1. Enhanced dye-sensitized photocatalysis for water purification by an alveoli-like bilayer Janus membrane
- Author
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Chunhong Wang, Mingze Lv, Jianwu Fei, Jinfang Li, Han Zhenbang, Jin Zhao, Xiaoming Zhao, and Yang Deng
- Subjects
Materials science ,General Chemical Engineering ,Bilayer ,02 engineering and technology ,General Chemistry ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering ,0104 chemical sciences ,Catalysis ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Membrane ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Nanofiber ,Phthalocyanine ,Photocatalysis ,Environmental Chemistry ,Photosensitizer ,0210 nano-technology ,Photodegradation - Abstract
Dye sensitization represents a promising route to address the limited photoabsorption in semiconductor photocatalysis. However, efficient water purification using dye-sensitized photocatalysts has remained an unmet challenge. Here we report a novel strategy to promote dye-sensitized photocatalysis by combining the advantages of interfacial Fenton reaction construction and air-liquid-solid triphase contact. An alveoli-like Janus membrane was developed with bilayer electrospun micro/nanofibers, where the outer layer is hydrophilic semiconductor catalyst sensitized by an iron (II) phthalocyanine (FePc) photosensitizer, which can also act as the trigger of H2O2 activation; the hydrophobic internal layer serves as a gas passage to deliver O2 from air to the catalytic interface, boosting the photoinduced electrons conversion and H2O2 generation. This architecture allows a superior level of photosensitizer decoration when using TiO2 as the model semiconductor catalyst, which corresponds to highly efficient activity for photodegradation of organic contaminations accompanied with a high apparent quantum yield at around 660 nm. Our work may provide new insights into the development of high-efficiency solar driven photocatalysts for widespread applications.
- Published
- 2021