Fly ash cenospheres (FACs) coated with nitrogen-doped Ti02 (N-TiO2) composites were prepared by the sol-gel method for use as photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activity and kinetics of the composites produced at different calcination temperatures and with different nitrogen doping contents were studied under visible light irradiation by monitoring the environmental degradation of methylene blue (MB). The MB degradation ratio of N-TiO2/FAC (25%, 450 ~C) was 10% higher than that of N-TiO2 and 40% higher than that of TiO2/FAC. These N-TJO2/FAC composites floated in water and could be recovered after the photocatalytic reaction by phase separation.
To utilize visible light more effectively in photocatalytic reactions, a fly ash cenosphere (FAC)-supported CeO2-BiV04 (CeO2-BiVO4/FAC) composite photocatalyst was prepared by modified metalorganic decomposition and impregnation methods. The physical and photophysical properties of the composite have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectra. The XRD patterns exhibited characteristic diffraction peaks of both BiVO4 and Ce02 crystalline phases. The XPS results showed that Ce was present as both Ce4+ and Ce3+ oxidation states in Ce02 and dispersed on the surface of BiV04 to constitute a p-n heterojunction composite. The absorption threshold of the CeO2-BiVO4/FAC composite shifted to a longer wavelength in the UV-Vis absorption spectrum compared to the pure Ce02 and pure BiV04. The composites exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for Methylene Blue (MB) degradation under visible light irradiation. It was found that the 7.5 wt.% CeO2-BiVO4/FAC composite showed the highest photocatalytic activity for MB dye wastewater treatment.
Jin ZhangBing WangChuang LiHao CuiJianping ZhaiQin Li
A series of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite with different H3PW12O40 loadings were prepared using a hydrothermal and impregnation method. The prepared composites were characterized by XRD, Raman, SEM, XPS, and DRS techniques. The bandgap of the composite was narrower compared with the as-prepared pure BiVO4 . As a novel photocatalytic material, the photocatalytic performance of the H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composite was investigated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye solution under visible light irradiation and compared with that of pure BiVO4 . The results revealed that the introduction of H3PW12O40 could improve the photocatalytic performance and different concentrations of H3PW12O40 resulted in different photocatalytic activities. The highest activity was obtained by the sample with a loading HPW concentration of 10 wt%. The reason for the enhanced photocatalytic activities of H3PW12O40/BiVO4 samples was also discussed in this paper. Moreover, the H3PW12O40/BiVO4 composites retained the catalytic activity after four repeated experiments.