A modified Hummer＇s method was adopted for the synthesis of graphene oxide（GO） and reduced graphene oxide（rGO）. It was revealed that the modified method is effective for the production of GO and rGO from graphite. Transmission electron microscopy（TEM） images of GO and rGO showed a sheet-like morphology. Because of the presence of oxygenated functional groups on the carbon surface, the interlayer spacing of the prepared GO was higher than that of rGO. The presence of ／OH and CO groups in the Fourier transform infrared spectra（FTIR） spectrum and G-mode and 2D-mode in Raman spectra confirmed the synthesis of GO and rGO. rGO（292.6 m2/g） showed higher surface area than that of GO（236.4 m2/g）. The prepared rGO was used as an adsorbent for benzene and toluene（model pollutants of volatile organic compounds（VOCs）） under dynamic adsorption/desorption conditions. rGO showed higher adsorption capacity and breakthrough times than GO. The adsorption capacity of rGO for benzene and toluene was 276.4 and 304.4 mg/g, respectively.Desorption experiments showed that the spent rGO can be successfully regenerated by heating at 150.0℃. Its excellent adsorption/desorption performance for benzene and toluene makes rGO a potential adsorbent for VOC adsorption.
Lian YuLong WangWeicheng XuLimin ChenMingli FuJunliang WuDaiqi Ye
Due to the low concentration of indoor air contaminants, photocatalytic technology shows low efficiency for indoor air purification. The application of TiO2 for photocatalytic removal of formaldehyde is limited, because TiO2 can only absorb ultraviolet （UV） light. Immobilization of TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of graphene can improve the visible light photocatalytic activity and the adsorption capacity. In this study, rGO （reduced graphene oxide）/TiO2 was synthesized through a hydrotherrnal method using titanium tetrabutoxide and graphene oxide as precursors, and was used for the degradation of low concentration formaldehyde in indoor air under visible light illumination. Characterization of the crystalline structure and morphology of rGO/TiO2 revealed that most GO was reduced to rGO during the hydrothermal treatment, and anatase TiO2 nanoparticles （with particle size of 15-30 nm） were dispersed well on the surface of the rGO sheets, rGO/TiO2 exhibited excellent photocatalyfic activity for degradation of formaldehyde in indoor air and this can be attributed to the role ofrGO, which can act as the electron sink and transporter for separating photo-generated electron-hole pairs through interfacial charge transfer. Furthermore, rGO could adsorb formaldehyde molecules from air to produce a high concentration of formaldehyde on the surface of rGO/ TiO2. Under visible light irradiation for 240 min, the concentration of formaldehyde could be reduced to 58.5 ppbV. rGO/TiO2 showed excellent moisture-resistance behavior, and after five cycles, rGO/TiO2 maintained high photocatalytic activity for the removal of formaldehyde （84.6%）. This work suggests that the synthesized rGO/TiO2 is a promising photocatalyst for indoor formaldehyde removal.
MnOx（0.4）-CeO2 was investigated for soot oxidation assisted with a pulse dielectric barrier discharge （DBD）. The catalysts were evaluated and characterized with TPO （temperature programmed oxidation）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Raman and X-ray photo- electron spectroscopy （XPS）. The ignition temperature Ti for soot oxidation decreased from 240.8 to 216.4 ℃ with the increase of the pulse DBD frequencies from 50 to 400 Hz, lower than that of the case without pulse DBD present （253.4 ℃）. The results of XRD, Raman and XPS agreed well with the TPO activities of MnOx（0.4）-CeO2 towards soot oxidation. More solid solution of ceria and manganese, and surface reactive species including 02 , O and Mn4＋ were responsible for the enhancement of soot oxidation due to pulse DBD injection in the present study. For solid solution favors to the activation and transformation of those species, which are be- lieved to be involved in the soot oxidation in a hybrid catalysis-plasma.
