A facile, robust approach to the synthesis of Fe3O4/rGO/TiO2 nanocomposites is described. The synthesis involves two major steps: (1) preparation of Fe3O4/GO by an electrostatic self-assembly method; (2) deposition of TiO2 on the surface of the Fe3O4/rGO nanocomposite via a hydrothermal method. The asprepared Fe3O4/rGO/TiO2 photocatalyst exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic activity for the deg...

To investigate the effect of Gd doping on photocatalytic activity of BiFeO3 (BFO), Gd-doped BFO nanoparticles containing different Gd doping contents (Bi(1-x)GdxFeO3, x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) were synthesized using a facile sol-gel route. The obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectra,...

The facet-engineered surface and interface design for photocatalytic materials has been proven as a versatile approach to enhance their photocatalytic performance. This review article encompasses some recent advances in the facet engineering that has been performed to control the surface of mono-component semiconductor systems and to design the surface and interface structures of multi-componen...

A series of advanced WO3-based photocatalysts including CuO/WO3, Pd/WO3, and Pt/WO3 were synthesized for the photocatalytic removal of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) under simulated solar light. In the present study, Pt/WO3 exhibited the best performance for the photocatalytic degradation of MC-LR. The MC-LR degradation can be described by pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Chloride ion (Cl-) with prope...

In this study, a novel visible-light-sensitive Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst was controllably synthesized through a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite exhibited a perfect nest-like hierarchical microsphere structure, which was constructed by the self-assembly of nanoplates with the assistance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The growth mechanism of the Bi2WO6/Bi...

A sequential adsorption/photocatalytic regeneration process to remove tartrazine, an azo-dye in aqueous solution, has been investigated. The aim ofthis work was to compare the effectiveness of an adsorbent/photocatalyst composite-TiO2 deposited onto activated carbon (AC) - and a simple mixture of powders of TiO2 and AC in same proportion. The composite was an innovative material as the photocat...

BACKGROUND The main objective of this research was to study photocatalytic oxidation of phenol in aquatic solutions by using of UV, TiO2 and the combination of them. Phenol compounds are widely used in industries and other daily life. Highly toxicity and carcinogenicity of these compounds can causal considerable adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystems and human health. METHODS The study was...

Titania is the most widely studied photocatalyst. In its mixed-phase configuration ( anatase–rutile form) – as manifested in the commercially available P25 Degussa material – titania was previously found to exhibit the best photocatalytic properties reported for the pure system. A great deal of published research by various workers in the field has not fully explained the underlying mechanism f...

A series of smart window coated multifunctional NIR shielding-photocatalytic films were fabricated successfully through KxWO3 and F-TiO2 in a low-cost and environmentally friendly process. Based on the synergistic effect of KxWO3 and F-TiO2, the optimal proportion of KxWO3 to F-TiO2 was investigated and the FT/2KWO nanocomposite film exhibited strong near-infrared, ultraviolet light shielding a...

In this study, the adsorption mechanism and hydroxyl radical ((•)OH)-initiated photocatalytic degradation mechanism of styrene onto different (TiO2)n clusters were investigated using density functional theory. Styrene, a typical model atmospheric volatile organic compound (VOC), was found to be readily adsorbed onto (TiO2)n clusters through its vinyl group with strong chemisorption. This sugges...