Sharif Digital Repository

Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles, Zn1−xMnxO, were synthesised by a polyethylene glycol (PEG) sol–gel method and the physicochemical properties of compounds were characterised by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic degradation of an organic dye, methylene blue (MB), in the presence of Zn1−xMnxO as the catalyst and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the oxidant at room temperature in water has been studied. Effects of oxidant, catalyst amount, catalyst composition, pH value of the solution and an OH-radical... 

Abstract: Photocatalysis using semiconductors has emerged as a promising wastewater treatment process to overcome the major challenges faced by conventional technologies. The advantages of ZnO nanomaterials over other semiconductors, and their structure-dependent properties, make them important building blocks in nanotechnology as multifunctional materials. Moreover, it has been confirmed that ZnO nanomaterials can exhibit high performance in photodegradation of organic dyes for treatment of industrial effluent. The wurtzite structure of ZnO contains polar and nonpolar planes; the low surface energy and thermodynamic stability of the nonpolar planes enable formation of one-dimensional (1D)... 

In this study, we synthesized novel visible light photocatalyst MIL-88A/BiOI using depositing BiOI particles on the surface of a metal–organic framework (MIL-88A). Photocatalytic application of binary composite MIL-88A/BiOI was obtained by discoloration of Methylene Blue (MB) and Acid Blue 92 (AB92) in aqueous solution under visible light source. The photodegradation experiments for treating organic dyes show that the MIL-88A/BiOI heterojunction structure possess a higher rate for decomposition of dyes due to the decreased aggregation of the BiOI nanoparticles, effective charge carrier separation and the synergistic effect between MIL-88A and BiOI samples as a heterojunction. Also, the... 

Mordenite (MOR) nanocrystals were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Sol-gel and deposition methods were utilized to modify the zeolite surface with TiO2 and then AgBr or AgCl particles. Photocatalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Activity was evaluated by photodegradation of Acid Blue 92 as an azo dye. The effect of silver halide deposition on the photocatalytic behavior of the prepared nanocomposites was studied under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light, and the results were compared. The results showed that AgCl/TiO2/MOR was more active under UV, while with visible source,... 

The photocatalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) using TiO2 particles immobilized on a fiberglass cloth was investigated in a novel design of a photo-impinging stream reactor. A spray painted method has been used for the coating process. The structural properties of the immobilized sample were examined using X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The photocatalytic degradation results showed the good performance of the reactor. The flow regime within the reactor was characterized and modeled by applying a liquid residence time distribution. A compartment model consisting of four continuous stirred regions was assigned to describe the flow pattern in the reactor. A... 

We report a facile method to synthesize a magnetically separable Pd-rGO/CNT/CaFe2O4 photocatalyst. The incorporation of CNTs into rGO can form a conductive network structure to bridge the gaps between rGO sheets. This conductive network can prevent the restacking of GO nanosheets during the reduction process. Also, for photocatalysis, the aforementioned conjugated network can provide rapid electronic conducting channels. It was found that the Pd-rGO/CNT/CaFe2O4 nanocomposite is an efficient photocatalyst for the Heck-Mizoroki coupling reaction under irradiation of visible light. Interestingly, the electrons which are excited by the photons can be transferred to the palladium nanoparticles... 

We report a facile method to synthesize a magnetically separable Pd-rGO/CNT/CaFe2O4 photocatalyst. The incorporation of CNTs into rGO can form a conductive network structure to bridge the gaps between rGO sheets. This conductive network can prevent the restacking of GO nanosheets during the reduction process. Also, for photocatalysis, the aforementioned conjugated network can provide rapid electronic conducting channels. It was found that the Pd-rGO/CNT/CaFe2O4 nanocomposite is an efficient photocatalyst for the Heck-Mizoroki coupling reaction under irradiation of visible light. Interestingly, the electrons which are excited by the photons can be transferred to the palladium nanoparticles... 

While the photocatalytic degradation of various organic compounds under UV light irradiation has been widely investigated, visible-light-induced photocatalytic degradation of low levels of pollutants such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) is occasionally reported. In the present work, lanthanide/polyethylene glycol-modified TiO2 (La/PEG/TiO2) has been successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method. The photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis diffusive reflectance spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation of DBT under visible light irradiation is... 

Vanadium supported on spinel cobalt ferrite nanoparticles was synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy. For the first time, the prepared material was used for the catalytic degradation of methylene blue as an organic dye in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as a green oxidant and NaHCO3 as a co-reagent at room temperature. The dependency of removal percentage on various parameters such as amount of catalyst, pH, reaction time and temperature and the effect of radical scavenging agents were studied. Finally, recoverability and reusability of the vanadium supported on... 

A new photocatalytic filtration membrane was prepared by grafting of Ag–Au bi-plasmonic shell-on TiO2@Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a magnetically-separable heterogeneous photocatalyst to a poly acrylic acid-modified cellulose acetate membrane for decomposition and removal of methyl orange as a model pollutant from textile wastewater samples. Eight photocatalysts including five Au NPs-modified TiO2@Fe3O4 NPs and three Ag-Au bi-plasmonic NPs-decorated TiO2@Fe3O4 NPs with different shell thickness were synthesized and characterized by TEM, UV–vis, and SEM techniques and their photocatalytic activity was assessed using two radiation sources. After selection of optimum photocatalyst and modification of... 

In this study, organic contaminant degradation was intensified by increasing the oxidative capacity of the reaction system through simultaneous photocatalysis and heterogeneous persulfate activation. Fe nanoparticles were served as a multifunctional modifier to enhance the photoactivity of graphitic carbon nitride (CN), by tuning optical properties as well as persulfate (PS) activation rate, by introducing a new activation pathway. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible... 

