• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.1137-1144
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• 2013

$TiO_2$ composites with seven different carbon materials (activated carbons, graphite, carbon fibers, single-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene oxides, and reduced graphene oxides) that are virgin or treated with nitric acid are prepared through an evaporation method. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared samples are evaluated in terms of $H_2$ production from aqueous methanol solution (photo-catalytic reduction: PCR) and degradation of aqueous pollutants (phenol, methylene blue, and rhodamine B) (photocatalytic oxidation: PCO) under AM 1.5-light irradiation. Despite varying effects depending on the kinds of carbon materials and their surface treatment, composites typically show enhanced PCR activity with maximum 50 times higher $H_2$ production as compared to bare $TiO_2$. Conversely, the carbon-induced synergy effects on PCO activities are insignificant for all three substrates. Colorimetric quantification of hydroxyl radicals supports the absence of carbon effects. However, platinum deposition on the binary composites displays the enhanced effect on both PCR and PCO reactions. These differing effects of carbon materials on PCR and PCO reactions of $TiO_2$ are discussed in terms of physicochemical properties of carbon materials, coupling states of $TiO_2$/carbon composites, interfacial charge transfers. Various surface characterizations of composites (UV-Vis diffuse reflectance, SEM, FTIR, surface area, electrical conductivity, and photoluminescence) are performed to gain insight on their photocatalytic redox behaviors.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2018

Up to now, microstructure changes of photocatalysts have been studied to improve photocatalytic activity. Especially, to improve the adsorption of reactants and reactive sites, porous and fine crystal structures have received much attention because of their large specific surface area. In this study, $TiO_2$ nanotubes were synthesized by hydrothermal method using $TiO_2$ nanoparticles; nanotubes were evaluated by oxidized methylene blue reduction test. Using synthesized $TiO_2$ nanotubes, results of TEM showed that the $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were changed into folding sheets and nanotubes. XRD results showed that the peaks of the nanoparticles almost disappeared and only the rutile (110) and anatase (200) peaks were observed. Comparison of photocatalytic properties of nanoparticles and nanotube structures was performed by measuring the UV-vis absorbance with reducing oxidized methylene blue. As a result, the reduction rate of nanotubes was found to be $0.24{\mu}mol/s$, which was 2.6 times higher than the rate of reduction of nanoparticles.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.83-88
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• 2011

Nano-technology is a super microscopic technology to deal with structures of 100 nm or smaller. This technology also involves the developing of $TiO_2$ materials or $TiO_2$ devices within that size. The aim of the present paper is to synthesize $WO_x$ doped nano-$TiO_2$ by the Sonochemistry method and to evaluate the effect of different percentages (0.5-5 wt%) of tungsten oxide load on $TiO_2$ in methylene blue (MB) elimination. The samples were characterized using such different techniques as X-ray diffraction (XRD), TEM, SEM, and UV-VIS absorption spectra. The photo-catalytic activity of tungsten oxide doped $TiO_2$ was evaluated through the elimination of methylene blue using UV-irradiation (315-400nm). The best result was found with 5 wt% $WO_x$ doped $TiO_2$. It has been confirmed that $WO_x-TiO_2$ could be excited by visible light (E<3.2 eV) and that the recombination rate of electrons/holes in $WO_x-TiO_2$ declined due to the existence of $WO_x$ doped in $TiO_2$.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.294-297
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• 2008

A CNT-$TiO_2$ nano composite was prepared from titanium chloride ($TiCl_4$) via sol-gel process using multi walled carbon nano tube (MWCNT) followed by calcination at $450^{\circ}C$. Spectral analysis revealed that the formed $TiO_2$ resided on the carbon in anatase form. The effect of adsorption was investigated using aqueous solution of methylene blue and procion blue dye. The photochemical reaction of CNT-$TiO_2$ composite in aqueous suspensions was studied under UV illumination in batch process. The reaction was investigated by monitoring the discoloration of the dyes employing UV-Visible spectro-photometeric technique as a function of irradiation time. The catalyst composites were found to be efficient for the photodegradation of the dye.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2010

CNT-$TiO_{2}$ nano complexes were prepared from $TiOSO_4$ and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) by hydrolysis. The CNTs were dispersed uniformly with anatase $TiO_{2}$ in the prepared $TiO_{2}$-CNT complexes. The increasing MWCNT ratio leads to increased crystalline carbon and O/Ti ratio. The decomposition degree of methylene blue was experienced according to UV radiation time for study adsorption and photocatalytic activity. The samples having high MWCNT ratio show high adsorption and photodegradation. The high specific surface area, functional group having oxygen, low band gap energy, high electric conductivity, high volume to surface ratio, uniform structure and properties of MWCNT assist photocatalytic activity of CNT-$TiO_{2}$ complex.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.383-392
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• 2020

