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As a visible-light response semiconductor materials, bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is extensively applied in photodegradation organic dye field. In this study, we synthesized C3N5 nanosheets and coupled with decahedral BiVO4 to construct a Z-scheme C3N5/BiVO4 heterostructure with close interface contact. By introducing C3N5 into BiVO4, the built Z-scheme transfer pathway provides silky channel for charge carrier migration between different moieties and enables photoexcited electrons and holes accumulated on the surface of BiVO4 and C3N5. The accelerated separation of charge carriers ensures C3N5/BiVO4 heterostructures with a powerful oxidation capacity compared with pure BiVO4. Due to the synergistic effect in Z-scheme heterostructure, the C3N5/BiVO4 demonstrated an improved photodegradation ability of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) that of bare BiVO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfonamides are commonly used antibiotics, but their residues in water bodies pose a potential threat to public health. In this study, we fabricated a 2D/2D composite heterojunction by integrating petal-like flake La2Ce2O7 with stacked slice BiOCl through an in-situ self-assembly method using hydrothermal synthesis. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized materials were systematically characterized. The photocatalytic performance of the composite photocatalyst was found to be superior to that of pure La2Ce2O7 and BiOCl, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of both high carrier separation and mobility, which ultimately leads to the formation of a 2D/2D heterojunction interface contact between La2Ce2O7 and BiOCl. Notably, the construction of type II heterojunction helps electrons and holes to react on different semiconductors and facilitates the separation of electron–hole pairs. And the hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals were captured by electron spin resonance and the strong oxidizing nature of the radicals can effectively break the C–X bond, which is more favorable for the conversion degradation of sulfonamides. A possible photodegradation mechanism based on the catalyst of La2Ce2O7/BiOCl was hypothesized, providing a theoretical basis for preparing 2D/2D heterojunctions with a prominent photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dispersion containing black TiO2 photocatalyst was prepared and sprayed onto the concrete's surface to achieve a black TiO2-based photocatalytic concrete paving eco-block, and its photocatalytic NO removal ratio is approximately 1.7 times as high as that of a white TiO2-based eco-block, resulting from the enhanced optical absorption intensity, abundant oxygen vacancies, and highly produced superoxide anion radicals (˙O2−) of black TiO2. Moreover, the black TiO2-based concrete paving eco-block exhibits significantly enhanced compressive strength and abrasion resistance when using water-glass as a binder, which could satisfy the demand for practical application. Furthermore, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) was performed to dynamically track the reactive products and intermediates across the surface of the B-TiO2 photocatalyst in a time sequence to investigate the reaction mechanism. It has been demonstrated that almost no harmful by-products were produced when NO was removed via photocatalysis, and the applicability of the as-prepared eco-blocks was evaluated considering the effects of various reaction conditions. Additionally, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for solar-driven photocatalytic abatement of atmospheric NO in a realistic urban street coating with black TiO2-based photocatalytic concrete paving eco-blocks was constructed and simulated to assess the real-world applicability of the developed approach. Overall, this research may offer fresh perspectives on how to create ecologically acceptable photocatalytic products for the removal of air pollutants using solar light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been rarely reported the morphological control of derivatives of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) in hydrothermal conditions for photocatalytic applications. We report here a family of highly efficient composite photocatalysts composed of terephthalic acid/terephthalate (TPA) ligand and TiO2 with various morphologies (e. g. nanoparticles, nanosheets, and nanorods). The composites are synthesized by a simple one‐step hydrothermal method in various solvents (i. e. H2O, HF, H2SO4, HCl, and HNO3) using Ti‐based MOF (MIL‐125(Ti)) as precursor. The formation mechanism of composite materials with different morphological features is discussed. Impressively, the composite of TiO2 nanoparticles/TPA synthesized using H2O as solvent under hydrothermal condition exhibits the highest photocatalytic H2 activity among the studied materials, with a photocatalytic H2 production rate of 6.38 mmol g−1 h−1, which is approximately 7.5‐fold higher than pure TiO2 (Degussa, P25) and prominent apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 65 % at 365 nm. Furthermore, the mechanism of boosted photocatalytic H2 production is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing piezoelectric materials with the built-in electric field caused by mechanical force has been confirmed as an effective strategy to boost the separation efficiency of photoexcited charge carriers that determines the photocatalytic performance. In this study, we introduced Bi4Ti3O12 with superior piezoelectric properties into BiVO4–Bi4V2O10 materials to synthesize a 2D Bi4Ti3O12–BiVO4–Bi4V2O10 photocatalyst via a facile hydrothermal method. Compared with bare BiVO4, the Bi4Ti3O12–BiVO4–Bi4V2O10 piezo-photocatalytic activity towards Cr(VI) removal and oxygen evolution is boosted remarkably under both illumination and ultrasound treatments. The promoted photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the accelerated photoexcited carrier separation efficiency driven by the polarization electric field and the synergy effect in the heterostructure. This work provides a simple and sustainable strategy for the design and development of piezo-photocatalysts with high photoredox activity capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]