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Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications
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Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 48339

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marcelo E. Domine

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Instituto de Tecnología Química (UPV - CSIC), Universitat Politècnica de València, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Valencia, Spain
Interests: synthesis and characterization of multi-functional and nanostructured solid catalysts; catalysts application in sustainable chemical processes; biomass-derivatives transformations; wastes valorization into fuels and chemicals
Prof. Dr. Alberto Marinas Aramendía

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Química Orgánica, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Química Fina y Nanoquímica IUIQFN, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Edificio Marie Curie, E-14071 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: heterogeneous (photo) catalysis applied to sustainable chemistry; biomass valorization; materials science; fine chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Different nano-structured solid materials with well-defined micro-, meso-, and hierarchical porosity and controlled catalytic properties (acid/base, redox) are capable of catalyzing a wide range of chemical reactions (e.g., oxidations, reductions, acid/base processes, etherifications, condensations, etc.) in the liquid and gas phases, interesting for the industrial production of chemicals, fuels, energy and energy vectors. The presence of isolated metallic species, homogeneously distributed in the form of nanoparticles on specific acid/base supports or adequately incorporated in the inorganic framework of well-structured materials, provides multi-functional capacities to afford catalytic transformations and multi-step reactions in “one-pot” or “cascade-type” processes, thus reducing reaction steps and operations costs and making processes more efficient and sustainable.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions devoted to the design, characterization, and application of novel nano-structured catalysts for sustainable chemical processes, mainly those focussed on the production of renewable energy and fuels or those related to the transformation of renewable raw materials, such as biomass and its derivatives into valuable products.

Dr. Marcelo E. Domine
Prof. Alberto Marinas
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Nanomaterials
  • Nanostructured catalysts
  • Heterogeneous catalysis
  • Sustainable catalytic processes
  • Renewable chemicals
  • Renewable energy

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5819 KiB  
Article
Conversion of Glycerol to Value Added Products in a Semi-Continuous Batch Reactor Using Noble Metals Supported on ZSM-11 Zeolite
by Eliana Diguilio, María S. Renzini, Liliana B. Pierella and Marcelo E. Domine
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(2), 510; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11020510 - 17 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2308
Abstract
Au, Pt, and Pd supported on ZSM-11 microporous zeolite were investigated as catalysts for glycerol (GLY) oxidation towards higher value added products. ZSM-11 was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment. Subsequently, ion exchange with NH4Cl was performed to recover acidic sites and then, [...] Read more.
Au, Pt, and Pd supported on ZSM-11 microporous zeolite were investigated as catalysts for glycerol (GLY) oxidation towards higher value added products. ZSM-11 was synthesized by hydrothermal treatment. Subsequently, ion exchange with NH4Cl was performed to recover acidic sites and then, Au, Pt, and Pd were incorporated onto this material by wet impregnation procedure. After thermal treatment of desorption and calcination, the corresponding Au, Pt, and Pd-ZSM-11 catalysts were obtained. These materials were characterized by different techniques, such as XRD, ICP, TEM- XEDS, and XPS, and were evaluated in the glycerol oxidation reaction by using alkaline medium and molecular oxygen as oxidizing agent. The higher conversion of GLY (66.5 mol.%) was reached for the Pt–ZSM-11 catalyst with moderate selectivity towards lactic acid (LA), while the bimetallic Au-Pt-ZSM-11 catalyst offered high selectivity to LA at moderate GLY conversion. Optimization of the main reaction parameters (i.e., temperature, reaction time and NaOH/GLY ratio) was carried out to maximize the selectivity towards the LA desired product. Thus, LA selectivity values close to 55% at GLY conversion >65% can be reached by using Pt-ZSM-11 as a catalyst under mild reaction conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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16 pages, 4181 KiB  
Article
Magnetic Nanoparticles with Dual Surface Functions—Efficient Carriers for Metalloporphyrin-Catalyzed Drug Metabolite Synthesis in Batch and Continuous-Flow Reactors
by Diána Balogh-Weiser, Balázs Decsi, Réka Krammer, Gergő Dargó, Ferenc Ender, János Mizsei, Róbert Berkecz, Benjámin Gyarmati, András Szilágyi, Róbert Tőtős, Csaba Paizs, László Poppe and György T. Balogh
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2329; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122329 - 24 Nov 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3354
Abstract
The dual functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with inert (methyl) and reactive (aminopropyl) groups enables efficient immobilization of synthetic metalloporphyrins (such as 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)iron(II) porphyrin and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-sulfonatophenyl)iron(II) porphyrin) via covalent or ionic interactions. The proportion of reactive function on the surface has significant effect on [...] Read more.
