Pharmaceutical products occurring in freshwater bodies create numerous problems for the water bodies owing to their bio-toxic nature. In order to remove such pharmaceutical pollutants, a novel Er-doped Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite was prepared by one-pot synthesis and applied for the photocatalytic removal process. The Er ions doped on the surface of Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite exhibited 97% degradation of tetracycline in 60 min under visible light irradiation, which is higher than pure g-C3N5 and Bi4O5Br2 photocatalysts. The improved photocatalytic properties are attributed to the outstanding visible light harvesting capacity and quick charge carrier separation efficiency which greatly reduced the recombination rate in the heterojunctions. Based on radical trapping experiments, the •O2 −, h+ and •OH radicals played a prominent role in the photodegradation reactions under visible light. Finally, the ternary Er-doped Bi4O5Br2/ g-C3N5 nanocomposite is effectively recyclable with quite a stable photocatalytic removal rate. This work enables a new perspective on the rational design of rare-earth-based nanocomposites for various pharmaceutical pollutants treatment processes.

In this study, a bipolar visible light responsive photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) was constructed by loading a Z-scheme g-C3N4/ carbon black/BiOBr and a Ti3C2/ MoS2 Schottky heterojunction on the carbon brush to prepare the photoanode and photocathode, respectively. It greatly improved the electron transfer and achieved efficient degradation of organic pollutants such as antibiotics and dyes simultaneously in two chambers of the PFC system. The Z-scheme g-C3N4/carbon black/BiOBr formed by adding highly conductive carbon black to g-C3N4/BiOBr not only effectively separates the photogenerated carriers, but also simultaneously retains the high reduction of the conduction band of g-C3N4 and the high oxidation of the valence band of BiOBr, improving the photocatalytic performance. The exceptional performance of Ti3C2/ MoS2 Schottky heterojunction originated from the superior electrical conductivity of Ti3C2 MXene, which facilitated the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Meanwhile, the synergistic effect of the two photoelectrodes further improved the photocatalytic performance of the PFC system, with degradation rates of 90.9% and 99.9% for 50 mg L− 1 tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) and 50 mg L− 1 rhodamine-B (RhB), respectively, within 180 min. In addition, it was found that the PFC also exhibited excellent pollutant degradation rates under dark conditions (79.7%, TCH and 97.9%, RhB). This novel pollutant degradation system is expected to provide a new idea for efficient degradation of multiple pollutant simultaneously even in the dark.

The removal of aqueous pollutants, including dye molecules from wastewater remains one of the pressing problems in the world. Because of chemical stability and conjugated structure, dye molecules cannot be easy decomposed by heat with oxidizing reagents such as H2O2 and light. The most common representative of widespread organic pollutant is methylene blue (MB) with molecular formula C16H18ClN3S, which is important colorant and used in various chemical and biological production industries and causes serious environment problems. Porous materials, including MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) have been applied for efficient MB photocatalytic degradation. However, one of the main barriers to using most MOFs to break down aromatic organics is wide band gap energy, which means that the catalyst can exhibit high photocatalytic performance only under UVlight irradiation. Moreover, most MOFs usually show the poor water stability of frameworks, which tend to dissolve in water with total destruction. In this work we report about two new copper based MOFs with high photocatalytic properties for efficient MB degradation from wastewater under UV-light and natural sunlight. Time, required for 100% MB degradation, equals 7 minutes under UV (source 4 W 254 nm VL-4.LC UV-lamp) and 60 minutes under natural sunlight irradiation in the presence of H2O2. Crystal structure information is provided using single crystal X-ray diffraction data. The composition and comparative characteristics of MOFs are given using powder X-ray diffraction, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, UVvisible spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

