Facile one-pot synthesis of uniform TiO₂–Ag hybrid hollow spheres with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

TiO(2)-Ag hybrid hollow spheres (about 700 nm in diameter) with a highly uniform morphology and good structural stability were facilely prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal method, using carbon spheres as templates followed by an annealing treatment. Through this route, the as-prepared hybrid hollow spheres preserved the uniformity of the initial carbon sphere templates and the loading amount of the Ag nanocrystals can be conveniently varied or controlled by the concentration of the Ag precursor. The investigation of the photocatalytic ability demonstrated that the as-prepared TiO(2)-Ag hybrid hollow spheres possess excellent photocatalytic activity, superior to commercial TiO(2) nanoparticles (Degussa P25), for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under visible-light illumination. Furthermore, the ˙OH radicals formed during photocatalysis with different Ag content hybrids were revealed by means of a terephthalic acid fluorescence probe method, which uncovers that the Ag content in the TiO(2)-Ag hybrids was crucial to obtain an optimal synergistic effect between the Ag and TiO(2) for the degradation of organic pollutants. Accordingly, the optimum matching for the best photocatalytic activity was investigated thoroughly and a reasonable mechanism was also proposed.

Highly synergistic antimicrobial activity of spherical and flower-like hierarchical titanium dioxide/silver composites

“…Cu [8] , Zn [9] , Ag [10] and Fe [11] ) and TiO 2 /non-metals composites [12][13][14] , so as to efficiently extend their utility as biomedical materials. Among these composites, TiO 2 /Ag composites are more potent antibacterial agents due to the fact that Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) deposited in TiO 2 matrix act as a conductor and charge separators for blocking electron-hole recombination, resulting in maximizing the production of ROS [15][16][17] . Furthermore, Ag NPs have been known as effective antimicrobial agents with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, good durability, heat resistance and stability [18,19] .…”

Facile Synthesis of Bimetallic Pt-Ag/Graphene Composite and Its Electro-Photo-Synergistic Catalytic Properties for Methanol Oxidation

“…Catalysts 2016, 6, 144 5 of 13 the deposited Ag nanoparticles are in a zero-valent state [22,24]. Figure 4B shows Pt 4f spectra of Pt/GNs (curve a) and Pt-Ag/GNs (curve b [14].…”

“…The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern demonstrates that the Pt-Ag/GNs composite has a typical polycrystalline structure (the inset of Figure 2F). and Ag 3d 3/2 for Pt-Ag/GNs are 368.1 eV and 374.0 eV ( Figure 4A), respectively, demonstrating that the deposited Ag nanoparticles are in a zero-valent state [22,24]. Figure 4B shows Pt 4f spectra of Pt/GNs (curve a) and Pt-Ag/GNs (curve b).…”

Visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of safranin-T dye using functionalized graphene oxide nanosheet (FGS)/ZnO nanocomposites

“…24,27,29 terephthalic acid as a probe molecule. 45,56 The intensity of the PL emission was monitored at a l max of 425 nm corresponding to the formation of the adduct i.e. 2-hydroxy terephthalic acid (TAOH) formed via the reaction between terephthalic acid and OHc generated during the interaction of pristine ZnO and FGS/ ZnO NCs in safranin-T dye solution (Fig.…”