/TiO₂). This inconsistent result could be attributed to the doping of N and the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect of Au particles extending the visible light absorption. The photoelectrochemical characterizations further indicated the enhancement of the visible light response of Au/N-doped TiO₂.

Conclusion

Comparative studies have shown that a combination of nitrogen doping and Au loading enhanced the visible light response of TiO₂ and increased the utilization of solar energy, greatly boosting the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production under UV–vis light.