The dual functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles with inert (methyl) and reactive (aminopropyl) groups enables efficient immobilization of synthetic metalloporphyrins (such as 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)iron(II) porphyrin and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-sulfonatophenyl)iron(II) porphyrin) via covalent or ionic interactions. The proportion of reactive function on the surface has significant effect on the biomimetic activity of metalloporphyrins. The optimized magnetic nanocatalyst containing porphyrin was successfully applied for biomimetic oxidation of antihypertensive drug Amlodipine in batch and continuous-flow reactors as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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16 pages, 4454 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Catalytic Application of Silver Nanoparticles Supported on Lactobacillus kefiri S-Layer Proteins
by Patricia A. Bolla, Sofía Huggias, María A. Serradell, José F. Ruggera and Mónica L. Casella
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(11), 2322; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10112322 - 23 Nov 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3002
Abstract
Research on nanoparticles obtained on biological supports is a topic of growing interest in nanoscience, especially regarding catalytic applications. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied due to their low toxicity, but they tend to aggregation, oxidation, and low stability. In this work, we [...] Read more.
Research on nanoparticles obtained on biological supports is a topic of growing interest in nanoscience, especially regarding catalytic applications. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied due to their low toxicity, but they tend to aggregation, oxidation, and low stability. In this work, we synthesized and characterized AgNPs supported on S-layer proteins (SLPs) as bidimensional regularly arranged biotemplates. By different reduction strategies, six AgNPs of variable sizes were obtained on two different SLPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that SLPs are mostly decorated by evenly distributed AgNPs; however, a drastic reduction by NaBH4 led to large AgNPs whereas a smooth reduction with H2 or H2/NaBH4 at low concentration leads to smaller AgNPs, regardless of the SLP used as support. All the nanosystems showed conversion values between 75–80% of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol, however, the increment in the AgNPs size led to a great decrease in Kapp showing the influence of reduction strategy in the performance of the catalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the adsorption of p-nitrophenolate species through the nitro group is the most favored mechanism, leading to p-aminophenol as the only feasible product of the reaction, which was corroborated experimentally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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13 pages, 1801 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Production of Hydrogen by Steam Reforming of Ethanol Using Cobalt Supported on Nanoporous Zeolitic Material
by Javier Francisco da Costa-Serra, Maria Teresa Navarro, Fernando Rey and Antonio Chica
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(10), 1934; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10101934 - 28 Sep 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2572
Abstract
Cobalt catalysts supported on Y zeolite and mesoporized Y zeolite (Y-mod) have been studied in steam reforming of ethanol (SRE). Specifically, the effect of the mesoporosity and the acidity of the y zeolite as a support has been explored. Mesoporous were generated on [...] Read more.
