Dual-quantum-dots heterostructure with confined active interface for promoted photocatalytic NO abatement

Highly efficient photocatalytic removal of NO and synchronous inhibition of NO2via heterojunction formed by ZnAl-LDH and MXene-Ti3C2-derived TiO2@C

The key challenge in oxidizing NO using photocatalysis is controlling the selectivity of products to avoid the generation of toxic byproducts like NO2. Here, we propose regulating the generation of reactive oxygen species by constructing Type-II heterojunctions to facilitate the deep oxidation of NO to nitrates. Experimental characterization and Density functional theory (DFT) simulations demonstrate that the outstanding photocatalytic activity of heterojunction materials stems from their superior charge separation efficiency and stronger adsorption capacity for NO and O2 molecules, promoting the formation of reactive oxygen species. These results indicated that the best-performing sample, ZATC15, demonstrated an impressive NO removal efficiency of 65.43 %. However, the selectivity rate of NO2 was only 4.78 %, much lower compared to the NO2 selectivity rates of pure ZnAl-LDH (48.17 %) and TiO2@C (72.46 %). The intermediate and final products, the generation pathways of active free radicals (h+ and •O2-) and the mechanism behind the profound oxidation of NO were elucidated based on in-situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (in-situ FT-IR), Electron spin resonance (ESR), and capture experiment. This investigation will offer valuable insights for modifying LDH in order to effectively remove ppb-level NO through photocatalysis.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of carbonized polymer dots/CdS quantum dots/Bi2WO6 Z-scheme heterojunctions: Enhancing photocatalytic environmental remediation via dual-quantum dot heterostructures

The fabrication of dual-quantum dot heterostructures offers a promising strategy to enhance the environmental remediation performance of photocatalysts. Herein, a Bi2WO6-based Z-scheme heterojunction was constructed by incorporating carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) and CdS quantum dots (QDs) via a microwave-assisted solvothermal method. The 1 wt% CPDs/CdS QDs/Bi2WO6 (CCBW-1) composite achieved optimal Cr(VI) removal, reaching 97.7 % within 30 min under 10 W LED light, with rate constants 4.4, 2.8, and 10.1 times higher than those of pristine Bi2WO6, CdS QDs/Bi2WO6, and 3 % CPDs/Bi2WO6, respectively. Notably, the composite also demonstrated 96.9 % Cr(VI) and 98.1 % Rhodamine B (RhB) removal within 30 min in a mixed Cr(VI) and RhB solution. The formation of strong BiS and WOCd bonds at the Bi2WO6CdS QD interface facilitates intimate interfacial contacts and creates atomic-scale "highways" that accelerate charge transfer. Additionally, the electron-donating effects of the NH2 and OH functional groups on the CPDs further enhance carrier transfer efficiency. The Z-scheme electron transport pathway enables CCBW-1 to capitalize on the deep reduction potentials and extended light absorption of the dual-QDs, allowing them to act synergistically as active centers. By integrating experimental data with theoretical calculations, the photocatalytic mechanism, potential intermediates, photodegradation pathway, and biological toxicity were comprehensively elucidated.

Epitaxial growth of Bi4Ti3O12-BiPO4 Z-scheme heterojunction to promote carrier transfer for photocatalytic oxidation of NO

The lack of compactness in heterojunction interfaces and poor charge separation is a great challenge in developing high-efficiency heterojunction photocatalysts. Herein, a novel Bi4Ti3O12-BiPO4 heterojunction was successfully prepared for the first time by epitaxial growth of BiPO4 on the surface of Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets. The optimized Bi4Ti3O12-BiPO4-0.5 increased the NO oxidation efficiency to 73.05%, surpassing pure Bi4Ti3O12 (63.45%) and BiPO4 (8.35%). Experiments and theoretical calculations indicated that the closely contacted heterointerface between BTO and BPO promoted the generation of the built-in electric field, which led to the formation of the Z- scheme transfer pathway for the photogenerated carriers. Therefore, the separation of photogenerated carriers was facilitated while retaining high redox potential, generating more ·O2- and ·OH to participate in NO oxidation. Furthermore, the adsorption of NO and O2 was enhanced by introducing BiPO4, further improving the photocatalytic NO oxidation performance. This work emphasizes the critical role of heterointerface in accelerating charge transfer, providing a basis for the design and construction of tightly contacted heterojunction photocatalysts.

