The semimetal Bi has received increasing interest as an alternative to noble metals for use in plasmonic photocatalysis. To enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of metallic Bi, Bi microspheres modified by SiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated by a facile method. Bi-O-Si bonds were formed between Bi and SiO2, and acted as a transportation channel for hot electrons. The SiO2@Bi microspheres exhibited an enhanced plasmon-mediated photocatalytic activity for the removal of NO in air under 280 nm light irradiation, as a result of the enlarged specific surface areas and the promotion of electron transfer via the Bi-O-Si bonds. The reaction mechanism of photocatalytic oxidation of NO by SiO2@Bi was revealed with electron spin resonance and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy experiments, and involved the chain reaction NO -> NO2 -> NO3- with center dot OH and center dot O-2(-) radicals as the main reactive species. The present work could provide new insights into the in-depth mechanistic understanding of Bi plasmonic photocatalysis and the design of high-performance Bi-based photocatalysts. (C) 2017, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Graphitic carbon nitride（g-C3N4） with efficient photocatalytic activity was synthesized through thermal polymerization of thiourea with the addition of water（CN-W） or ethanol（CN-E） at 550 ℃for 2 h.The physicochemical properties of the g-C3N4 were investigated by X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,photoluminescence spectroscopy,diffuse-reflection spectroscopy,BET and BJH surface area characterization,and elemental analysis.The carbon content was found to have self-doped into the g-C3N4 matrix during the thermal polymerization of thiourea and ethanol.CN-W and CN-E showed considerably enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity,with NO removal percentages of 37.2%and 48.3%,respectively.Compared with pure g-C3N4,both the short and long lifetimes of the charge carriers in CN-W and CN-E were found to be prolonged.The mechanism of improved visible-light photocatalytic activity was deduced.The present work may provide a facile route to optimize the microstructure of g-C3N4photocatalysts for high-performance environmental and energy applications.