Cobalt catalysts supported on Y zeolite and mesoporized Y zeolite (Y-mod) have been studied in steam reforming of ethanol (SRE). Specifically, the effect of the mesoporosity and the acidity of the y zeolite as a support has been explored. Mesoporous were generated on Y zeolite by treatment with NH4F and the acidity was neutralized by Na incorporation. Four cobalt catalysts supported on Y zeolite have been prepared, two using Y zeolite without mesoporous (Co/Y, Co/Y-Na), and two using Y zeolite with mesoporous (Co/Y-mod and Co/Y-mod-Na). All catalysts showed a high activity, with ethanol conversion values close to 100%. The main differences were found in the distribution of the reaction products. Co/Y and Co/Y-mod catalysts showed high selectivity to ethylene and low hydrogen production, which was explained by their high acidity. On the contrary, neutralization of the acid sites could explain the higher hydrogen selectivity and the lower ethylene yields exhibited by the Co/Y-Na and Co/Y-mod-Na. In addition, the physicochemical characterization of these catalysts by XRD, BET surface area, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), and TEM allowed to connect the presence of mesoporous with the formation of metallic cobalt particles with small size, high dispersion, and with high interaction with the zeolitic support, explaining the high reforming activity exhibited by the co/y-mod-Na sample as well as its higher hydrogen selectivity. It has been also observed that the formation of coke is affected by the presence of mesoporous and acidity. Both properties seem to have an opposite effect on the reforming catalyst, decreasing and increasing the coke deposition, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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15 pages, 3971 KiB  
Article
Potential of TiO2 with Various Au Nanoparticles for Catalyzing Mesotrione Removal from Wastewaters under Sunlight
by Daniela Šojić Merkulov, Marina Lazarević, Aleksandar Djordjevic, Máté Náfrádi, Tünde Alapi, Predrag Putnik, Zlatko Rakočević, Mirjana Novaković, Bojan Miljević, Szabolcs Bognár and Biljana Abramović
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1591; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081591 - 13 Aug 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3777
Abstract
Nowadays, great focus is given to the contamination of surface and groundwater because of the extensive usage of pesticides in agriculture. The improvements of commercial catalyst TiO2 activity using different Au nanoparticles were investigated for mesotrione photocatalytic degradation under simulated sunlight. The [...] Read more.
Nowadays, great focus is given to the contamination of surface and groundwater because of the extensive usage of pesticides in agriculture. The improvements of commercial catalyst TiO2 activity using different Au nanoparticles were investigated for mesotrione photocatalytic degradation under simulated sunlight. The selected system was 2.43 × 10−3% Au–S–CH2–CH2–OH/TiO2 (0.5 g/L) that was studied by transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. It was found that TiO2 particles size was ~20 nm and ~50 nm, respectively. The Au nanoparticles were below 10 nm and were well distributed within the framework of TiO2. For 2.43 × 10−3% Au–S–CH2–CH2–OH/TiO2 (0.5 g/L), band gap energy was 2.45 eV. In comparison to the pure TiO2, addition of Au nanoparticles generally enhanced photocatalytic removal of mesotrione. By examining the degree of mineralization, it was found that 2.43 × 10−3% Au–S–CH2–CH2–OH/TiO2 (0.5 g/L) system was the most efficient for the removal of the mesotrione and intermediates. The effect of tert-butanol, NaF and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt on the transformation rate suggested that the relative contribution of various reactive species changed in following order: h+ > ●OHads > ●OHbulk. Finally, several intermediates that were formed during the photocatalytic treatment of mesotrione were identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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17 pages, 3999 KiB  
Article
Electrodeposition of Mesoporous Ni-Rich Ni-Pt Films for Highly Efficient Methanol Oxidation
by Raül Artal, Albert Serrà, Johann Michler, Laëtitia Philippe and Elvira Gómez
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(8), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10081435 - 23 Jul 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3347
Abstract
The use of soft templates for the electrosynthesis of mesoporous materials has shown tremendous potential in energy and environmental domains. Among all the approaches that have been featured in the literature, block copolymer-templated electrodeposition had robustness and a simple method, but it practically [...] Read more.