Bi2Ti2O7 Quantum Dots for Efficient Photocatalytic Fixation of Nitrogen to Ammonia: Impacts of Shallow Energy Levels

Photocatalytic fixation of nitrogen to ammonia represents an attractive alternative to the Haber-Bosch process under ambient conditions, and the performance can be enhanced by defect engineering of the photocatalysts, in particular, formation of shallow energy levels due to oxygen vacancies that can significantly facilitate the adsorption and activation of nitrogen. This calls for deliberate size engineering of the photocatalysts. In the present study, pyrochlore Bi2Ti2O7 quantum dots and (bulk-like) nanosheets are prepared hydrothermally by using bismuth nitrate and titanium sulfate as the precursors. Despite a similar oxygen vacancy concentration, the quantum dots exhibit a drastically enhanced photocatalytic performance toward nitrogen fixation, at a rate of 332.03 µmol g-1 h-1, which is 77 times higher than that of the nanosheet counterpart. Spectroscopic and computational studies based on density functional theory calculations show that the shallow levels arising from oxygen vacancies in the Bi2Ti2O7 quantum dots, in conjunction with the moderately constrained quantum confinement effect, facilitate the chemical adsorption and activation of nitrogen.

Enhancing the Photocatalytic Activity of Lead-Free Halide Perovskite Cs3Bi2I9 by Compositing with Ti3C2 MXene

In recent years, halide perovskite materials have become widely used in solar cells, photovoltaics, and LEDs, as well as photocatalysis. Lead-free perovskite Cs3Bi2I9 has been demonstrated as an effective photocatalyst; however, the fast recombination of the photogenerated carriers hinders further improvements of its photocatalytic activity. In this work, Ti3C2 was composited with Cs3Bi2I9 to promote the transfer and separation of photogenerated carriers, and thus the pollutant degradation efficiency was effectively improved. The visible-light photocatalytic reduction of Cs3Bi2I9/Ti3C2 on rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), and malachite green (MG) was as high as 97.3%, 96%, and 98.8%, respectively, improvements of almost 31.2%, 37.8%, and 37.2% compared to that of sole Cs3Bi2I9. Our study provides a simple way to enhance the photocatalytic activity of lead-free halide perovskites.

Ligand-mediated exciton dissociation and interparticle energy transfer on CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots for efficient CO2-to-CO photoreduction

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) hold immense potential as photocatalysts for CO2 reduction due to their remarkable quantum properties, which facilitates the generation of multiple excitons, providing the necessary high-energy electrons for CO2 photoreduction. However, harnessing multi-excitons in PQDs for superior photocatalysis remains challenging, as achieving the concurrent dissociation of excitons and interparticle energy transfer proves elusive. This study introduces a ligand density-controlled strategy to enhance both exciton dissociation and interparticle energy transfer in CsPbBr3 PQDs. Optimized CsPbBr3 PQDs with the regulated ligand density exhibit efficient photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO, achieving a 2.26-fold improvement over unoptimized counterparts while maintaining chemical integrity. Multiple analytical techniques, including Kelvin probe force microscopy, temperature-dependent photoluminescence, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations, collectively affirm that the proper ligand termination promotes the charge separation and the interparticle transfer through ligand-mediated interfacial electron coupling and electronic interactions. This work reveals ligand density-dependent variations in the gas-solid photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance of CsPbBr3 PQDs, underscoring the importance of ligand engineering for enhancing quantum dot photocatalysis.

ZnS/C Dual-Quantum-Dots Heterostructural Nanofibers for High-Performance Photocatalytic H2O2 Production

Constructing heterostructures of dual quantum-dots (QDs) is a promising way to achieve high performance in photocatalysis, but it still faces substantial synthetic challenges. Herein, we developed an in situ transformation strategy to coassemble ZnS QDs and C QDs into dual-quantum-dot heterostructural nanofibers (ZnS/C-DQDH). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed the formation of strong Zn-O-C bonds at the interface between ZnS QDs and C QDs, improving the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. The ZnS/C-DQDH demonstrated remarkable photocatalytic activity in H2O2 production, with generation rates of 2896.4 μmol gcat-1 h-1 without sacrificial agents and 9879.3 μmol gcat-1 h-1 with ethanol as the sacrificial agent, significantly higher than the QD counterparts and surpassed state-of-the-art photocatalysts. Moreover, due to the nanofibrous feature, ZnS/C-DQDH demonstrated excellent stability and facile recyclability. This work provides a facile and large scalable method to gain dual-quantum-dot heterostructures and a promising alternative for photocatalytic H2O2 production.

