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Abstract: Graphene hybridized with ZnO could produce an efficient photocatalyst. The ZnO nanoparticles were firstly coated with an appropriate amount of graphene oxide, the graphene oxide was then in situ reduced to form the ZnO/graphene composite. Graphene hybridized ZnO photocatalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic dye. The degree of photocatalytic activity enhancement strongly depended on the coverage of graphene on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. The sample of 2wt% graphene hybridized ZnO showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which was about 4 times as that of pristine ZnO. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity was attributed to the high migration efficiency of photo-induced electrons and the inhibited charge carriers recombination due to the electronic interaction between ZnO and graphene. The electronic interaction was systematically studied and confirmed by the photoelectrochemical measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bismuth molybdate films with various phase structures including α-Bi2Mo3O12, β-Bi2Mo2O9, γ-Bi2MoO6, and γ′-Bi2MoO6 are fabricated on the indium–tin oxide glass substrates from an amorphous heteronuclear complex via the dip-coating method by appropriate adjustment of the reaction conditions. α-Bi2Mo3O12, β-Bi2Mo2O9, and γ-Bi2MoO6 film can be obtained at 400 °C, 500 °C, and 500 °C for 1 h, respectively. At 500 °C, γ′-Bi2MoO6 can be obtained for 4 h. Film formation process is proposed based on the experimental results. Thin γ-Bi2MoO6 films exhibit high photoresponse under visible light irradiation. Incident photon to current conversion efficiency of thin γ-Bi2MoO6 film starts to increase near 450 nm. And, it can reach 4.1% at 400 nm. The top of the valence band and bottom of the conduction band are roughly estimated to be −0.71 and 1.69 eV, respectively. In contrast, γ′-Bi2MoO6 generated weak photocurrent; α-Bi2Mo3O12 and β-Bi2Mo2O9 film has no photoresponse under visible light irradiation. The reason for the difference in the visible light response was discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An efficient TiO2 photocatalyst was obtained by surface hybridization with a thin layer of C60 molecules. The photocatalytic performance of C60-hybridized TiO2 under ultraviolet light irradiation was enhanced by 4 times compared with that of P25-TiO2 photocatalyst. The enhanced photocatalytic activity for C60-hybridized TiO2 was originated from the high migration efficiency of photo-induced electrons on the interface of C60 and TiO2, which was produced by the interaction TiO2 and C60 with a conjugative π-system. The interaction was confirmed by the Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical measurements. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity strongly depended on the coverage of C60 molecules on the surface of TiO2, and the optimum hybridization effect was found at a weight ratio of 2.5wt% (C60/TiO2). The mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2 by C60 was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]