Interest in the use of semiconductor-based photocatalyst materials for the degradation of organic pollutants in a liquid phase has grown, due to their excellent performance and response to the light source. Herein, we fabricated a NiO-SiCTiO2 ternary structured photocatalyst which had reduced bandgap energy, with strong activation under UV-light irradiation. The synthesized samples were examined using XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, DRS, EIS techniques and photocurrent measurement. The results confirmed that the two types of metal oxides were well bonded to the SiC fiber surface. The junction of the new photocatalyst exhibited a large number of photoexcited electrons and holes. The holes tended to oxidize the water and form a hydroxyl radical, which promoted the decomposition of methylene blue. The close contact between the 2D SiC fiber and metal oxide semiconductors expanded the scope of absorption wavelength, and enhanced the usability of the ternary photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue. Among three synthesized samples, the NiO-SiC-TiO2 showed the best photocatalytic effect, and was considered to have excellent photoelectron transfer due to the synergy effect between the metal oxide and SiC.

To solve the problem of water pollution, researchers have proposed a photocatalytic degradation technology, in which the key factor is the development of efficient photocatalytic materials. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), an n-type semiconductor, has been widely studied due to its suitable band gap (2.7 eV), low cost, easy preparation, non-toxicity, and high photostability. However, the pure-phase g-C3N4 still has defects such as low specific surface area, insufficient visible light absorption, low charge mobility, few active sites for interfacial reaction, and easy recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which leads to the lower photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4. Aiming at the problems mentioned above, this paper focus on the synthesis of g-C3N4-based composites with high photocatalytic activity via lemon juice induction method. Thiourea and lemon juice were selected as precursors, and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as electron mediators were introduced anchoring on the surface of g-C3N4 to build g-C3N4/CQDs with compact interface. The results showed that small-sized CQDs are uniformly distributed on the surface of g-C3N4, and the g-C3N4/CQDs composite has a 2D0D structure, which reduces the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of 4% g-C3N4/CQDs for RhB reaches the highest data of 90.9%, and the photocatalytic degradation rate is 0.016 min− 1, which is about 2.3 times that of g-C3N4. After four cycles of photocatalytic reaction, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the material remained at 81.7%. Therefore, the g-C3N4/CQDs synthesized via lemon juice induction has a more stable microstructure, and the charge separation efficiency is greatly improved, which is suitable for practical photocatalytic environmental protection.

활성 의약품 성분(APIs)의 존재가 수생 생태계와 인간의 건강에 위험하다는 증거가 있다. 물에 항생물질인 테트 라사이클린과 같은 API가 존재하면 미생물에 항균제 내성(AMR)이 발생해 개인과 사회에 막대한 비용이 발생한다. TiO2 또 는 비스무트 기반 촉매와 같은 촉매가 내장된 막은 유기 유출물을 분해하고 폐수로부터 분리한다. 촉매의 광촉매 활성은 귀 금속 도핑 및 탄소성 물질의 첨가 및 다른 반도체와의 헤테로 접합 형성으로 향상될 수 있다. 광촉매의 회수는 고분자 막에 서 광촉매의 고정화를 통해 가능하다. 이 검토에서는 물 속 항생제의 분해가 논의된다.

일상적인 화학제품들의 사용량이 증가함에 따라 사용되었던 염료 폐기물 처리 또한 중요한 환경 적인 문제로 대두되었다. 이러한 염료폐기물은 광촉매를 이용하여 분해시킬 수 있는데, 졸-겔 기술을 활용 하면 매우 비용 효율적으로 광촉매를 합성할 수 있다. 졸-겔 기술은 나노스케일의 막 형성에도 상당히 유 용하며 간단하게 다층구조를 형성할 수도 있다. 본 연구에서는 다양한 염료 분해에 효과가 있는 산화아연 (ZnO) 이용하여 다중 회전도포 방법으로 다층구조(3층, 5층)를 가진 ZnO 막을 형성하였다. 성능비교를 위해 단일 회전도포 방법에 의한 단층구조를 가진 ZnO 막을 대조군으로 준비하였다. X선 회절분석기 및 에너지 분산 X선 분광계를 이용하여 ZnO의 구조 및 원소분석을 수행하였고, 주사전자현미경을 통해 나노 선같은 표면형상을 관찰할 수 있었다. 추가적으로 UV-Vis 분광광도계를 활용하여 자외선의 흡수도를 측정 하였다. 5층구조를 가진 ZnO 막이 단층 구조를 가진 ZnO 막에 비해 모의 메틸렌 블루를 49% 더 많이 분해하였다. 결론적으로, 다층구조를 가진 ZnO 는 메틸렌블루 염료를 더욱 효과적으로 분해하는 광촉매로 써 유용하다는 알 수 있었다.

