Unexpected visible light driven photocatalytic activity without cocatalysts and sacrificial reagents from a (GaN)1-x (ZnO) x solid solution synthesized at high pressure over the entire composition range.

Optical and photocatalytic properties were determined for the solid solution series (GaN)1-x (ZnO) x synthesized at high pressure over the entire compositional range (x = 0.07 to 0.9). We report for the first time photocatalytic H2 evolution activity from water for (GaN)1-x (ZnO) x without cocatalysts, pH modifiers and sacrificial reagents. Syntheses were carried out by reacting GaN and ZnO in appropriate amounts at temperatures ranging from 1150 to 1200 °C, and at a pressure of 1 GPa. ZnGa2O4 was observed as a second phase, with the amount decreasing from 12.8 wt% at x = 0.07 to ∼0.5 wt% at x = 0.9. The smallest band gap of 2.65 eV and the largest average photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 2.31 µmol h-1 were observed at x = 0.51. Samples with x = 0.07, 0.24 and 0.76 have band gaps of 2.89 eV, 2.78 eV and 2.83 eV, and average hydrogen evolution rates of 1.8 µmol h-1, 0.55 µmol h-1 and 0.48 µmol h-1, respectively. The sample with x = 0.9 has a band gap of 2.82 eV, but did not evolve hydrogen. An extended photocatalytic test showed considerable reduction of activity over 20 hours.

Combined Theoretical and in Situ Scattering Strategies for Optimized Discovery and Recovery of High-Pressure Phases: A Case Study of the GaN-Nb2O5 System.

The application of pressure in solid-state synthesis provides a route for the creation of new and exciting materials. However, the onerous nature of high-pressure techniques limits their utility in materials discovery. The systematic search for novel oxynitrides-semiconductors for photocatalytic overall water splitting-is a representative case where quench high-pressure synthesis is useful and necessary in order to obtain target compounds. We utilize state of the art crystal structure prediction theory (USPEX) and in situ synchrotron-based X-ray scattering to speed up the discovery and optimization of novel compounds using high-pressure synthesis. Using this approach, two novel oxynitride phases were discovered in the GaN-Nb2O5 system. The (Nb2O5)0.84:(NbO2)0.32:(GaN)0.82 rutile structured phase was formed at 1 GPa and 900 °C and gradually transformed to a α-PbO2-related structure above 2.8 GPa and 1000 °C. The low-pressure rutile type phase was found to have a direct optical band gap of 0.84 eV and an indirect gap of 0.51 eV.

Direct structural evidence of commensurate-to-incommensurate transition of hydrocarbon adsorption in a microporous metal organic framework.

The efficiency of physisorption-based separation of gas-mixtures depends on the selectivity of adsorbent which is directly linked to size, shape, polarizability and other physical properties of adsorbed molecules. Commensurate adsorption is an interesting and important adsorption phenomenon, where the adsorbed amount, location, and orientation of an adsorbate are commensurate with the crystal symmetry of the adsorbent. Understanding this phenomenon is important and beneficial as it can provide vital information about adsorbate-adsorbent interaction and adsorption-desorption mechanism. So far, only sporadic examples of commensurate adsorption have been reported in porous materials such as zeolites and metal organic frameworks (MOFs). In this work we show for the first time direct structural evidence of commensurate-to-incommensurate transition of linear hydrocarbon molecules (C2-C7) in a microporous MOF, by employing a number of analytical techniques including single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), in situ powder X-ray diffraction coupled with differential scanning calorimetry (PXRD-DSC), gas adsorption and molecular simulations.

From 1D chain to 3D network: a new family of inorganic-organic hybrid semiconductors MO3(L)(x) (M = Mo, W; L = organic linker) built on perovskite-like structure modules.

MO3 (M = Mo, W) or VI-VI binary compounds are important semiconducting oxides that show great promise for a variety of applications. In an effort to tune and enhance their properties in a systematic manner we have applied a designing strategy to deliberately introduce organic linker molecules in these perovskite-like crystal lattices. This approach has led to a wealth of new hybrid structures built on one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) VI-VI modules. The hybrid semiconductors exhibit a number of greatly improved properties and new functionality, including broad band gap tunability, negative thermal expansion, largely reduced thermal conductivity, and significantly enhanced dielectric constant compared to their MO3 parent phases.

Effect of ligand geometry on selective gas-adsorption: the case of a microporous cadmium metal organic framework with a V-shaped linker.

A microporous cadmium metal organic framework is synthesized and structurally characterized. The material possesses a 3-D framework with a 1-D sinusoidal chain and shows high selectivity for CO2 over N2. The selectivity is attributed to CO2 interacting with two phenyl rings of a V-shaped linker as estimated by the in situ XRD-DSC study.