Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Qing-Yu Liu, Hao-Dong Wang, Rui Tang, Quan Cheng, Yong-Jun Yuan
Summary: In this study, rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles with large specific surface area and abundant oxygen vacancy were designed for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation, showing high photocatalytic performance with the highest ammonia generation rate exceeding 6.5 times that of P25. This research provides a simple and facile method to prepare highly reactive TiO2 photocatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Binbin Chang, Yanzhen Guo, Donghai Wu, Li Li, Baocheng Yang, Jianfang Wang
Summary: Ti3C2 MXene, with its superior conductivity and surface chemistry, combined with Au nanospheres, has been shown to efficiently fix N-2 under ambient conditions in pure water. The synergy between Ti(4-x)+ active sites and plasmon-generated hot electrons in r-Ti3C2/Au leads to remarkably enhanced N-2 photofixation activity with ultrahigh selectivity and without competing H-2 evolution. This work demonstrates a promising approach for the rational design of efficient MXene-based photocatalysts.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xin Chen, Yunfeng Li, Zhansheng Wu, Xiaolin Xu, Wei Zhu, Xiaoming Gao
Summary: The study designed a Bi4O3Br2/Ti3C2 heterojunction photocatalyst for converting nitrogen to ammonia with a yield five times higher. Density functional theory calculations confirmed the ohmic contact at the Bi4O3Br2/Ti3C2 interface, enhancing carrier separation and charge carrier extraction for a more efficient conversion process.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhihui Hu, Huanmin Liu, Ningxin Kang, Kangle Lv, Qin Li
Summary: Using solvothermal methods, two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2TX) MXene was oxidized in situ into TiO2 nanocrystals, providing an effective strategy for constructing highly efficient TiO2/Ti3C2TX heterojunctions for photocatalytic applications. The choice of solvent during the process was found to have a significant impact on the oxidation and performance of Ti3C2TX. This work highlights the importance of the oxidation environment for Ti3C2TX and brings about new considerations for the processing techniques of MXene families for practical applications.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Renquan Guan, Dandan Wang, Yujun Zhang, Chen Liu, Wei Xu, Jiaou Wang, Zhao Zhao, Ming Feng, Qingkun Shang, Zaicheng Sun
Summary: The research utilizes a photocatalyst with surface oxygen vacancies and F modified surface to enhance N-2 adsorption and activation, achieving higher efficiency in generating ammonia.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ke Wei, Jiu-Xiang Yang, Fang-Yuan Bai, Yuan-Sheng Shen, Kai Liu, Jing Liu, Li-Hua Chen, Yu Li, Bao-Lian Su
Summary: Ti3C2 MXene has been extensively studied in photocatalytic hydrogen production due to its large specific surface area and adjustable surface groups. However, the weak interaction at the interface of Ti3C2-based composites hinders carrier transport. We propose the construction of a sandwich Ti3C2/R-TiO2 composite photocatalyst to address this issue. The in situ growth of rutile TiO2 nanoneedles in Ti3C2 MXene enhances carrier transport and material stability, resulting in an excellent hydrogen production rate of 1.62 mmol g-1 h-1.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Yuanhang Feng, Zhao Zhao, Ting Wang, Jiaming Li, Ming Xu, Hailiang Jiao, Chen Wang, Haibo Li, Ming Feng
Summary: This study develops a ferroelectric Bi2WO6 photocatalyst with surface oxygen defects, which can efficiently fix nitrogen to produce ammonia under mild conditions. The experiment shows that oxygen defects can provide more reactive sites for N2 adsorption, and the photogenerated charge carriers can be efficiently separated due to the internal electric field. The Bi2WO6 with oxygen defects exhibits higher NH3 yield compared to the original Bi2WO6, especially when assisted by an external magnetic field.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Junbiao Wu, Yu Guo, Yu Wang, Huili Zhu, Xuemin Zhang
Summary: This study reports the ultrafast H2 sensing behavior of Pd-decorated sodium titanate nanoribbons, which exhibit unique physical and chemical features that synergistically accelerate the H2 response speed, responding to 1% H2 within 1.1 seconds at room temperature, demonstrating promising application prospects.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shuai Gao, Runjie Wu, Mingming Sun, Ming Guo, Davida Briana DuBois, Shaowei Chen, Haodong Ji, Changzheng Wang, Qiang Wang