성장하는 산업화는 심각한 수질 오염으로 이어진다. 폐수로 배출되는 약품과 섬유산업에서 나오는 유기배출물은 환경과 생명에게 악영향을 미친다. 항균치료에 사용되는 항생제가 폐수에 존재하면 인체에 매우 해로운 약제 내성균의 성장 을 야기하게 된다. 섬유산업에서 사용되는 유기염료 분자의 제조에는 다양한 유기 저분자가 사용된다. 이러한 분자들은 인쇄 및 염색 산업의 폐수 배출물에 존재하여 분해가 잘 이루지지 않는다. 이러한 문제들을 해결하기 위해 광분해성 촉매를 분리 막에 도입하고 폐수를 처리한다. 이 과정을 통해 유기 분자는 광분해되며 동시에 분해된 화합물들은 분리막을 통과하여 분리 된다. 이산화티타늄(TiO2)은 뛰어난 광촉매 역할을 하는 반도체이다. 다른 전이 금속 산화물과 화합물을 만들고 고분자 막에 도입하여 광촉매 능력을 증가시킨다. 본 총설에서는 광촉매성 분리막에 의한 염료 및 약물 분자의 분해에 대해 논의한다.

단순 침전법으로 제조한 CdZnS/ZnO 광촉매를 이용하여 가시광선하에서 메틸렌블루의 광분해 반응에 대한 연구를 수행하였다. X선 회절분석법과 UV-vis 확산반사 분광법 등을 이용하여 제조된 촉매들의 물리화학적 특성을 분석하였다. 그리고 CdZnS/ZnO 광촉매의 활성을 조사하고 CdS 및 TiO2와 비교 검토하였다. CdZnS/ZnO 광촉매는 자외선뿐만 아니라 400nm에서 600nm 범위의 가시광선 영역에 있어서도 우수한 광흡수 특성을 나타내었다. 가시광선하에서 메틸렌 블루의 광분해 반응에 대해서 CdZnS/ZnO 광촉매는 CdS 와 TiO2 보다 우수한 광촉매 활성을 나타내는 것을 알 수 있었다. 그리고 가시광선하에서의 메틸렌블루의 광분해 반응에는 광촉매 반응뿐만 아니라 감광반응도 관여하고 있음을 확인할 수 있었다.

In this study, photocatalytic degradation of ammonia in petrochemical wastewater is investigated by solar light photocatalysis. Two-dimensional ultra-thin atomic layer structured MoS2 are synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. We examine all prepared samples by means of physical techniques, such as SEM-EDX, HRTEM, FT-IR, BET, XRD, XPS, DRS and PL. And, we use fullerene modified MoS2 nanosheets to enhance the activity of photochemically generated oxygen (PGO) species. Surface area and pore volumes of the MoS2-fullerene samples significantly increase due to the existence of MoS2. And, PGO oxidation of MB, TBA and TMST, causing its concentration in aqueous solution to decrease, is confirmed by the results of PL. The generation of reactive oxygen species is detected through the oxidation reaction from 1,5-diphenyl carbazide (DPCI) to 1,5-diphenyl carbazone (DPCO). It is found that the photocurrent density and the PGO effect increase in the case with modified fullerene. The experimental results show that this heterogeneous catalyst has a degradation of 88.43% achieved through visible light irradiation. The product for the degradation of NH3 is identified as N2, but not NO2−or NO3−.