In this paper, AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite photocatalyst is successfully synthesized by microemulsion method and anion in situ substitution method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) are used to study the structural and physicochemical characteristics of the AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite composite. Using rhodamine B (RhB) as a simulated pollutant, the photocatalytic activity and stability of the AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite composite under visible light are evaluated. In the AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite visible light system, RhB is nearly 100 % degraded within 15 minutes. And, after five cycles of operation, the photocatalytic activity of AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite remains at 95 % of the original level, much higher than that of pure Ag₃PO₄ (40 %). In addition, the mechanism of enhanced catalytic performance is discussed. The high photocatalytic performance of AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite composites can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Ag₃PO₄, diatomite and AgCl nanoparticles. Free radical trapping experiments are used to show that holes and oxygen are the main active species. This material can quickly react with dye molecules adsorbed on the surface of diatomite to degrade RhB dye to CO₂ and H₂O. Even more remarkably, AgCl/Ag₃PO₄/diatomite can maintain above 95 % photo-degradation activity after five cycles.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.705-713
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• 2017

A novel material, $Bi_2WO_6-GO-TiO_2$ composite, was successfully synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. During the hydrothermal reaction, the loading of $Bi_2WO_6$ and $TiO_2$ nanoparticles onto graphene sheets was achieved. The obtained $Bi_2WO_{6-GO-TiO2}$ composite photo-catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis-DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The $Bi_2WO_6$ nanoparticle showed an irregular dark-square block nanoplate shape, while $TiO_2$ nanoparticles covered the surface of the graphene sheets with a quantum dot size. The degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue trihydrate (MB), and reactive black B (RBB) dyes in an aqueous solution with different initial amount of catalysts was observed by UV spectrophotometry after measuring the decrease in the concentration. As a result, the $Bi_2WO_6-GO-TiO_2$ composite showed good decolorization activity with MB solution under visible light. The $Bi_2WO_6-GO-TiO_2$ composite is expected to become a new potential material for decolorization activity. Photocatalytic reactions with different photocatalysts were explained by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and a band theory.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.29-33
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• 2010

In this study, boron, carbon, nitrogen and fluorine co-doped $TiO_{2}$ photocatalysts using tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEATFB) have been prepared by different heat treatment temperatures to decrease the band gap. To explore the visible light photocatalytic activity of the novel low‐zband gap $TiO_{2}$ photocatalyst, the removal of two dyes was investigated, namely, acridine orange and rhodamine B. XRD patterns demonstrate that the samples calcined at temperatures up to $800^{\circ}C$ clearly show anatase peaks. The XPS results show that all the doped samples contain N, C, B and F elements and the doped $TiO_{2}$ shows the shift in the band gap transition down to 2.98 eV as UV-DRS results. In these UV-Vis results, photocatalytic activity of the doped $TiO_{2}$ is 1.61 times better than undoped $TiO_{2}$. Specially, excellent photoactivity results were obtained in the case of samples treated at $700^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.71-77
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• 2015

A fluidized biofilter was filled with Pseudomonas sp. and Bacillus cereus/thuringiensis-fixed waste-tire crumb media and was run to treat authentic textile-dyeing wastewater mixed with alkaline polyester-weight-reducing wastewater. As a result, its removal efficiency of $COD_{Cr}$ and color were 75~80% and 67%, respectively. In addition, upon constructing hybrid-recirculating system composed of the fluidized biofilter and a 450 W-UV/photocatalytic reactor, only fluidized biofilter was run bypassing UV/photocatalytic reactor at stage I. Subsequently, the hybrid system was continuously run at stage II-i, ii and iii. At stage II-i, the total removal efficiency of $COD_{Cr}$ was enhanced to be 80~85%, compared to 75% at stage I, owing to 20~30% removal efficiency of the UV/photocatalytic reactor. However, at stage II-i, the total removal efficiency of color was enhanced to be 65~70%, compared to 45~65% at stage I, even though the removal efficiency of the UV/photocatalytic reactor was tantamount to merely 0~5%. As far as the removal efficiency of fluidized biofilter of the hybrid-recirculating system is concerned, its removal efficiency of color was enhanced by the synergy effect of the hybrid-recirculating system unlike $COD_{Cr}$. Besides, despite of the increase of hybrid-recirculating system-recycle ratio, the deactivation of photo-catalytic activity was scarcely observed to eliminate the color while its irreversible deactivation was observed to eliminate $COD_{Cr}$.