A heterostructured Ag3PO4/AgBr/Ag plasmonic photocatalyst was prepared by a rational in situ ion exchange reaction between Ag3PO4 micro-cubes and Br(-) in aqueous solution followed by photoreduction. The photocatalytic activities of obtained photocatalysts were measured by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation (λ≥ 400 nm). Compared to AgBr...

Cadmium tungstate (CdWO4) nanorods and CdWO4-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites have been prepared by the hydrothermal method at 140, 160 and 180 oC reaction temperatures. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared, photoluminescence spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. SEM image showed the pure...

A novel one-step cation exchange approach has been developed to prepare ZnO-decorated ZnSe nanorods (ZnSe-ZnO NRs), a prototype type-II semiconductor nanoheterostructure. Because of the staggered band offset which promoted effective charge separation, the as-synthesized ZnSe-ZnO NRs exhibited remarkable photocatalytic activities under visible light illumination, demonstrating their promising po...

Herein, we demonstrate for the first time the fabrication of concave trisoctahedral Ag(3)PO(4) microcrystals enclosed by {221} and {332} facets based on the heteroepitaxial growth procedure, which exhibit much higher photocatalytic activities than cubic Ag(3)PO(4) and commercial N-doped TiO(2).

Herein, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of the well-defined triple-shelled Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanospheres with burr-shaped hierarchical structures, in which the multiple distinct functional components are integrated wonderfully into a single nanostructure. In comparison with commercial TiO2 (P25), pure TiO2 microspheres, Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 and annealed Ag@Fe3O4@SiO2@TiO2 nanocomposites, ...

Although reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-based photocatalyst composites have been intensively developed during the past few years, the influence of reduction extent of rGO on the photocatalytic performance of the rGO-based composite has virtually not been investigated due to some technical limitations, such as the poor water dispersibility of rGO and low reduction selectivity of the hydrothermal m...

Novel photocatalysts Gd₂FeSbO₇, Gd₂InSbO₇ and Gd₂YSbO₇ were synthesized by the solid state reaction method for the first time. A comparative study about the structural and photocatalytic properties of Gd₂MSbO₇ (M = Fe, In, Y) was reported. The results showed that Gd₂FeSbO₇, Gd₂InSbO₇ and Gd₂YSbO₇ crystallized with the pyrochlore-type structure, cubic crystal system and space group Fd3m. The lat...

The photocatalytic activity and stability of thin, polycrystalline ZnO films was studied. The oxidative degradation of organic compounds at the ZnO surface results from the ultraviolet (UV) photo-induced creation of highly oxidizing holes and reducing electrons, which combine with surface water to form hydroxyl radicals and reactive oxygen species. Therefore, the efficiency of the electron-hole...

A series of novel photocatalysts Zn/Cr LDH with different Zn/Cr molar ratios (2 : 1, 3 : 1, 4 : 1 and 2 : 1-CO(3)) were fabricated by a co-precipitation method and evaluated for photodecomposition of water using visible light irradiation. Various characterization methods were employed to investigate the structures, morphologies and photocatalytic properties. In comparison to Zn/Cr (2 : 1) LDH, ...

Photocatalysis has attracted worldwide attention due to its potential in solar energy conversion. As a "green" advanced oxidation technology, it has been extensively used for water disinfection and wastewater treatment. This article provides a review of the recent progress in solar energy-induced photocatalytic disinfection of bacteria, focusing on the development of highly efficient photocatal...