Ni-doped TiO2 film catalysts were prepared by a plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method and were mainly characterized by means of SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, and DRS, respectively. The effects of Ni doping on the structure, composition and optical absorption property of the film catalysts were investigated along with their inherent relationships. The results show that the film catalyst is composed of anatase and rutile TiO2 with microporous structure. Doping Ni changes the phase composition and the lattice parameters (interplanar crystal spacing and cell volume) of the films. The optical absorption range of TiO2 film gradually expands and shifts to the red with increasing dosages. Both direct and indirect transition band gaps of the TiO2 films are deduced consequently. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of the film catalysts for splitting Na2S+Na2SO3 solution into H2 is enhanced by doping with an appropriate amount of Ni. The as-prepared TiO2 film catalyst doping with 10 g/L of Ni(Ac)2 presents the highest photocatalytic reducing activity.
The sulfide solid solution has become a promising and important visible-light-responsive photocatalyst for hydrogen production nowadays. Zn(x)Cd(1-x)S/CNT nanocomposites were synthesized to improve the dispersion, adjust the energy band gap, and enhance the separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes. The as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized by scanning electron-microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-visible), respectively. And the effects of CNTs on structure, composition and optical absorption property of the sulfide solid solutions were investigated along with their inherent relationships. For Zn0.83Cd0.17S/CNTs, sulfide solid solution is assembled along the CNTs orderly, with a diameter of 100 nm or so. XPS analysis shows that there is bonding effect between the solid solutions and the CNTs due to the strong adsorption of Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) on the surface of CNTs. There are two obvious absorption edges for Zn0.83Cd0.17S/CNTs, corresponding to two kinds of sulfide solid solutions with different molar ratios of Zn/Cd. The hybridization of solid solutions with CNTs makes the absorption spectrum red shift. The photocatalytic property was evaluated by splitting Na2S + Na2SO3 solution into H2, and the highest rate of H2 evolution of 6.03 mmol h(-1) g(-1) was achieved over Zn0.83Cd0.17S/CNTs. The high activity of photocatalytic H2 production is attributed to the following factors: (1) the optimum band gap and a moderate position of the conduction band (which needs to match the irradiation spectrum of the Xe lamp best), (2) the efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes by hybridization, and (3) the improvement of the dispersion of nanocomposites by assembling along the CNTs as well.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.