Summary: Development of effective technologies for artificial nitrogen fixation under mild conditions is crucial due to the energy consumption and carbon emission of the traditional Haber-Bosch process. This study synthesized Bi2Sn2O7 ultrasmall nanoparticles and found that the addition of sodium oleate can modulate their photocatalytic activity for nitrogen fixation. The optimized sample displayed superior photocatalytic performance with an NH3 production rate of 231 μmol g-1 h-1, attributed to its high specific surface area, abundant active sites for N2 adsorption, and extensive lattice oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, Bi species around the O2-site oxygen vacancies were identified to play a key role in N2 adsorption and activation, as supported by first principles calculations. These results highlight the significant potential of Bi2Sn2O7 nano-structures as high-performance catalysts for solar ammonia synthesis.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Guoan Wang, Tingting Huo, Quanhua Deng, Fei Yu, Yuguo Xia, Haiping Li, Wanguo Hou
Summary: This study demonstrates the creation of abundant surface oxygen vacancies (Ov) in Bi(2)MoO(6) through surface-layer Br doping, leading to the formation of surface/inside homojunction. The resulting BMO-Br-Ov photocatalyst exhibits significantly enhanced N-2 chemisorption and activation, photoinduced charge separation, and photocatalytic N-2 fixation.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hongyun Xue, Qiuyang Yan, Lu Chen, Yan Wang, Xiaofeng Xie, Jing Sun
Summary: In this study, conductive Ti3C2 was successfully compounded with TiO2 for photocatalytic degradation of o-xylene, resulting in higher mineralization rate and improved stability.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jin Zhang, Xinyao Zhang, Wenbo Yue
Summary: The Co-N-C/TiO2-Ti3C2 composite catalyst, prepared by coordination and polymerization of dopamine and Co2+ on Ti3C2 nanosheets and subsequent heating treatment, shows excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability. The presence of oxygen vacancies on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles stabilizes the Co-N-C catalysts and promotes the ORR. In practical applications, Co-N-C/TiO2-Ti3C2 exhibits a high power density and long-term rechargeability as an air cathode for Zn-air batteries. This in-situ growth strategy provides a new way for the preparation of high-performance non-noble metal catalysts.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wei Qiang, Xiao Qu, Chuntao Chen, Lei Zhang, Dongping Sun
Summary: In this work, TiO2/Ti3C2 heterojunctions were designed to overcome the limitations of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a photocatalyst, such as its wide band gap and quick carrier recombination process. The TiO2/Ti3C2 heterojunctions not only broaden the absorption range of light but also extend the lifetime of photogenerated carriers. Additionally, the use of anatase TiO2 with exposed (001) facets enhances the catalytic properties. By optimizing the amount of TiO2/Ti3C2 heterojunctions and controlling the reaction time, 20 mg catalysts were able to degrade 97.6% of a 30 mL tetracycline solution (15 mg/L) in 90 minutes under visible light. Even after five cycles, the degradation ability only decreased from 97.6% to 94.3%. This paper provides another perspective on the synthesis of efficient and stable photocatalysts.
MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Manisha Sharma, Ashish Kumar, Deepika Gill, Shilpi Jaiswal, Abhijit Patra, Saswata Bhattacharya, Venkata Krishnan
Summary: In this study, W-doped Bi2MoO6 nanosheets were synthesized and demonstrated their potential as efficient photocatalysts for the simultaneous production of NH3 and NO3- ions under visible light irradiation. The optimal molar ratio of doped tungsten showed the best photocatalytic NH3 production without using any sacrificial agents. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the synthesized photocatalysts could be attributed to oxygen vacancy defects caused by Mo substitution by a more electronegative W atom.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wentao Xu, Guoqiang Shu, Shihui Zhang, Lei Song, Kui Ma, Hairong Yue
Summary: In this study, a highly active visible-light photocatalytic system was designed by anchoring V2O5/TiO2 heterojunctions and graphited carbon layers derived from MXene. The system showed about 4.58 and 2.79 times higher degradation activity of methylene blue under visible light compared to pure V2O5 and TiO2-carbon. The formed heterojunction promoted the separation of photogenerated carriers and the graphitized carbon enhanced the absorption of visible light. The proposed mechanism model provides a feasible idea for the design of high-efficiency photocatalysts for environmental treatment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lei Luo, Lei Fu, Huifen Liu, Youxun Xu, Jialiang Xing, Chun-Ran Chang, Dong-Yuan Yang, Junwang Tang