In this work, a carbon-doped carbon nitride photocatalyst is successfully synthesized through a simple centrifugal spinning method after heat treatment. The morphology and properties of the prepared photo catalyst are characterized by Xray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis spectrophotometer (UV-vis), and specific surface area. The results show that the band gap of the prepared sample, g-CN-10 is 2.1 eV, is significantly lower than that of pure carbon nitride, 2.7 eV. As the amount of cotton candy increased, the absorption capacity of the prepared catalyst for visible light is significantly enhanced. In addition, the degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B (RhB) by sample g-CN-10 is 98.8 % over 2h, which is twice that value of pure carbon nitride. The enhancement of photocatalytic ability is attributed to the increase of specific surface area after the carbon doping modifies carbon nitride. A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of carbon-doped carbon nitride is also suggested.

광촉매는 물에서 유기 염료를 분해하는 친환경적 기술이다. 산화 텅스텐은 이산화 티타늄에 비해 더 작은 밴드갭을 지니고 있어 광촉매 나노물질로서 활발히 연구되고 있다. 계층적 구조의 합성, 백금 도핑, 나노 복합물 또는 다른 반도체 와의 결합 등이 광촉매 분해 효율을 향상시키는 방법들로 연구되고 있다. 이들 방법들은 광 파장의 적색편이를 유도하여 전자 이동, 전자-정공 쌍의 형성과 재결합에 영향을 미친다. 산화 텅스텐의 형태 개질을 통해 앞서 언급한 광촉매 분해 효율을 향상시키는 방법들과 합성에 대해 분석하였으며 금속 산화물과 탄소 복합재를 결합하는 방법이 새로운 물질의 합성이 필요 없으며 가장 효율적인 방법으로 조사되었다. 이러한 광촉매 기술은 수처리 분리막기술과 모듈화하여 정수처리 목적으로 사용 될 수 있다.

Well-dispersed Ag3VO4 nanoparticles @polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers were synthesized by an easily controlled, template-free method as a photo-catalyst for the degradation of methylene blue. Their structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties have been studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy equipped with rapid energy dispersive analysis of X-ray, photoluminescence, and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The characterization procedures revealed that the obtained material is PAN nanofibers decorated by Ag3VO4 nanoparticles. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue investigated in an aqueous solution under irradiation showed 99% degradation of the dye within 75 min. Finally, the antibacterial performance of Ag3VO4 nanoparticles @PAN composite nanofibers was experimentally verified by the destruction of Escherichia coli. These results suggest that the developed inexpensive and functional nanomaterials can serve as a non-precious catalyst for environmental applications.

Cubic mesocrystal CeO2 was synthesized via a hydrothermal method with glutamic acid (C5H9NO4) as a template. The XRD pattern of a calcined sample shows the face-centered cubic fluorite structure of ceria. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern revealed that the submicron cubic mesocrystals were composed of many small crystals attached to each other with the same orientation. The UV-visible adsorption spectrum exhibited the red-shift phenomenon of mesocrystal CeO2 compared to commercial CeO2 particles; thus, the prepared materials show tremendous potential to degrade organic dyes under visible light illumination . With a concentration of a rhodamine B solution of 20 mg/L and a catalyst amount of 0.1 g/L, the reaction showed higher photocatalytic performance following irradiation with a xenon lamp (≥ 380 nm). The decoloring rate can exceed 100% after 300 min.

The photodegradation of the model compounds Quinol, an aromatic organic compound and Acid blue FFS, an acid dye of chemical class Triphenylmethane was studied by using illumination with UV lamp of light intensity 250W. TiO2 and TiO2 doped with Boron and Nitrogen was used as catalyst. The sol-gel method was followed with titanium isopropoxide as precursor and doping was done using Boron and Nitrogen. In photocatalytic degradation, TiO2 and doped TiO2 dosage, UV illumination time and initial concentration of the compounds were changed and examined in order to determine the optimal experimental conditions. Operational time was optimized for 360 min. The optimum dosage of TiO2 and BN doped TiO2 was obtained to be 2 mgL-1 and 2.5 mgL-1 respectively. Maximum degradation % for quinol and Blue FFS acid dye was 78 and 95 respectively, at the optimum dosage of BN-doped TiO2 catalyst. It was 10 and 4% higher than when undoped TiO2 catalyst was used.

