Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalysts toward Water Oxidation Based on NiTi-Layered Double Hydroxide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Materials

A visible-light responsive photocatalyst was fabricated by anchoring NiTi-layered double hydroxide (NiTi-LDH) nanosheets to the surface of reduced graphene oxide sheets (RGO) via an in situ growth method; the resulting NiTi-LDH/RGO composite displays excellent photocatalytic activity toward water splitting into oxygen with a rate of 1.968 mmol g^–1 h^–1 and a quantum efficiency as high as 61.2% at 500 nm, which is among the most effective visible-light photocatalysts. XRD patterns and SEM images indicate that the NiTi-LDH nanosheets (diameter: 100–200 nm) are highly dispersed on the surface of RGO. UV–vis absorption spectroscopy exhibits that the introduction of RGO enhances the visible-light absorption range of photocatalysts, which is further verified by the largely decreased band gap (∼1.78 eV) studied by cyclic voltammetry measurements. Moreover, photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicate a more efficient separation of electron–hole pairs; electron spin resonance (ESR) and Raman scattering spectroscopy confirm the electrons transfer from NiTi-LDH nanosheets to RGO, accounting for the largely enhanced carrier mobility and the resulting photocatalytic activity in comparison with pristine NiTi-LDH material. Therefore, this work demonstrates a facile approach for the fabrication of visible-light responsive NiTi-LDH/RGO composite photocatalysts, which can be used as a promising candidate in solar energy conversion and environmental science

Additional file 1 of Transcriptome reveals the roles and potential mechanisms of lncRNAs in the regulation of albendazole resistance in Haemonchus contortus

Supplementary material 1

Atomically Thin Zn₂GeO₄ Nanoribbons: Facile Synthesis and Selective Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction toward CO

Atomically thin Zn2GeO4 (ZGO) nanoribbons exclusively exposing the {100} facet of ∼1 nm in thickness were successfully prepared via convenient photo-oxidation exfoliation of the ZGO–ethylenediamine hybrid at room temperature. The ultrathin ZGO nanoribbons [abbreviated as ZGO(100)] exhibit efficient and dominantly selective CO2 photoreduction performance into CO with the evolution yield of up to 20.81 μmol g–1 h–1 in the presence of water vapor, in much contrast to only CH4 production of 0.67 μmol g–1 h–1 for (010), exposing the thick ZGO nanobelts reported previously. The atomically thin structure of ZGO(100) shortens the migration distance of charge carriers onto the surface from the interior and allows more electrons to survive and accumulate on the surface, thus benefiting the activation and reduction of CO2. The density function theory calculation reveals that the formed CO* is inclined to escape from the exclusively exposed {100} facet of the ultrathin ZGO nanoribbon rather than be further protonated to derive CHO*, a vital intermediate for CH4 formation, leading ZGO(100) to be an ideal platform for catalytically selective CO production. This work would not only enrich atomically thin catalyst materials but also render a new platform for the development of ternary semiconductors with outstanding performance in CO2 photoconversion