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Author Ren, X.-N.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Jin, J.; Wu, L.; Wang, C.; Liu, J.; Liu, F.; Wu, M.; Li, Y.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Cocatalyzing Pt/PtO phase-junction nanodots on hierarchically porous TiO2 for highly enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 9 Issue 35 Pages 29687-29698  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Phase-junctions. between a cocatalyst and its semiconductor host are quite effective to enhance the photo catalytic activity and are widely studied, while reports on the phase-juncted cocatalyst are still rare. In this work, we report the deposition of the Pt/PtO phase-juncted nanodots as cocatalyst via NaOH modification of an interconnected meso-macroporous TiO2 network with high surface area and inner-particle mesopores to enhance the performance of photocatalytic H-2 production. Our results show that NaOH modification can largely influence Pt/PtO phase-juncted nanodot formation and dispersity. Compared to the TiO2 nano particles, the hierarchically meso-macroporous TiO2 network containing 0.18 wt % Pt/PtO phase-juneted cocatalyst demonstrates a highest photocatalytic H-2 rate of 13 mmol g(-1) h(-1) under simulated solar light, and possesses a stable cycling activity without obvious decrease after five cycles. Such high H-2 production performance can be attributed to both the phase-juncted Pt/PtO providing more active sites while PtO suppresses the undesirable hydrogen back reaction, and the special hierarchically porous TiO2 network with inner-particle mesopores presenting short diffusion path lengths for photogenerated electrons and enhanced light harvesting efficiency. This work suggests that Pt/PtO phase-juncted cocatalyst on hierarchically porous TiO2 nanostructures is a promising strategy for advanced photocatalytic H-2 production.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000410597500032 Publication Date 2017-08-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited (up) 18 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; B.L.S. acknowledges the Chinese Central Government for an “Expert of the State” position in the Program of the “Thousand Talents”. Y.L. acknowledges the Hubei Provincial Department of Education for the “Chutian Scholar” program. This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0202602), Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT_15R52), International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2015DFE52870), National Natural Science Foundation of China (51502225), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT: 2016III029). Z.Y.H. and G.V.T. acknowledge support from the EC Framework 7 program ESTEEM2 (Reference 312483). ; Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:146765 Serial 4779  
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Author Ying, J.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Yang, X.-Y.; Wei, H.; Xiao, Y.-X.; Janiak, C.; Mu, S.-C.; Tian, G.; Pan, M.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title High viscosity to highly dispersed PtPd bimetallic nanocrystals for enhanced catalytic activity and stability Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Chemical communications Abbreviated Journal Chem Commun  
  Volume 52 Issue 52 Pages 8219-8222  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A facile high-viscosity-solvent method is presented to synthesize PtPd bimetallic nanocrystals highly dispersed in different mesostructures (2D and 3D structures), porosities (large and small pore sizes), and compositions (silica and carbon). Further, highly catalytic activity, stability and durability of the nanometals have been proven in different catalytic reactions.  
