• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.371-375
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• 2007

This study measured the photocatalytic activities of five $TiO_2$ samples commercially available in terms of the degradation rate of nine organic substrates. Efforts were made to correlate the activities with the properties of both catalysts and substrates but little correlation was found. The result clearly shows that the photocatalytic activities sensitively depend on the kind of the test substrates, which strongly supports the fact that the activity measured with one or two model compounds cannot represent the overall performance of a photocatalyst. Therefore, this multi-aspect and inconsistent activity of photocatalytic reaction should be fully understood prior to establish the standard protocol for the activity determination.

• Clean Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2022

Adsorption tower systems based on activated carbon adsorption towers have mainly been employed to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a major cause of air pollution. However, the activated carbon currently used in these systems has a short lifespan and thus requires frequent replacement. An approach to overcome this shortcoming could be to develop metal oxide photocatalysis-activated carbon composites capable of degrading VOCs by simultaneously utilizing photocatalytic activation and powerful adsorption by activated carbon. TiO₂ has primarily been used as a metal oxide photocatalyst, but it has low economic efficiency due to its high cost. In this study, ZnO particles were synthesized as a photocatalyst due to their relatively low cost. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were deposited on the ZnO surface to compensate for the photocatalytic deactivation that arises from the wide band gap of ZnO. A microfluidic process was used to synthesize ZnO particles and Ag NPs in separate reactors and the solutions were continuously supplied with a pack bed reactor loaded with activated carbon powder. This microfluidic-assisted pack bed reactor efficiently prepared a Ag-ZnO-activated carbon composite for VOC removal. Analysis confirmed that Ag-ZnO photocatalytic particles were successfully deposited on the surface of the activated carbon. Conducting a toluene gasbag test and adsorption breakpoint test demonstrated that the composite had a more efficient removal performance than pure activated carbon. The process proposed in this study efficiently produces photocatalysis-activated carbon composites and may offer the potential for scalable production of VOC removal composites.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.466-472
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• 2012

Visible-light-responding photocatalysts, $N-TiO_2$, were prepared by nitrogen doping onto $TiO_2$. The crystalline structure and morphology, doping state of the prepared photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, and XPS. The activity of the prepared photocatalysts was examined by the decomposition of methyleneblue. The prepared catalysts were anatase type and the crystallinity was increased with pH. The particle sizes of the prepared catalysts were 5.42, 5.99, 7.58 nm at pH 2.2, 4.7, 9.0, respectively. The particle sizes of the prepared catalysts were slightly increased with pH. The activity of the photocatalysts was directly proportional to the crystallinity of the catalysts. $N-TiO_2$ prepared by nitrogen doping onto $TiO_2$ showed activity under visible light. The doped nitrogen was located not in the lattice but on the surface.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.14 no.2 s.42
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• pp.133-139
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• 2005

An activated carbon-photo catalysis hybrid system is proposed for the treatment of VOC produced from paint booth. and its VOC removal performance is experimentally evaluated. Activated carbon tower is designed on the basis of the adsorption characteristics of toluene. Photocatalytic system is designed as the series of $TiO_2/SiO\_2$ fluidized bed reactor and $TiO_2$-coated filters. The present activated carbon-photo catalysis hybrid system shows the VOC removal efficiency within $75\~100\%$ under different VOC species and concentrations.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.317-320
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• 2006

본 연구는 고효율의 광촉매 제조와 그것의 환경적 응용에 관한 것이다. 가시광 영역에서도 $TiO_2$와 유사한 빛 흡수와 광분해속도를 갖는 나노 광촉매를 제조하였고, 낮은 온도에서도 활성 높은 rutile상이 형성하는 $SiO_2$위에 분산된 $TiO_2$광촉매를 제조하였다. 또한, 광촉매에 적용 가능한 바인더와 안정한 $TiO_2$ 광촉매 졸을 제조하였다. 이와 같은 물질들은 자외선/가시광선 분광광도계, X선 회절분석기, SEM, 광촉매활성 측정과 $TiO_2$ 코팅 표면의 물성으로 평가하였다. 이 결과들은 공기정화를 위하여 POF나 금속판을 이용하는 효율적인 광전자촉매시스템에 적용 할 수 있다.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.584-595
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• 2021

