ABSTRACT
Nitrite ions are shown to have significant influence on the selectivity of the photocatalytic oxidation of methane to methanol. An almost complete inhibition of undesired CO2 has been achieved with BiVO4 in the presence of a low concentration of nitrite, which might act both as a UV filter and as a hydroxyl radical scavenger.
ABSTRACT
The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with H2O to produce CH4 in the gas phase was carried out in the presence of two Bi2WO6-based materials. For this purpose, single Bi2WO6 and a coupled Bi2WO6-TiO2 system were synthesised and metallised with Pt, through a Pt photodeposition method. Then, the samples were characterised and the photocatalytic activity was evaluated in a continuous fluidised-bed reactor irradiated with UV light. Single Bi2WO6 presents an interesting behaviour under H2O rich conditions. In particular, the metallisation improves the material's performance for CH4 formation, while the TiO2 addition to Bi2WO6 increases the CH4 yield only at low H2O/CO2 ratio. The Bi2WO6-TiO2 system metallised with a Pt photocatalyst displayed the highest CH4 yield among all the prepared photocatalysts. The stability of the system can be enhanced through the addition of a blue phosphor to the reactant mixture, especially under H2O rich conditions.
ABSTRACT
Highly efficient Bi(2)WO(6)-TiO(2) heterostructure is synthesized by means of a hydrothermal method having highly photoactivity for the degradation of Rhodamine B under sunlike irradiation. From the structural characterization it has been demonstrated that TiO(2) is incorporated on the Aurivillius structure. Interesting synergetic effect between TiO(2) and Bi(2)WO(6) leads to an improved charge carrier separation mechanism, causing the excellent photocatalytic performance under sunlike irradiation. The photocatalytic performance of Bi(2)WO(6) and Bi(2)WO(6)-TiO(2) was compared under different irradiation conditions and using increasing Rhodamine B concentration up to 25 ppm. After the photocatalytic analysis of both systems, the mineralization efficiency of the heterostructure appears significantly higher with respect to Bi(2)WO(6).
Subject(s)
Bismuth/chemistry , Oxides/chemistry , Rhodamines/chemistry , Sunlight , Titanium/chemistry , Tungsten/chemistry , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Spectrum Analysis, Raman , X-Ray DiffractionABSTRACT
Highly efficient Bi(2)WO(6)-TiO(2) heterostructures are synthesized by means of a hydrothermal method; they have high photoactivity for the degradation of rhodamine B under sunlike irradiation. An interesting synergetic effect between TiO(2) and Bi(2)WO(6) leads to an improved charge carrier separation mechanism, causing the excellent photocatalytic performance.