The use of soft templates for the electrosynthesis of mesoporous materials has shown tremendous potential in energy and environmental domains. Among all the approaches that have been featured in the literature, block copolymer-templated electrodeposition had robustness and a simple method, but it practically cannot be used for the synthesis of mesoporous materials not based on Pt or Au. Nonetheless, extending and understanding the possibilities and limitations of block copolymer-templated electrodeposition to other materials and substrates is still challenging. Herein, a critical analysis of the role of the solution’s primary electroactive components and the applied potential were performed in order to understand their influences on the mesostructure of Ni-rich Ni-Pt mesoporous films. Among all the components, tetrahydrofuran and a platinum (IV) complex were shown to be crucial for the formation of a truly 3D mesoporous network. The electrosynthesized well-ordered mesoporous Ni-rich Ni-Pt deposits exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation in alkaline conditions, improved stability and durability after 1000 cycles, and minimal CO poisoning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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19 pages, 2315 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Stability in Hydrogen Evolution of Mo6 Iodide Clusters Supported on Graphene Oxide
by Marta Puche, Rocío García-Aboal, Maxim A. Mikhaylov, Maxim N. Sokolov, Pedro Atienzar and Marta Feliz
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(7), 1259; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10071259 - 28 Jun 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2564
Abstract
Catalytic properties of the cluster compound (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] (TBA = tetrabutylammonium) and a new hybrid material (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO (GO = graphene oxide) in water [...] Read more.
Catalytic properties of the cluster compound (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] (TBA = tetrabutylammonium) and a new hybrid material (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO (GO = graphene oxide) in water photoreduction into molecular hydrogen were investigated. New hybrid material (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO was prepared by coordinative immobilization of the (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] onto GO sheets and characterized by spectroscopic, analytical, and morphological techniques. Liquid and, for the first time, gas phase conditions were chosen for catalytic experiments under UV–Vis irradiation. In liquid water, optimal H2 production yields were obtained after using (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6] and (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO) catalysts after 5 h of irradiation of liquid water. Despite these remarkable catalytic performances, “liquid-phase” catalytic systems have serious drawbacks: the cluster anion evolves to less active cluster species with partial hydrolytic decomposition, and the nanocomposite completely decays in the process. Vapor water photoreduction showed lower catalytic performance but offers more advantages in terms of cluster stability, even after longer radiation exposure times and recyclability of both catalysts. The turnover frequency (TOF) of (TBA)2Mo6Ii8@GO is three times higher than that of the microcrystalline (TBA)2[Mo6Ii8(O2CCH3)a6], in agreement with the better accessibility of catalytic cluster sites for water molecules in the gas phase. This bodes well for the possibility of creating {Mo6I8}4+-based materials as catalysts in hydrogen production technology from water vapor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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14 pages, 3278 KiB  
Article
Olive Leaves as Biotemplates for Enhanced Solar-Light Harvesting by a Titania-Based Solid
by Jesús Hidalgo-Carrillo, Juan Martín-Gómez, M. Carmen Herrera-Beurnio, Rafael C. Estévez, Francisco J. Urbano and Alberto Marinas
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061057 - 30 May 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2772
Abstract
Olive leaves (by-product from olive oil production in olive mills) were used as biotemplates to synthesize a titania-based artificial olive leaf (AOL). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of AOL showed the successful replication of trichomes and internal structure channels present in olive leaves. [...] Read more.
Olive leaves (by-product from olive oil production in olive mills) were used as biotemplates to synthesize a titania-based artificial olive leaf (AOL). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of AOL showed the successful replication of trichomes and internal structure channels present in olive leaves. The BET surface area of AOL was 52 m2·g−1. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra revealed that the resulting solid was in the predominantly-anatase crystalline form (7.5 nm average particle size). Moreover, the synthesis led to a red-shift in light absorption as compared to reference anatase (gap energies of 2.98 and 3.2 eV, respectively). The presence of surface defects (as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, EPR) and doping elements (e.g., 1% nitrogen, observed by elemental analysis and XPS) could account for that. AOL was preliminarily tested as a catalyst for hydrogen production through glycerol photoreforming and exhibited an activity 64% higher than reference material Evonik P25 under solar irradiation and 144% greater under ultraviolet radiation (UV). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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19 pages, 4668 KiB  
Article
Mesoporous Tungsten Trioxide Photoanodes Modified with Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Photo-Reaction
by Mabrook S. Amer, Prabhakarn Arunachalam, Abdullah M. Al-Mayouf, Saradh Prasad, Matar N. Alshalwi and Mohamed A. Ghanem
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1502; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9101502 - 22 Oct 2019
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4502
Abstract
Nanostructured photoanodes are attractive materials for hydrogen production via water photo-electrolysis process. This study focused on the incorporation of carbon quantum dots doped with nitrogen as a photosensitizer into mesoporous tungsten trioxide photoanodes (N-CQD/meso-WO3) using a surfactant self-assembly [...] Read more.