Summary: This study demonstrates the activation of methane under visible irradiation through the integration of atomic Pd and oxygen vacancies on In2O3 nanorods. The optimized catalyst shows high yield of oxygenates and selectivity of primary products, providing new insights for photocatalytic methane oxidation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cong Fu, Fei Li, Jianlong Yang, Jijia Xie, Yunshang Zhang, Xiao Sun, Xusheng Zheng, Yuanxu Liu, Junfa Zhu, Junwang Tang, Xue-Qing Gong, Weixin Huang
Summary: It is found that uniform anatase TiO2 nanocrystals predominantly enclosed with the {001} facets exhibit high activity in photocatalytic catalyzing methane combustion. The valence band maximum and conduction band minimum were found to locate separately for TiO2-{001} nanocrystals terminated with the reconstructed (001)-(1 x 4) surface, at the surface and in the bulk, respectively. The photocatalytic methane reaction rate is about 6 and 7 times higher compared to TiO2 nanocrystals predominantly enclosed with the {100} facets or with the {101} facets. This high activity is mainly attributed to the spontaneous bulk-surface charge separation and subsequent facile interfacial hole transfer from TiO2(001) surface to adsorbed methane.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yiou Wang, Enqi Chen, Junwang Tang
Summary: Photocatalytic CO2 conversion to value-added chemicals is a promising solution for current energy and environmental issues, but faces obstacles such as the inertness of CO2 molecule, sluggish multi-electron process, unfavorable thermodynamics, and selectivity control. Despite the challenges, understanding reaction mechanisms and seeking potential solutions are crucial for addressing remaining obstacles in the field.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lunqiao Xiong, Haifeng Qi, Shengxin Zhang, Leilei Zhang, Xiaoyan Liu, Aiqin Wang, Junwang Tang
Summary: In this study, a highly selective catalyst composed of nickel single atoms confined to the surface of titanium dioxide was presented for the transformation of glycerol to glycolaldehyde. Driven by light, the catalyst operated under ambient conditions using air as a green oxidant. The optimized catalyst showed a selectivity of over 60% to glycolaldehyde, resulting in a high production rate and turnover number compared to a NiOx nanoparticle-decorated TiO2 photocatalyst.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yan Qi, Jing Zhang, Li Zhang, Xiangyu Zhou, Wei Li, Jialin Cui, Mengdie Fan, Yushen Jin, Junwang Tang, Jianzhong Shen, Bing Shao
Summary: Shifting from targeted to nontargeted analysis in food safety is challenging. Researchers have developed a new material capable of removing lipids and recovering various chemical hazards.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ayoola Shoneye, Haimiao Jiao, Junwang Tang
Summary: A series of monometallic and bimetallic cocatalysts were investigated for the photocatalytic mineralization of four widely used herbicides. FeOx-CoOx/TiO2 exhibited the highest photocatalytic efficiency and achieved 92% TOC removal in 180 min. The enhanced performance of FeOx-CoOx/TiO2 was attributed to increased charge separation and enhanced hydroxyl radicals production.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaoqiang An, Tingcha Wei, Peijia Ding, Li-Min Liu, Lunqiao Xiong, Junwang Tang, Jiani Ma, Feng Wang, Huijuan Liu, Jiuhui Qu
Summary: By employing a sodium-directed photon-induced assembly (SPA) strategy, we have successfully constructed multifarious Au sites on a TiO2 substrate, leading to improved atomic utilization efficiency of single-atom catalysts (SACs). The synergistic effect between plasmonic near-field and Schottky junction enabled enhanced charge separation through cascade electron transfer, which was further facilitated by oxygen vacancies in TiO2. This study provides a well-defined platform for extending the boundaries of SACs for multisite catalysis through harnessing metal-support interactions.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qian Guo, Qi Zhao, Rachel Crespo-Otero, Devis Di Tommaso, Junwang Tang, Stoichko D. Dimitrov, Maria-Magdalena Titirici, Xuanhua Li, Ana Belen Jorge Sobrido
