Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2017, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (12): 2048-2055.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(17)62954-1

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A visible-light-active Au-Cu(I)@Na2Ti6O13 nanostructured hybrid pasmonic photocatalytic membrane for acetaldehyde elimination

Jingjing Yang, Baoshun Liu, Xiujian Zhao   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, China
  • Received:2017-10-01 Revised:2017-10-31 Online:2017-12-18 Published:2017-12-29
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51772230, 51461135004), Hubei Foreign Science and Technology Cooperation Project (2017AHB059), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for an Invitation Fellowship for Foreign Researchers (L16531).

Abstract:

The present article reports a novel self-standing nanostructured Au-Cu(I)@Na2Ti6O13 plasmonic photocatalytic membrane, which is prepared by a hydrothermal reaction followed by a simple subsequent heat treatment process. The morphological structure, elemental composition, crystalline phases, and optical properties of the membrane were studied in detail by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Compared with that of a pure Na2Ti6O13 membrane, the Au-Cu(I)@Na2Ti6O13 membrane displayed much higher photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of acetaldehyde, a typical volatile organic compound, under visible light illumination. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of the Au-Cu(I)@Na2Ti6O13 membrane increased as the amount of Au was increased. The membrane loaded with 2.85 wt% Au showed the highest photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of acetaldehyde of the investigated materials. We found that in the photocatalyst membrane, Na2Ti6O13 acted as a support material, Au displayed plasmonic absorption, and Cu(I) behaved as a co-catalyst. The present membrane materials can avoid the self-aggregation typically observed during the course of photocatalytic reactions. As a result, they can be easily separated, recycled, and reactivated after their practical application, making these functional materials attractive for use in air cleaning applications.

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Key words: Na2Ti6O13, Au modification, Cu(I) nanocluster modification, Synergistic effect, Photocatalysis