Methylene blue (MB) was degraded by TiO2 and ZnO deposited on an activated carbon fiber (ACF) surface under UV light. The ACF/TiO2 and ACF/ZnO composites were characterized by BET, SEM, XRD, and EDX. The BET surface area was related to the adsorption capacity for composites. The SEM results showed that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are distributed on the ACF surface. The XRD results showed that the ACF/TiO2 and ACF/ZnO composites contained a unique anatase structure for TiO2 and a typical hexagonal phase for ZnO respectively. These EDX spectra showed the presence of peaks of Ti element on ACF/TiO2 composite and peaks of Zn element on the ACF/ZnO composite. The blank experiments for either illuminating the MB solution or the suspension containing ACF/TiO2 or ACF/ZnO in the dark showed that both illumination and the catalyst were necessary for the mineralization of organic dye. Additionally, the ACF/TiO2 composites proved to be efficient photocatalysts due to degradation of MB at higher reaction rates. The addition of an oxidant ([NH4]2S2O8) led to an increase of the degradation rate of MB for ACF/TiO2 and ACF/ZnO composites.

In order to investigate the effect of doping C, N, B and F elements on TiO2 for reducing the band gap, the heat treatment of TiO2 was carried out with tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate. Through XRD and XPS analysis, the C, N, B and F doped anatase TiO2 was confirmed. According to the increase of temperature during treatment, the particle size was increased due to aggregation of TiO2 with elements (B, C, N and F). To investigate the capacity of photocatalyst for degradation of dye under solar light, the degradation of acridine orange and methylene blue was conducted. The degradation of dyes was carried out successfully under solar light indicating the effect of doping elements (B, C, N and F) on TiO2 for reducing the band gap effectively.

xTiO2-ySiO2 system photocatalysts were developed by sol-gel method based on the change of production parameters, and their structure of crystallization and the specific surface area were measured. Considering the efficiency of the ethanol and phenol degradation using the catalyst, the conclusions were obtained as follows: By means of X-ray analysis of xTiO2-ySiO2 powder that is obtained from Titanium and Silicon alkoxide by sol-gel process, it is shown that crystal structure of anatase type is a dominating structure and, on the other hand, the structure of rutile also partly exists. The increase of SiO2 contents causes the decrease of the degree of crystallization of the gel, whereas the specific surface area preferentially increases. It is shown that more than 90% of ethanol and phenol are degraded when reaction time is about three and an hours, and the maximum degradation rate of ethanol and phenol is shown in 60TiO2-40SiO2 catalyst.

Carbon Nano Tubes could be either metallic or semi-conducting in nature, depending on their diameter. Its photocatalytic behavior has given an impetus to use it as an anti-microbial agent. More than 95% Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria got killed when exposed to Carbon Nano Tubes for 30 minutes in presence of sunlight. Carbon Nano Tubes are supposed to have smooth surface on to which it accumulates positive charges when exposed to light. The surface that is non illuminated has negative charge. At the cellular level microorganisms produce negative charges on the cell membrane, Therefore damaging effect of multi walled carbon nano tubes (exposed to light) on the microorganisms is possible. In this paper, photo catalytic killing of microbes by multi walled carbon nano tubes is reported. Killing was due to damage in the cell membrane, as seen in SEM micrographs. Moreover biochemical analysis of membrane as well as total cellular proteins by SDS PAGE showed that there was denaturation of membrane proteins as well as total proteins of both the microbes studied. The killed microbes that showed a decrease in number of protein bands (i.e. due to breaking down of proteins) also showed an increase in level of free amino acids in microbes. This further confirmed that proteins got denatured or broken down into shorter units of amino acids. Increased level of free amino acids was recorded in both the microbes treated with multi walled carbon nano tubes and sunlight.