8 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Probing Oxide Reduction and Phase Transformations at the Au-TiO2 Interface by Vibrational Spectroscopy
By a combination of FT-NIR Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy of CO adsorption under ultrahigh vacuum conditions (UHV-IR) and Raman spectroscopy in the line scanning mode the formation of a reduced titania phase in a commercial Au/TiO2 catalyst and in freshly prepared Au/anatase catalysts was detected. The reduced phase, formed at the Au-TiO2 interface, can serve as nucleation point for the formation of stoichiometric rutile. TinO2nâ1 MagnĂ©li phases, structurally resembling the rutile phase, might be involved in this process. The formation of the reduced phase and the rutilization process is clearly linked to the presence of gold nanoparticles and it does not proceed under similar conditions with the pure titania sample. Phase transformations might be both thermally or light induced, however, the colloidal deposition synthesis of the Au/TiO2 catalysts is clearly ruled out as cause for the formation of the reduced phase
Molecular Titanate and Titania as photocatalysts in the photocatalytic conversion of CO and HO
Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit sind dem Ziel gewidmet die photokatalytische CO Reduktion besser zu verstehen. Alle Katalysatoren, die fĂŒr die AktivitĂ€tstests benutzt werden, sind basiert auf TiO oder molekularem Titanat. ZusĂ€tzlich zu der ErlĂ€uterung der fundamentalen Aspekte der LadungstrĂ€gerentstehung und deren Dynamiken, bewertet die Einleitung die Trends und Konzepte, die in der Literatur vorhanden sind in Bezug auf TiO und Titanaten. AbschlieĂend wird verdeutlicht, dass die photokatalytische CO Reduktion nur unzureichend mechanistisch verstanden wird und bis zum heutigen Tage kein Katalysator bekannt ist, der annĂ€hernd an eine kommerzielle Nutzung kommt. Diese Herausforderung wird in dieser Arbeit durch eine wissensbasierte Strategie angegangen, welche in Katalysatormodifikation, in situ Charakterisierung, und AktivitĂ€tstest eingeteilt werden kann
A high-purity gasâsolid photoreactor for reliable and reproducible photocatalytic CO2 reduction measurements
Reactions between a gas phase and a solid material are of high importance in the study of alternative ways for energy conversion utilizing otherwise useless carbon dioxide (CO2). The photocatalytic CO2 reduction to hydrocarbon fuels like e.g., methane (CH4) is such a potential candidate process converting solar light into molecular bonds. In this work, the design, construction, and operation of a high-purity gasâsolid photoreactor is described. The design aims at eliminating any unwanted carbon-containing impurities and leak points, ensuring the collection of reliable and reproducible data in photocatalytic CO2 reduction measurements. Apart from the hardware design, a detailed experimental procedure including gas analysis is presented, allowing newcomers in the field of gasâsolid CO2 reduction to learn the essential basics and valuable tricks. By performing extensive blank measurements (with/without sample and/or light) the true performance of photocatalytic materials can be monitored, leading to the identification of trends and the proposal of possible mechanisms in CO2 photoreduction. The reproducibility of measurements between different versions of the here presented reactor on the ppm level is evidenced
Evidence for metalsupport interactions in Au modified <tex>TiO_{x}/SBA-15$</tex> materials prepared by photodeposition
Fabrication of Gold/Titania Photocatalyst for CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction Based on Pyrolytic Conversion of the MetalâOrganic Framework NH<sub>2</sub>âMIL-125(Ti) Loaded with Gold Nanoparticles
Titania exhibits unique photophysical
and -chemical properties
and can be used for potential applications in the field of photocatalysis.
The control of TiO<sub>2</sub> in terms of phase, shape, morphology,
and especially nanoscale synthesis of TiO<sub>2</sub> particles still
remains a challenge. Ti-containing metalâorganic frameworks
(MOFs), such as MIL-125, can be used as sacrificial precursors to
obtain TiO<sub>2</sub> materials with diverse phase compositions,
morphologies, sizes, and surface areas. MIL-125 is composed of Ti/O
clusters as the secondary building units (SBUs) bridged by 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate
(bdc). In this study, preformed and surfactant-stabilized gold nanoparticles
(GNPs) were deposited onto the surface of amino functionalized NH<sub>2</sub>-MIL-125 during solvothermal synthesis. Targeted gold/titania
nanocomposites, GNP/TiO<sub>2</sub>, were fabricated through the pyrolysis
of GNP/NH<sub>2</sub>-MIL-125 nanocrystals. The modification of TiO<sub>2</sub> with GNPs significantly increased the photocatalytic activity
of the MOF derived TiO<sub>2</sub> material for the reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to CH<sub>4</sub> as compared to TiO<sub>2</sub> reference
samples such as P-25 and AUROlite (Au/TiO<sub>2</sub>). The new materials
GNP/TiO<sub>2</sub> and TiO<sub>2</sub> derived by the MOF precursor
route were thoroughly characterized by PXRD, FTIR and Raman, TEM,
and N<sub>2</sub> adsorption studies
Evidence for MetalâSupport Interactions in Au Modified TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/SBA-15 Materials Prepared by Photodeposition
Gold nanoparticles have been efficiently
photodeposited onto titanate-loaded
SBA-15 (TiÂ(<i>x</i>)/SBA-15) with different titania coordination.