In this study, the correlation between operating stages of waste air-treating system composed of two alternatively-operating UV/photocatalytic reactors, and the deactivation of photocatalyst used in each operating stage, was investigated by instrumental analysis thereon. The repeated deactivation and subsequent re-generation of photocatalyst used in the waste air treating system of previous investigation performed by Lee and Lim (Korean Chem. Eng. Research, 59(4), 574-583(2021)), were characterized on virgin photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media (A4), used photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media (A1, A2 and A3) collected from the corresponding photocatalytic reactor upon 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd run, respectively, regenerated photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media upon 1 time-run (AD1) and 3 times regenerated photocatalyst-carrying porous SiO₂ media upon 3 time-runs (AD3) by instrumental analysis including BET analysis, SEM, XPS, SEM-EDS and FT-IR. As a result, the proper regeneration-temperature for deactivated photocatalyst to be regenerated several times (more than 3 times), was suggested below 200 ℃. Such temperature of deactivated photocatalyst-regeneration was almost consistent to the one, according to BET analysis, at which tiny nano-pores blocked by adsorbed ethanol-oxidative and degraded intermediates (AEODI), were regenerated to be reopened through almost complete mineralization of AEODI. In particular, the results of XPS analysis indicated an incurrence of insignificant deactivation of photocatalysis upon 1^st run of UV/photocatalytic reactor (A or C) of the previous investigation. In addition, the results of XPS analysis were consistent with the experimental results of the previous investigation in that 1) deactivation of photocatalyst incurred during 2^nd run of the UV/photocatalytic reactor (A or C) resulted in decreased removal efficiency, by ca. 5% and 5%, of ethanol and hydrogen sulfide, respectively, compared with its 1^st run; 2) there was insignificant difference between the removal efficiencies of its 2^nd run and 3^rd run. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of ethanol and hydrogen sulfide for hypothetical 4^th run of photocatalytic reactor in the previous investigation, using AD3, were expected to decrease, compared with its 3^rd run, by much more than those for 2^nd run in the previous investigation did, compared with its 1^st run.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1019-1024
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• 2009

Visible-light-active $TiO_2-_xN_x$ nanoparticles with a homogeneous anatase crystalline structure were successfully prepared through a hydrolysis of $TiCl_4$ with ammonia solution. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), $N_2$-sorption, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) techniques. The light absorption onset shifted from 390 nm on pure $TiO_2$ to the visible region at 530 nm on nitrogen-doped $TiO_2$. A clear decrease in the band gap was deduced from the DRS results. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated from the photodegradation of congo red solution under visible light irradiation. The photocatalyst showed the highest photocatalytic activity at an optimal value of nitrogen doping concentration. This was suggested that the nitrogen doping should have an important effects on the improvement of photocatalytic activity.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.632-639
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• 2021

In this research, fluorine doping was performed to enhance the photocatalytic activities of WO₃ which were measured using methylene blue dye. WO_3-xF_x photocatalyts were prepared by a vaper phase fluorination during a sintering for preparing WO₃ photocatalysts from a WCl₆ precursor. The bandgap energy of WO₃ photocatalysts decreased from 2.95 eV to 2.54 eV, and the oxygen vacancies site increased by about 55% after fluorine doping. In addition, the initial degradation efficiency of methylene blue showed that the fluorine doped sample showed a 6-fold increase in photocatalytic activities from 10% to 60% compared to that of the untreated sample. It is believed that fluorine is doped to reduce the band gap of photocatalysts, enabling the catalytic activity with low energy, and that oxygen vacancies-generated surface defects increase the visible light absorption region of WO₃ photocatalysts, thereby increasing photocatalytic activity. In this study, it was confirmed that fluorine-doped WO_3-xF_x photocatalysts with an excellent photocatalytic activity can be manufactured easily using a one-step vaper phase fluorination that does not require a post-treatment process.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.143-147
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• 2012

Photocatalytic properties of $TiO_2$ nanopowders has been received much attention due to their high potentials for environmental applications such as remediation of polluted environments. The $TiO_2$ nanopowders doped with metal or non-metal elements have been synthesized by variety methods such as flame method, chemical vapor synthesis, sol-gel, ion implantation, which affect a doping behavior in different ways resulting in different surface characteristics, leading to different photocatalytic activity. In addition to an effect of synthesis methods, the photocatalytic activity of $TiO_2$ nanopowders can be improved by subsequent heat-treatments. In this study, to obtain a highly efficient photocatalyst, we synthesized $TiO_2$ nanopowders doped with tungsten by the chemical vapor synthesis method (CVS) and determined their physical properties and photocatalytic activity, together with subsequent post-treatment in the range of $300^{\circ}C$ to $700^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.287-287
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• 2013

탄소와 철의 비율을 조절한 산화타이타늄(C-Fe-TiO2) 를 수열 합성법(Hydrothermal method)으로 합성하였다. XRD 를 통하여 산화타이타늄임을 확인하였고TEM 과 SEM 을 통하여 크기와 형태를 관찰하였다. 합성된 C-Fe-TiO2를 사용하여 광촉매적 활성을 확인하였으며, 유기반응 중 하나인 Fridel-Craft 반응에 응용하였다.