  Address State Key Laboratory Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 122, Luoshi Road, Wuhan, 430070, China. xyyang@whut.edu.cn  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Wos 000378715400006 Publication Date 2016-05-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1359-7345 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.319 Times cited (up) 19 Open Access  
  Notes This work was supported by NFSC (51472190 and 51503166), ISTCP (2015DFE52870), PCSIRT (IRT15R52) of China, and the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative of EU (312483-ESTEEM2).; esteem2jra4 Approved Most recent IF: 6.319  
  Call Number c:irua:134660 c:irua:134660 Serial 4110  
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Author Li, W.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Zhang, Z.; Wei, P.; Zhang, J.; Pu, Z.; Zhu, J.; He, D.; Mu, S.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Nano-single crystal coalesced PtCu nanospheres as robust bifunctional catalyst for hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Journal of catalysis Abbreviated Journal J Catal  
  Volume 375 Issue 375 Pages 164-170  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Because of high electrocatalytic activity, Pt based metal nanospheres (NSs) have attracted a lot of attention. Hence, multi-particle nano-single crystal coalesced PtCu NSs are designed and successfully synthesized by a cost-effective aqueous solution method. The formed PtCu NS catalyst exhibits a superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalytic activity with an ultralow onset potential of 18 mV at the current density of 2 mA/cm(2) and high mass activity of 1.08 A/mg(pt) (7.2 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts). Also, it shows an enhancement of 3.2 and 2.7 times in the mass and specific activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) compared to that of Pt/C. Moreover, it possesses an excellent catalytic durability for both ORR and HER. Even after 10,000 cycles, its ORR mass activity retains 87% of its initial value. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that by introducing Cu atoms into the Pt lattice, a downshift of the D-band center and favorable hydrogen adsorption free energy of approaching to zero (Delta G) occur, indicating the increased electrocatalytic activity of Pt electrocatalysts. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000486104500017 Publication Date 2019-06-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0021-9517 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.844 Times cited (up) 25 Open Access  
  Notes ; Z-Y. Hu thank for the support of “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT: 2017111055, 2018111039GX, 2018IVA095)”. S. Mu and J. Zhang acknowledges the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) through award Nos. 51672204 and 21875221 and the opening funds of State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing (2019-KF-13), Wuhan University of Technology. ; Approved Most recent IF: 6.844  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:162903 Serial 5391  
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Author Wang, F.; Gao, T.; Zhang, Q.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Jin, B.; Li, L.; Zhou, X.; Li, H.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Zhai, T. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Liquid-alloy-assisted growth of 2D ternaryGa2In4S9 toward high-performance UV photodetection Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Advanced materials Abbreviated Journal Adv Mater  
  Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 1806306  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract 2D ternary systems provide another degree of freedom of tuning physical properties through stoichiometry variation. However, the controllable growth of 2D ternary materials remains a huge challenge that hinders their practical applications. Here, for the first time, by using a gallium/indium liquid alloy as the precursor, the synthesis of high-quality 2D ternary Ga2In4S9 flakes of only a few atomic layers thick (approximate to 2.4 nm for the thinnest samples) through chemical vapor deposition is realized. Their UV-light-sensing applications are explored systematically. Photodetectors based on the Ga2In4S9 flakes display outstanding UV detection ability (R-lambda = 111.9 A W-1, external quantum efficiency = 3.85 x 10(4)%, and D* = 2.25 x 10(11) Jones@360 nm) with a fast response speed (tau(ring) approximate to 40 ms and tau(decay) approximate to 50 ms). In addition, Ga2In4S9-based phototransistors exhibit a responsivity of approximate to 10(4) A W-1@360 nm above the critical back-gate bias of approximate to 0 V. The use of the liquid alloy for synthesizing ultrathin 2D Ga2In4S9 nanostructures may offer great opportunities for designing novel 2D optoelectronic materials to achieve optimal device performance.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000455111100013 Publication Date 2018-11-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0935-9648 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 19.791 Times cited (up) 29 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; F.K.W., T.G, and Q.Z. contributed equally to this work. The authors acknowledge the support from National Nature Science Foundation of China (21825103, 51727809, 51472097, 91622117, and 51872069), National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB932600), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2017KFKJXX007, 2015ZDTD038, 2017III055, and 2018III039GX). The authors thank the Analytical and Testing Centre of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. ; Approved Most recent IF: 19.791  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:156756 Serial 5254  