Transmission electron microscopy shows that relatively large Au nanoparticles
are photodeposited on the outer surface of the TiÂ(<i>x</i>)/SBA-15 materials and that TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> tends
to form agglomerates in close proximity to the Au nanoparticles, often
forming coreâshell Au/TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> structures.
This behavior resembles typical processes observed due to strong-metal
support interactions. In the presence of gold, the formation of hydrogen
on TiÂ(<i>x</i>)/SBA-15 during the photodeposition process
and the performance in the hydroxylation of terephthalic acid is greatly
enhanced. The activity of the Au/TiÂ(<i>x</i>)/SBA-15 materials
is found to depend on the TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> loading,
increasing with a larger amount of initially isolated TiO<sub>4</sub> tetrahedra. Samples with initially clustered TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> species show lower photocatalytic activities. When isolated
zinc oxide (ZnO<sub><i>x</i></sub>) species are present
on TiÂ(<i>x</i>)/SBA-15, gold nanoparticles are smaller and
well dispersed within the pores. Agglomeration of TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> species and the formation of Au/TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> structures is negligible. The dispersion of gold
and the formation of Au/TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> in the SBA-15
matrix seem to depend on the mobility of the TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> species. The mobility is determined by the initial degree
of agglomeration of TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub>. Effective hydrogen
evolution requires Au/TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> coreâshell
composites as in Au/TiÂ(<i>x</i>)/SBA-15, whereas hydroxylation
of terephthalic acid can also be performed with Au/ZnO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/SBA-15 materials.
However, isolated TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> species have to
be grafted onto the support prior to the zinc oxide species, providing
strong evidence for the necessity of TiâOâSi bridges
for high photocatalytic activity in terephthalic acid hydroxylation
Surface Termination and CO<sub>2</sub> Adsorption onto Bismuth Pyrochlore Oxides
The catalytic activity and gas-sensing
properties of a solid are
dominated by the chemistry of the surface atomic layer. This study
is concerned with the characterization of the outer atomic surfaces
of a series of cubic ternary oxides containing BiÂ(III): Bi<sub>2</sub>M<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> (M = Ti, Zr, Hf), using low-energy ion
scattering spectroscopy. A preferential termination in Bi and O is
observed in pyrochlore Bi<sub>2</sub>Ti<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and
related cubic compounds Bi<sub>2</sub>Zr<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> and
Bi<sub>2</sub>Hf<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub>, whereas all three components
of the ternary oxide are present on the surface of a Bi-free pyrochlore
oxide, Y<sub>2</sub>Ti<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub>. This observation
can be explained based on the revised lone-pair model for post-transition-metal
oxides. We propose that the stereochemically active lone pair resulting
from O 2p-assisted Bi 6sâ6p hybridization is more energetically
favored at the surface than within a distorted bulk site. This leads
to reduction of the surface energy of the Bi<sub>2</sub>M<sub>2</sub>O<sub>7</sub> compounds and, therefore, offers a thermodynamic driving
force for the preferential termination in BiO<sub><i>x</i></sub>-like structures. CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption experiments <i>in situ</i> monitored by diffuse reflectance IR spectroscopy
show a high CO<sub>2</sub> chemisorption capacity for this series
of cubic bismuth ternary oxides, indicating a high surface basicity.
This can be associated with O 2pâBi 6sâ6p hybridized
electronic states, which are more able to donate electronic density
to adsorbed species than surface lattice oxygen ions, normally considered
as the basic sites in metal oxides. The enhanced CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption
of these types of oxides is particularly relevant to the current growing
interest in the development of technologies for CO<sub>2</sub> reduction