Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2015, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (12): 2164-2170.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(15)61018-X

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Morphology-controlled synthesis and photocatalytic properties of K1.9Na0.1Ta2O6·2H2O

Yingxuan Lia, Xiaoling Dinga,b, JieZhaoa, Yunqing Zhua, Yan Lia,b, Wenye Denga, Chuanyi Wanga   

  1. a Laboratory of Environmental Sciences and Technology, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Devices for Special Environments, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China;
    b University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2015-08-30 Revised:2015-11-15 Online:2015-12-02 Published:2015-12-07
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1403193, 21473261, 41305112), the Excellent Youth Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (2013711004), the CAS "Light of West China" Program (YB201303), and the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams.

Abstract:

The controllable synthesis of tantalate K1.9Na0.1Ta2O6·2H2O has been successfully achieved by a two-step technique, namely, the molten salt and hydrothermal methods, at a low temperature. By simply varying the KOH concentration in the hydrothermal process, K1.9Na0.1Ta2O6·2H2O particles with spherical, cuboctahedral, and durian-like morphologies were synthesized. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples for the degradation of rhodamine B was studied under ultraviolet light, which indicates that the photocatalytic properties of the samples are highly dependent on their morphologies. The K1.9Na0.1Ta2O6·2H2O nanospheres, with rough surfaces and the highest specific surface area, exhibit the best performance. The present work provides a unique approach for the controlled synthesis of tantalate photocatalysts, which are difficult to achieve through other synthetic approaches.

Key words: Tantalate, K1.9Na0.1Ta2O6·2H2O, Morphology-controlled synthesis, Hydrothermal method, Nanosphere, Photocatalysis