Synthesis and Photoelectrocatalytic Applications of TiO2/ZnO/Diatomite Composites

ZnO and TiO2 are semiconductor nanomaterials that are widely used in photocatalysis. However, the relatively high recombination rate and low quantum yield of photogenerated electron–hole pairs limit their practical applications. In this study, a series of TiO2/ZnO/diatomite composites with various c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Catalysts 2022-03, Vol.12 (3), p.268
Main Authors: Yang, Beibei, Ma, Zixu, Wang, Qian, Yang, Junjiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetaldehyde
Acetone
Adsorption
Catalysts
catalytic degradation
Chemical reactions
Chromatography
Composite materials
Diatomaceous earth
diatomite
Efficiency
Fluorescence
Gas chromatography
Light
Liquid chromatography
Mass spectrometry
Methylene blue
Nanomaterials
Nanoparticles
Oxidation
Oxygen evolution reactions
Photocatalysis
Photodegradation
Pollutants
Scanning electron microscopy
Scientific imaging
Spectroscopy
Titanium dioxide
volatile organic compounds
Zinc oxide
Zinc oxides
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Summary:ZnO and TiO2 are semiconductor nanomaterials that are widely used in photocatalysis. However, the relatively high recombination rate and low quantum yield of photogenerated electron–hole pairs limit their practical applications. In this study, a series of TiO2/ZnO/diatomite composites with various compositions were successfully prepared via a two-step precipitation method. They exhibited stronger UV–visible absorption properties and substantially lower fluorescence intensities than those of ZnO and ZnO/diatomite, which was mainly due to the low recombination rate of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs in the composite system. The reaction intermediates of methylene blue were detected by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the degradation process was determined. The best composite catalyst was used for the degradation of gaseous methylbenzene and gaseous acetone. The gaseous acetone degradation product was determined to be acetaldehyde via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results show that the composite catalyst exhibited a good photocatalytic degradation of both liquid pollutants and harmful volatile gases. When applied to the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, the composite catalyst retained a good photoresponsivity and electrolytic efficiency.
ISSN:2073-4344
2073-4344
DOI:10.3390/catal12030268