Composites Photocatalysts for Sustainable Solar Energy Conversion

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 3204

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, Jiangxi 341000, China
Interests: photocatalysis; graphene; composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, Jiangxi 341000, China
Interests: photocatalysis; graphene; composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exploiting a clean, efficient, and sustainable fuel is essential to solving the energy crisis and environmental pollution of contemporary world. Solar photocatalytic technology is one of the most prospecting energy transformation technologies. However, single-component photocatalysts often show inferior activity due to the easy recombination of electron–hole pairs and the lack of effective active sites. Developing composite photocatalyst is an effective way to solve the above problems.

This Special Issue will present the most recent and significant developments in rational design of composite photocatalyst for sustainable solar energy conversion. Original papers on the above topics and short reviews are welcome for submission.

Dr. Kangqiang Lu
Prof. Dr. Weiya Huang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • photocatalysis
  • composite
  • solar energy conversion
  • energy crisis
  • environmental pollution

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 5537 KiB  
Article
Novel Laser-Assisted Chemical Bath Synthesis of Pure and Silver-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles with Improved Antimicrobial and Photocatalytic Properties
by Samer H. Zyoud, Samer O. Alalalmeh, Omar E. Hegazi, Ibrahim S. Yahia, Heba Y. Zahran, Hamed Abu Sara, Samir Haj Bloukh, Moyad Shahwan, Ahed H. Zyoud, Nageeb Hassan, Akram Ashames, Malek G. Daher, Ghaseb N. Makhadmeh, Ammar Jairoun, Naser Qamhieh and Mohamed Sh. Abdel-wahab
Catalysts 2023, 13(5), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13050900 - 17 May 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2830
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to global health, amplified by factors such as water scarcity and suboptimal hygienic practices. Addressing AMR effectively necessitates a comprehensive strategy encompassing enhanced access to potable water, developing innovative antibiotics, and exploring alternative treatment modalities, such as [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to global health, amplified by factors such as water scarcity and suboptimal hygienic practices. Addressing AMR effectively necessitates a comprehensive strategy encompassing enhanced access to potable water, developing innovative antibiotics, and exploring alternative treatment modalities, such as harnessing solar photocatalysis with zinc oxide nanoparticles for water purification and antimicrobial applications. The Laser-Assisted Chemical Bath Synthesis (LACBS) technique facilitates the fabrication of pure ZnO nanostructures, providing a potentially efficacious solution for mitigating pathogen proliferation and managing wastewater. The photocatalytic degradation of MB and MO dyes was investigated using blue laser light at 445 nm, and degradation rates were determined accordingly. Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures were characterized through X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The antimicrobial efficacy of LACBS-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles was assessed against C. albicans, S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae using the disc diffusion method, revealing 40 mm, 37 mm, 21 mm, 27 mm, and 45 mm inhibition zones at the highest concentration of doped-Ag (4.5%), respectively. These inhibition zones were measured in accordance with the guidelines established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. X-ray diffraction patterns for ZnO, ZnOAg(1.5%), ZnO:Ag(3%), and ZnO:Ag(4.5%) samples revealed variations in intensity and crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy exposed morphological disparities among the nanostructures, while energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy verified their elemental compositions. UV-Vis absorption analyses inspected the optical band gaps, and Fourier-transform infrared spectra identified the stretching mode of metal-oxygen bonds. Under blue laser irradiation, Ag-doped ZnO exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity during the photocatalytic degradation. These nanoparticles, synthesized via the cost-effective and straightforward LACBS method, benefit from silver doping that augments their electron-trapping properties and photocatalytic activity, thereby enabling efficient dye degradation. Consequently, Ag-doped ZnO nanoparticles hold promise as a potent solution for counteracting drug-resistant microorganisms and as an effective disinfectant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Composites Photocatalysts for Sustainable Solar Energy Conversion)
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