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Author Ying, J.; Yang, X.-Y.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Mu, S.-C.; Janiak, C.; Geng, W.; Pan, M.; Ke, X.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title One particle@one cell : highly monodispersed PtPd bimetallic nanoparticles for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Nano energy Abbreviated Journal Nano Energy  
  Volume 8 Issue Pages 214-222  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Highly monodispersed platinum-based nanoalloys are the best-known catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Although certainly promising, the durability and stability are among the main requirements for commercializing fuel cell electrocatalysts in practical applications. Herein, we synthesize highly stable, durable and catalytic active monodispersed PtPd nano-particles encapsulated in a unique one particle@one cell structure by adjusting the viscosity of solvents using mesocellular foam. PtPd nanoparticles in mesocellular carbon foam exhibit an excellent electrocatalytic activity (over 4 times mass and specific activities than the commercial Pt/C catalyst). Most importantly, this nanocatalyst shows no obvious change of structure and only a 29.5% loss in electrochemically active surface area after 5000 potential sweeps between 0.6 and 1.1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode cycles. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000340981700026 Publication Date 2014-06-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2211-2855; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.343 Times cited (up) 40 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 12.343; 2014 IF: 10.325  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:119255 Serial 2465  
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Author Zalfani, M.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Yu, W.-B.; Mahdouani, M.; Bourguig, R.; Wu, M.; Li, Y.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Djoued, Y.; Su, B.-L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites: Effect of BiVO4 as highly efficient visible light sensitizer for highly improved visible light photocatalytic activity in the degradation of dye pollutants Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Applied Catalysis B-Environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 205 Issue 205 Pages 121-132  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A series of BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites have been synthesized and their photocatalytic activity was investigated under visible light irradiation using the RhB dye as model pollutant molecule in an aqueous solution. The effect of the amount of BiVO4 as visible light sensitizer on the photocatalytic activity of BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites was highlighted. The heterostructured composite system leads to much higher photocatalytic efficiencies than bare 3DOM TiO2 and BiVO4 nanoparticles. As the proportion of BiVO4 in BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites increases from 0.04 to 0.6, the photocatalytic performance of the BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites increases and then decreases after reaching a maximum at 0.2. This improvement in photocatalytic perfomance is related to 1) the interfacial electron transfer efficiency between the coupled materials, 2) the 3DOM TiO2 inverse opal structure with interconnected pores providing an easy mass transfer of the reactant molecules and high accessibility to the active sites and large surface area and 3) the effect of light sensitizer of BiVO4. Intensive studies on structural, textural, optical and surface properties reveal that the electronic interactions between BiVO4 and TiO2 lead to an improved charge separation of the coupled BiVO4/TiO2 system. The photogenerated charge carrier densities increase with increasing the BiVO4 content, which acts as visible light sensitizer to the TiO2 and is responsible for the enhancement in the rate of photocatalytic degradation. However, the photocatalytic activity is reduced when the BiVO4 amount is much higher than that of 3DOM TiO2. Two reasons could account for this behavior. First, with increasing BiVO4 content, the photogenerated electron/hole pairs are accumulated at the surface of the BiVO4 nanoparticles and the recombination rate increases as shown by the PL results. Second, decreasing the amount of 3DOM TiO2 in the nanocomposite decreases the surface area as shown by the BET results. Moreover, the poor adsorptive properties of the BiVO4 photocatalyst also affect the photocatalytic performance, in particular at higher BiVO4 content. The present work demonstrates that BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 is a very promising heterojunction system for visible light photocatalytic applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000393931000013 Publication Date 2016-12-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited (up) 52 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Z. Y. Hu and G. Van Tendeloo acknowledge support from the EC Framework 7 program ESTEEM2 (Reference 312483). Approved Most recent IF: 9.446  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ Serial 4323  