Purpose: This paper aims to study peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation in the ultraviolet (UV)/ozone process for toxic cyanide degradation from aqueous solution by a novel and simple method. Design/methodology/approach: Photocatalytic degradation of cyanide (CN-) was carried out using a bench-scale photoreactor. Optimization of the UV/ozone process for the highest removal of cyanide was obtained. The effect of parameters such as ozone concentration, PMS concentration, temperature, cations (Cu2+, Co2+ and Fe2+), cyanide concentration, anions (bicarbonate, carbonate, chloride, nitrite, nitrate and sulfate [SO42−]) and scavengers (ethanol [EtOH], humic acid, TBA and NaN3) was investigated for CN-... 

In this study, the interaction effect of K2S2O8 (PDS) and H2O2 (as two powerful oxidants) was investigated on the solar degradation of 2-nitrophenol (2-NF) in the two systems, i.e. absence and presence of Ag/S/TiO2 photocatalyst. Experiments were designed based on the central composite design, and two methods of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were developed for modeling of the systems. Concentrations of PDS and H2O2 were considered as independent variables and 2-NF degradation efficiency was selected as the response. It was revealed that the predictive capacity of ANN model is more than RSM model according to their corresponding R2, R2 adj RMS, MAE,... 

Cu-based metal organic framework/rGO was used as an effective cocatalyst to synthesis novel Ag3VO4/Cu-MOF/rGO nanocomposite. The resulting photocatalysts were characterized by different microscopic and spectroscopic methods. The photocatalytic degradation studies on acid blue 92 showed that Ag3VO4/Cu-MOF/rGO nanocomposite indicated significant improved activity compared with pure Ag3VO4 and Cu-MOF/rGO. The improved photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite was attributed to the increased surface area and effective charge carrier separation and transport in the nanocomposite. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd  

A novel ɑ-NiMoO4/ɑ-MoO3 binary nanocomposite was fabricated by using facile method. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized by various techniques, and the photocatalytic activity was evaluated in degradation of Acid blue 92 dye. Among of as-made photocatalysts with various weight ratios of ɑ-MoO3, ɑ-NiMoO4/ɑ-MoO3 (1:5%w/w) exhibited the best photocatalytic performance, and selected as optimum photocatalyst. Under optimum reaction conditions ([dye] = 10 mg L−1, [catalyst] = 200 mg L−1, and pH = 7.0), complete removal efficiency was obtained within 100 min. Also, the first-order rate constant value of reaction in the presence of ɑ-NiMoO4/ɑ-MoO3 was calculated to be 0.032 min−1 that was... 

In the present study, photo-Fenton degradation of catechol from aqueous solution was carried out using UV light and iron ions (Fe2+) as activators of persulfate (PS). Catechol degradation from solution was studied under different experimental variables such as solution pH (2.0–10.0), iron dosages (0.1–0.5 g/L), persulfate loadings (1.0–5.0 mM), initial catechol concentrations (20–100 mg/L) and scavengers (TBA and IPA). The comparative study of catechol removal showed that among the applied approaches, the order of degradation of catechol is as follows: PS/Fe2 +/UV > PS/Fe2 + > UV/PS > PS > UV. Furthermore, higher catechol degradation was observed with increasing iron dosage and PS... 

In this study, crumpled-shape nanocomposite of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped ZnO–CeO2 (NSZC) was deposited on FTO substrate using one-step ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. Zinc acetate, cerium nitrate, and thiourea were dissolved in deionized water and used as starting solution. The samples were characterized using FESEM, XRD, UV–vis spectroscopy, EIS, and PL. The as-prepared nitrogen and sulfur co-doped ZnO–CeO2 nanocomposites were evaluated as high photocatalysts for degradation of methyl orange. Nearly 100% photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange was achieved for 180 min. The photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that co-doping of nitrogen and sulfur could... 

In this work, a facile ionic liquid-mediated method was utilized to fabricate an efficient photocatalyst for environmental remediation. The eco-friendly aspect of the treatment was explored through an in-vivo toxicity bioassay. ZnO particles, prepared by a combined solid state-pyrolysis method, were coated by 1-methyl-3-(oxiran-2ylmethyl)-1H-imidazolium-3-chloride ([MOYI]Cl) ionic liquid. Then, Ag/AgCl species were grown on the surface to make a heterojunction system leading to efficient charge separation and light absorption extension to the visible domain. The products were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, DRS, BET, and PL analysis. Photocatalytic performance of the nanostructures was... 

In this work, a facile ionic liquid-mediated method was utilized to fabricate an efficient photocatalyst for environmental remediation. The eco-friendly aspect of the treatment was explored through an in-vivo toxicity bioassay. ZnO particles, prepared by a combined solid state-pyrolysis method, were coated by 1-methyl-3-(oxiran-2ylmethyl)-1H-imidazolium-3-chloride ([MOYI]Cl) ionic liquid. Then, Ag/AgCl species were grown on the surface to make a heterojunction system leading to efficient charge separation and light absorption extension to the visible domain. The products were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, DRS, BET, and PL analysis. Photocatalytic performance of the nanostructures was... 

Global environmental pollution and energy supply demand have been regarded as important concerns in recent years. Metal oxide semiconductor photocatalysts is a promising approach to apply environmental remediation as well as fuel generation from water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction. ZnO nanostructures have been shown promising photocatalytic activities due to their non-toxic, inexpensive, and highly efficient nature. However, its wide band gap hinders photo-excitation for practical photocatalytic applications under solar light as an abundant, clean and safe energy source. To overcome this barrier, many strategies have been developed in the last decade to apply ZnO nanostructured...