New insights into the nature of the bandgap of CuGeO3 nanofibers: Synthesis, electronic structure, and optical and photocatalytic properties

Enhanced Photocatalytic and Photoluminescence Properties Resulting from Type-I Band Alignment in the Zn2GeO4/g-C3N4 Nanocomposites

“…In addition, the correlation coefficient (R 2 ) values are consistent with the following pseudo-first-order kinetic model [47]. Generally, with the adjustment of process parameters, the resulting materials can be modified to contain varying numbers of defect states in the interior of the bandgap [49][50][51][52][53]. From an electronic perspective, the disorder is characterized by energy states above the VB and below the CB; it decreases the bandgap by the optically measured gap [20].…”

“…It is reported that H 2 O and O 2 molecules are dissociated in the resulting oxygen vacancy, producing the active species • OH and • O 2− [47]. Hence, such complex defects a priori can act as sites more effective for promoting adsorption, leading to improved photocatalytic response [47,[49][50][51][52][53]. Therefore, the high photocatalytic activity of the compounds with 20 wt% and 40 wt% Zn 2 GeO 4 , compared to those with 0 wt% and 10 wt% Zn 2 GeO 4 , can be related to the high density of the oxygen vacancies, and a synergistic effect between the Zn 2 GeO 4 and g-C 3 N 4 .…”

“…Briefly, 50 mg of the as-prepared catalyst was dispersed in 80 mL of MB (10 mgL −1 ) aqueous solution and was mixed at a stirring rate of 300 rpm in the dark for 20 min [53]. For carrying out the photocatalytic experiment, the mixture was placed in a self-made ultraviolet (UV) reactor with three UVC lamps 254 nm (15W, G15T8/OF, OSRAM) at the same stirring rate.…”

Reduction of CO2 by Photoelectrochemical Process Using Non‐Oxide Two‐Dimensional Nanomaterials – A Review

“…[173] This helps to understand the electronic structure and catalytic properties of the semiconductor, as well as the influence of the experimental conditions on the structural, vibrational, optical, and electronic properties of the material. [173][174][175] Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence and internet of things (IoTs) can help in the materials' synthesis and characterization; [176] first, by correlating available data to accelerate the development of new materials, and second, by connecting the system for real-time monitoring and storage of the data (collection, transmission, and processing of the data). [177] Anyways, there is still a lot to be investigated and accomplished in this area to turn this technique really profitable; mainly around (i) the use of effective heterojunction systems and/or protective conducting layers to improve the life time, stability and rate of charge transfer of the photocatalysts; (ii) to build a scalable reaction cell with low resistance; (iii) to further understand the charge transfer in 2D catalysts and in the catalyst/electrolyte (or catalyst/CO 2 ) interface; and (iv) to improve the CO 2 reduction to selectively generate products and to avoid over-oxidation of just-generated products.…”

An overview into advantages and applications of conventional and unconventional hydro(solvo)thermal approaches for novel advanced materials design

“…We observed that the heating became more uniform and faster, thereby increasing the thermal/kinetic effects in the case of microwave coupling in chemical processes as a heating strategy, when compared to conventional heating. Consequently, this decreases the processing time and provides energy savings [103,183,184,193]. As a result, this strategy based on microwave-assisted synthesis leads to a significant increase in reaction kinetics by at least two orders of magnitude [185].…”