Summary: Single-atom catalysts (SACs) on hematite photo-anodes act as true catalysts by trapping holes from hematite and providing active sites for water oxidation. Spectroscopic experiments and computer simulations demonstrate reduced hole number and shortened hole lifetime in the presence of SACs. Density functional theory calculations reveal that SACs display a lower onset potential and introduce a mid-gap of 4d state for fast hole transfer and depletion. These findings provide new insights into solar water oxidation and the role of SACs in enhancing semiconductor catalytic performance in photo-assisted reactions.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yang Liu, Jianhui Sun, Houhou Huang, Linlu Bai, Xiaomeng Zhao, Binhong Qu, Lunqiao Xiong, Fuquan Bai, Junwang Tang, Liqiang Jing
Summary: In this study, an ionic liquid and borate-anchored Co single atoms were employed as dual-cocatalysts for g-C3N4 to enhance electron kinetics and improve CO2 reduction selectivity, resulting in an efficient conversion of CO2 to valuable chemicals.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lei Fu, Ruixue Zhang, Jianlong Yang, Jiale Shi, Hai-Ying Jiang, Junwang Tang
Summary: Efficient oxidation of methane to high value-added liquid oxygenated compounds was achieved using Pd-loaded ZnTi-layered double hydroxides (LDH)-A200 photocatalysts under ambient conditions with O2 as the oxidant. The highest generation rate of C-1 liquid products reached 4924.47 μmol g-1 h-1 with a selectivity close to 100% over 0.5Pd-ZnTi-LDH-A200, which was 20 times higher than that of bare ZnTi-LDH-A200. The modified photocatalysts exhibited higher generation and separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs, beneficial for charge separation in the photocatalysis, promoting the efficient conversion of CH4 to high value-added C-1 oxygenates.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hao Wu, Lei Zhang, Songying Qu, Aijun Du, Junwang Tang, Yun Hau Ng
Summary: Hydrogen dopants and oxygen vacancies are important in BiVO4 photoanodes, but the impact of hydrogenation on charge transport, particularly electron small polaron formation, is not well understood. This study demonstrates that mild hydrogenation of nanoporous BiVO4 reduces the charge transport barrier, as shown by thermally activating photocurrent responses. The hydrogen atoms occupy oxygen vacancies, reducing the activation energy and facilitating electron small polaron transport. A BiVO4 photoanode with NiFeOx cocatalyst achieves an applied-bias photon-to-current efficiency of 1.91% at 0.58 V vs RHE. This study expands the understanding of hydrogen doping beyond conventional donor density/surface chemisorption mediations to include small polaron hopping.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qingning Yang, Xiyi Li, Lu Chen, Xiaoyu Han, Feng Ryan Wang, Junwang Tang
Summary: This study presents a heterogeneous photocatalyst (Cu/ZnO) for efficient C-C coupling of benzyl chloride with high selectivity and yield at room temperature. The reaction showed excellent stability even after 8 cycles. The enhanced adsorption, stabilization of intermediates, and charge separation/transfer contributed to the improved performance.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiyi Li, Chao Wang, Jianlong Yang, Youxun Xu, Yi Yang, Jiaguo Yu, Juan J. Delgado, Natalia Martsinovich, Xiao Sun, Xu-Sheng Zheng, Weixin Huang, Junwang Tang
Summary: This study presents an efficient, stable, and selective photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane method using a PdCu nanoalloy decorated on TiO2. It achieves high methane conversion rate and apparent quantum efficiency at room temperature, with a long stability.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Madasamy Thangamuthu, Kiran Vankayala, Lunqiao Xiong, Stuart Conroy, Xiaolei Zhang, Junwang Tang
Summary: The stoichiometric water splitting using a solar-driven Z-scheme approach is a promising solution to the growing demand for renewable energy and environmental concerns. In this study, a robust Z-scheme system was constructed using only tungsten oxides, enabling efficient visible-driven water splitting. The system achieved high H2 and O2 production rates in a neutral solution, with an apparent quantum yield of 6.06% at 420 nm. The selective production of H2 and O2 was attributed to the preferential adsorption of iodide and iodate on the respective photocatalysts. This liquid Z-scheme system, combined with efficient shuttle molecules, offers a safe and separated H2 and O2 evolution process.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xiyi Li, Chao Li, Youxun Xu, Qiong Liu, Mounib Bahri, Liquan Zhang, Nigel D. Browning, Alexander J. Cowan, Junwang Tang
Summary: In this study, Au nanocluster-loaded TiO2 photocatalyst is developed by a sputtering approach, achieving high methane conversion rate and C-2 selectivity. The results demonstrate the importance of multifunctional co-catalysts and mechanistic understanding in improving photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane.