Nanostructured photoanodes are attractive materials for hydrogen production via water photo-electrolysis process. This study focused on the incorporation of carbon quantum dots doped with nitrogen as a photosensitizer into mesoporous tungsten trioxide photoanodes (N-CQD/meso-WO3) using a surfactant self-assembly template approach. The crystal structure, composition, and morphology of pure and N-CQD- modified mesoporous WO3 photoanodes were investigated using scanning electron and transmission microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Due to their high surface area, enhanced optical absorption, and charge-carrier separation and transfer, the resulting N-CQD/meso-WO3 photoanodes exhibited a significantly enhanced photocurrent density of 1.45 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE under AM 1.5 G illumination in 0.5 M Na2SO4 without any co-catalysts or sacrificial reagent, which was about 2.23 times greater than its corresponding pure meso-WO3. Moreover, the oxygen evolution onset potential of the N-CQD/meso-WO3 photoanodes exhibited a negative shift of 95 mV, signifying that both the charge-carrier separation and transfer processes were promoted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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14 pages, 3645 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Synergies of Heterostructured Fe2O3-MnO Catalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Water Splitting
by Junyeong Kim, Jun Neoung Heo, Jeong Yeon Do, Rama Krishna Chava and Misook Kang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1486; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9101486 - 18 Oct 2019
Cited by 50 | Viewed by 6099
Abstract
For efficient electrode development in an electrolysis system, Fe2O3, MnO, and heterojunction Fe2O3-MnO materials were synthesized via a simple sol–gel method. These particles were coated on a Ni-foam (NF) electrode, and the resulting material was [...] Read more.
For efficient electrode development in an electrolysis system, Fe2O3, MnO, and heterojunction Fe2O3-MnO materials were synthesized via a simple sol–gel method. These particles were coated on a Ni-foam (NF) electrode, and the resulting material was used as an electrode to be used during an oxygen evolution reaction (OER). A 1000-cycle OER test in a KOH alkaline electrolyte indicated that the heterojunction Fe2O3-MnO/NF electrode exhibited the most stable and highest OER activity: it exhibited a low overvoltage (n) of 370 mV and a small Tafel slope of 66 mV/dec. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the excellent redox performance contributed to the synergy of Mn and Fe, which enhanced the OER performance of the Fe2O3-MnO/NF electrode. Furthermore, the effective redox reaction of Mn and Fe indicated that the structure maintained stability even under 1000 repeated OER cycles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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19 pages, 4015 KiB  
Article
Influence of Boron, Tungsten and Molybdenum Modifiers on Zirconia Based Pt Catalyst for Glycerol Valorization
by Manuel Checa, Vicente Montes, Jesús Hidalgo-Carrillo, Alberto Marinas and Francisco J. Urbano
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9040509 - 2 Apr 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3780
Abstract
The influence of boron, tungsten and molybdenum modifiers on zirconia-based Pt catalyst was studied for glycerol valorization. Zirconia modified supports were prepared by impregnation of ZrO2 with either boric, silicontungstic or phosphomolybdic acids to obtain supports with enhanced Brönsted acidic properties. The [...] Read more.
