Catalyst recovery is one of the most important aspects that restrict the application of Ti O_2 photocatalyst. In order to reduce restrictions and improve the photocatalytic efficiency, a hierarchical porous Ti O_2 monolith(PTM) with well-defined macroporous and homogeneous mesoporous structure was prepared by using a sol-gel phase separation method. P123 was used as the mesoporous template and graphene oxide was applied to increase the activity and integrity of the monolithic Ti O_2. According to scanning electron microscopy and the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda measurements, PTM_3 is mainly composed of 10 nm anatase crystallines with3.6 nm mesopores and 2-8 μm macropores. Further characterization suggests carbon and nitrogen have been maintained in the PTM during calcinations so as to induce the visible light activity. The PTM with 0.07 wt%graphene oxide dosage shows high efficiency for methyl orange(MO) decolorization under both full spectrum and visible light irradiation(λ >400 nm). Besides, the monolith remains intact and has good photocatalytic stability after four cyclic experiments.
Lei WanMingce LongDongying ZhouLiying ZhangWeimin Cai
An efficient visible light driven photocatalyst, gold nanoparticles(NPs) modified Bi VO_4(Au/Bi VO_4), has been synthesized by deposition-precipitation with urea method. Au/Bi VO_4 exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation underλ>400 nm irradiation but negligible activity underλ>535 nm,indicating that the surface plasmon resonance(SPR) effect is too weak for organic photodegradation. According to the photoelectrochemical results of the porous powder electrodes of Bi VO_4 and Au/Bi VO_4, the SPR effect of Au NPs has been assessed. The role of Au NPs as electron sinks or sources, which is controllable by incident photon energy and applied potentials, has been discussed.
Mingce LongJingjing JiangYan LiRuqiong CaoLiying ZhangWeimin Cai