In-situ construction of TiO2 polymorphic junction nanoarrays without cocatalyst for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen generation

There are significant challenges in developing technologies for high-yield photocatalytic hydrogen production reactions. Current photocatalytic materials face three key problems: low utilization of light, rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and a limited number of active sites during photocatalytic reactions. As a result, these materials only improve one or two of the three steps involved in photocatalytic hydrogen production reactions. Consequently, achieving simultaneous multifunctional synergy to enhance the efficiency of all three processes is difficult. Here, we report an in situ dissolution-recrystallisation approach to design and fabricate a three-dimensional TiO2 rutile/anatase (AE-TiO2) array photocatalytic material for photocatalytic hydrolysis applications. It is shown that the unique 3D nanoarray structure and in situ fabrication of the AE-TiO2 homojunction with synergistic effects among the components lead to an increase in light harvesting efficiency, charge transport separation efficiency and surface active sites, which remarkably improve the photocatalytic hydrolysis performance. The prepared AE-TiO2 homojunction materials realizes a maximal photoactivity of 4 μmol cm-2·h-1, which is 39 times larger than that of pure TiO2 rutile nanorods.

Surface Modification of TiO2 by Hyper-Cross-Linked Polymers for Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic NO Oxidation

Solar-driven photocatalysis offers an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach for the removal of air pollutants such as nitric oxides without chemical addition. However, the low specific surface area and adsorption capacity of common photocatalysts restrict the surface reactions with NO at the ppb-level. In this study, imidazolium-based hyper-cross-linked polymer (IHP) was introduced to modify the surface of TiO₂ to construct a porous TiO₂/IHP composite photocatalyst. The as-prepared composite with hierarchical porous structure achieves a larger specific surface area as 309 m²/g than that of TiO₂ (119 m²/g). Meanwhile, the wide light absorption range of the polymer has brought about the strong visible-light absorption of the TiO₂/IHP composite. In consequence, the composite photocatalyst exhibits excellent performance toward NO oxidation at a low concentration of 600 ppb under visible-light irradiation, reaching a removal efficiency of 51.7%, while the generation of the toxic NO₂ intermediate was suppressed to less than 1 ppb. The enhanced NO adsorption and the suppressed NO₂ generation on the TiO₂/IHP surface were confirmed by in situ monitoring technology. This work demonstrates that the construction of a porous structure is an effective approach for efficient NO adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation.

Engineering interface structures for heterojunction photocatalysts

Solar photocatalysis is the most ideal solution to global energy concerns and environmental deterioration nowadays. The heterojunction combination has become one of the most successful and effective strategies to design and manufacture composite photocatalysts. Heterojunction structures are widely documented to markedly improve the photocatalytic behavior of materials by enhancing the separation and transfer of photogenerated charges, widening the light absorption range, and broadening redox potentials, which are attributed to the presence of both build-in electric fields at the interface of two different materials and the complementarity between different electron structures. So far, a large number of heterojunction photocatalytic materials have been reported and applied for water splitting, reduction of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, environmental cleaning, etc. This review outlines the recent accomplishments in the design and modification of interface structures in heterojunction photocatalysts, aiming to provide some useful perspectives for future research in this field.

Efficient wastewater disinfection by raised 1O2 yield through enhanced electron transfer and intersystem crossing via photocatalysis of peroxymonosulfate with CuS quantum dots modified MIL-101(Fe)

Peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based photocatalysis is a promising alternative approach for wastewater disinfection. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) is sensitive and efficient for bacterial inactivation. This study developed a ¹O₂-predominated PMS disinfection technique under visible light with CuS quantum dots (QDs) modified MIL-101(Fe) (CSQDs@MF). CuS QDs modification greatly enhanced the ¹O₂ quantum yield by 80% than that of MIL-101(Fe). Photoelectricity and photoluminescence tests demonstrated that both the enhanced electron transfer and energy transfer were responsible for improved ¹O₂ generation in Vis/PMS/CSQDs@MF system. The system took 60 min to inactivate 7.5-log E. coli, and it could be applied in a broad pH and dissolve oxygen range. Bacterial inactivation mechanism suggested that ¹O₂ attacked cell membrane first, then induced oxidative stress, up-regulated intracellular ROS level, eventually broke DNA strand. The system showed good disinfection performance on Gram-positive B. subtilis and fecal coliforms in practical wastewater, implying it is a promising alternative disinfection technology for wastewater treatment.