The influence of boron, tungsten and molybdenum modifiers on zirconia-based Pt catalyst was studied for glycerol valorization. Zirconia modified supports were prepared by impregnation of ZrO2 with either boric, silicontungstic or phosphomolybdic acids to obtain supports with enhanced Brönsted acidic properties. The modified supports were subsequently impregnated with chloroplatinic acid to obtain Pt-based catalysts. Pt incorporation resulted in the increase in Lewis acidity of the solids, being more significant for the Pt//W/ZrO2 catalyst. Reduced Pt catalysts were tested for the liquid-phase glycerol hydrogenolysis, observing a synergistic effect between catalyst acid sites and metal function that proved to be crucial in glycerol hydrogenolysis. The Pt//W/ZrO2 catalyst was the most active catalyst in this reaction, being the only leading to 1,3-PDO (45% sel., 160 °C) while Pt//Mo/ZrO2 is the best option for 1,2-PDO (49% sel., 180 °C). Reusability studies carried out for Pt//W/ZrO2 showed that catalytic activity dropped after the first use, remaining constant for the second and subsequent ones. Selectivity to reaction products also changes during reuses. Therefore, the selectivity to 1,2 PDO increases in the first reuse in detriment to the selectivity to n-propanol whereas the selectivity to 1,3-PDO remains constant along the uses. This behavior could be associated to the lixiviation of W species and/or catalyst fouling during reaction runs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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20 pages, 5141 KiB  
Article
Engineering Charge Transfer Characteristics in Hierarchical Cu2S QDs @ ZnO Nanoneedles with p–n Heterojunctions: Towards Highly Efficient and Recyclable Photocatalysts
by Donglai Han, Boxun Li, Shuo Yang, Xinying Wang, Wei Gao, Zhenjun Si, Qinghui Zuo, Yanhui Li, Yanwei Li, Qian Duan and Dandan Wang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9010016 - 23 Dec 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5057
Abstract
Equipped with staggered gap p-n heterojunctions, a new paradigm of photocatalysts based on hierarchically structured nano-match-shaped heterojunctions (NMSHs) Cu2S quantum dots (QDs)@ZnO nanoneedles (NNs) are successfully developed via engineering the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). Under UV and visible [...] Read more.
Equipped with staggered gap p-n heterojunctions, a new paradigm of photocatalysts based on hierarchically structured nano-match-shaped heterojunctions (NMSHs) Cu2S quantum dots (QDs)@ZnO nanoneedles (NNs) are successfully developed via engineering the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). Under UV and visible light illumination, the photocatalytic characteristics of Cu2S@ZnO heterojunctions with different loading amounts of Cu2S QDs are evaluated by the corresponding photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution. The results elaborate that the optimized samples (S3 serial specimens with six cycles of SILAR reaction) by means of tailored the band diagram exhibit appreciable improvement of photocatalytic activities among all synthesized samples, attributing to the sensitization of a proper amount of Cu2S QDs. Such developed architecture not only could form p–n junctions with ZnO nanoneedles to facilitate the separation of photo-generated carries but also interact with the surface defects of ZnO NNs to reduce the electron and hole recombination probability. Moreover, the existence of Cu2S QDs could also extend the light absorption to improve the utilization rate of sunlight. Importantly, under UV light S3 samples demonstrate the remarkably enhanced RhB degradation efficiency, which is clearly testified upon the charge transfer mechanism discussions and evaluations in the present work. Further supplementary investigations illustrate that the developed nanoscale Cu2S@ZnO heterostructures also possess an excellent photo-stability during our extensive recycling photocatalytic experiments, promising for a wide range of highly efficient and sustainably recyclable photocatalysts applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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10 pages, 3019 KiB  
Article
Vacuum Thermal Treated Ni-CeO2/SBA-15 Catalyst for CO2 Methanation
by Luhui Wang, Hui Liu, Han Ye, Rong Hu, Shuqing Yang, Guoli Tang, Kunqiang Li and Yanpeng Yang
Nanomaterials 2018, 8(10), 759; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano8100759 - 26 Sep 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4013
Abstract
Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-V catalyst was prepared by the impregnation method with vacuum thermal treatment and used for CO2 methanation reaction. Compared with Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-air catalyst with thermal treatment in air, the reduced Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-V catalyst with vacuum thermal treatment exhibited [...] Read more.
Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-V catalyst was prepared by the impregnation method with vacuum thermal treatment and used for CO2 methanation reaction. Compared with Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-air catalyst with thermal treatment in air, the reduced Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-V catalyst with vacuum thermal treatment exhibited higher Ni dispersion and smaller Ni particle size. In CO2 methanation reaction, the Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-V catalyst was more active and selective than the Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-air catalyst. The good activity and selectivity of Ni-CeO2/SBA-15-V catalyst should be due to highly dispersed Ni in contact with small CeO2 particles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Sustainable Applications)
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