TiO2 nanodots anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulated cobalt nanoparticles as photocatalysts with photo-enhanced catalytic activity towards the pollutant removal

Xiao Li; Jiayuan Yu; Guixiang Li; Hui Liu; Aili Wang; Linjing Yang; Weijia Zhou; Benli Chu; Shengwei Liu

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2018.04.102

TiO₂ nanodots anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulated cobalt nanoparticles as photocatalysts with photo-enhanced catalytic activity towards the pollutant removal

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2018 Sep 15:526:158-166. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2018.04.102. Epub 2018 Apr 27.

Authors

Xiao Li¹, Jiayuan Yu², Guixiang Li³, Hui Liu², Aili Wang², Linjing Yang³, Weijia Zhou⁴, Benli Chu⁵, Shengwei Liu⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
² The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre, Guangzhou 510006, PR China; School of Physics and Telecommunication Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, PR China.
³ The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre, Guangzhou 510006, PR China.
⁴ The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Surface Chemistry of Energy Materials, New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre, Guangzhou 510006, PR China. Electronic address: eszhouwj@scut.edu.cn.
⁵ School of Physics and Telecommunication Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, PR China.
⁶ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, PR China. Electronic address: liushw6@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID: 29729967
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2018.04.102

Abstract

Constructing hierarchical structure is an effective approach to improve the activities of catalysts. Herein, a novel hierarchical structure of TiO₂ nanodots anchored on N-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulated Co nanoparticles (TiO₂/Co@NCT) was synthesized by a simple pyrolysis method. Their catalytic performances were examined in the oxidative and light-assisted degradation of recalcitrant pollutants in the presence of the peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The Orange II removal efficiency within 15 min reached about 98.48% in TiO₂/Co@NCT/PMS system. In this system, Co⁰ is used to react with PMS to generate free radicals for the degradation of dyes. The carbon shell benefits the adsorption of dyes and prevents the catalysts from dissolving in the solution. Besides, under light irradiation, TiO₂ nanodots can be excited to generate photo-induced electrons, which can reduce inner Co²⁺ to Co⁰ in the degradation process, thus TiO₂/Co@NCT exhabited high activity and outstanding stability in degradation process. The as-prepared TiO₂/Co@NCT catalyst showed efficient degradation and superior stability, which would make it a great promise in practical applications for sewage treatment.

Keywords: Degradation; Fenton-like; Peroxymonosulfate; Photo-assisted; Titanium dioxide.

MeSH terms

Azo Compounds / chemistry*
Benzenesulfonates / chemistry*
Catalysis
Cobalt / chemistry*
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry*
Nanotubes / chemistry*
Nanotubes, Carbon / chemistry*
Photochemical Processes*
Titanium / chemistry*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / chemistry*

Substances

Azo Compounds
Benzenesulfonates
Nanotubes, Carbon
Water Pollutants, Chemical
titanium dioxide
Cobalt
Titanium
2-naphthol orange