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Author Zalfani, M.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Yu, W.-B.; Mahdouani, M.; Bourguiga, R.; Wu, M.; Li, Y.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Djoued, Y.; Su, B.-L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title BiVo4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites : effect of BiVO4 as highly efficient visible light sensitizer for highly improved visible light photocatalytic activity in the degradation of dye pollutants Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Applied catalysis : B : environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 205 Issue 205 Pages 121-132  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A series of BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites have been synthesized and their photocatalytic activity was investigated under visible light irradiation using the RhB dye as model pollutant molecule in an aqueous solution. The effect of the amount of BiVO4 as visible light sensitizer on the photocatalytic activity of BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites was highlighted. The heterostructured composite system leads to much higher photocatalytic efficiencies than bare 3DOM TiO2 and BiVO4 nanoparticles. As the proportion of BiVO4 in BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites increases from 0.04 to 0.6, the photocatalytic performance of the BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 nanocomposites increases and then decreases after reaching a maximum at 0.2. This improvement in photocatalytic perfomance is related to 1) the interfacial electron transfer efficiency between the coupled materials, 2) the 3DOM TiO2 inverse opal structure with interconnected pores providing an easy mass transfer of the reactant molecules and high accessibility to the active sites and large surface area and 3) the effect of light sensitizer of BiVO4. Intensive studies on structural, textural, optical and surface properties reveal that the electronic interactions between BiVO4 and TiO2 lead to an improved charge separation of the coupled BiVO4/TiO2 system. The photogenerated charge carrier densities increase with increasing the BiVO4 content, which acts as visible light sensitizer to the TiO2 and is responsible for the enhancement in the rate of photocatalytic degradation. However, the photocatalytic activity is reduced when the BiVO4 amount is much higher than that of 3DOM TiO2. Two reasons could account for this behavior. First, with increasing BiVO4 content, the photogenerated electron/hole pairs are accumulated at the surface of the BiVO4 nanoparticles and the recombination rate increases as shown by the PL results. Second, decreasing the amount of 3DOM TiO2 in the nanocomposite decreases the surface area as shown by the BET results. Moreover, the poor adsorptive properties of the BiVO4 photocatalyst also affect the photocatalytic performance, in particular at higher BiVO4 content. The present work demonstrates that BiVO4/3DOM TiO2 is a very promising heterojunction system for visible light photocatalytic applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000393931000013 Publication Date 2016-12-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited (up) 52 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This work was realized with the financial support of Chinese Ministry of Education in a framework of the Changjiang Scholar Innovative Research Team Program (IRT_15R52). B. L. Su acknowledges the Chinese Central Government for an “Expert of the State” position in the Program of the “Thousand Talents” and a Clare Hall Life Member, University of Cambridge. Y. Li acknowledges Hubei Provincial Department of Education for the “Chutian Scholar” program. This work is also supported by PhD Programs Foundation (20120143120019) of Chinese Ministry of Education, the Wuhan Youth Chenguang Program of Science and Technology (2013070104010003), Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2014CFB160, 2015CFB516), the National Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China (No. 51502225) and Self-determined and Innovative Research Funds of the SKLWUT (2015-ZD-7). MZ thanks the scholarship support from the Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry ay the University of Namur. Z. Y. Hu and G. Van Tendeloo acknowledge support from the EC Framework 7 program ESTEEM2 (Reference 312483). This research used resources of the Electron Microscopy Service located at the University of Namur. This Service is member of the “Plateforme Technologique Morphologie – Imagerie”. The XPS analyses were made in the LISE, Department of Physics of University of Namur thanks to Dr. P. Louette. XRD measurements, UV-vis and photoluminescent spectroscopic analyses and N<INF>2</ INF> adsorption-desorption measurements were made with the facility of the “Plateforme Technologique Physico-Chimique”. ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.446  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:138601 Serial 4405  
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Author Liu, J.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Peng, Y.; Huang, H.-W.; Li, Y.; Wu, M.; Ke, X.-X.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title 2D ZnO mesoporous single-crystal nanosheets with exposed {0001} polar facets for the depollution of cationic dye molecules by highly selective adsorption and photocatalytic decomposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Applied catalysis : B : environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 181 Issue 181 Pages 138-145  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Two dimensional (2D) ZnO nanosheets are ideal system for dimensionally confined transport phenomenon investigation owing to specific surface atomic configuration. Therefore, 2D ZnO porous nanosheets with single-crystal nature and {0001} polar facets, likely display some specific physicochemical properties. In this work, for the first time, 2D ZnO mesoporous single-crystal nanosheets (ZnO-MSN) with {0001} polar facets have been designed and prepared via an intriguing colloidal templating approach through controlling the infiltration speed for the suspension of EG-capped ZnO nanoparticles and polymer colloids. The EG-capped ZnO nanoparticles are very helpful for single-crystal nanosheet formation, while the polymer colloids play dual roles on the mesoporosity generation and {0001} polar facets formation within the mesopores. Such special 2D structure not only accelerates the hole-electron separation and the electron transportation owing to the single-crystal nature, but also enhances the selective adsorption of organic molecules owing to the porous structure and the exposed {0001} polar facets with more O-termination (000-1) surfaces: the 2D ZnO-MSN shows highly selective adsorption and significantly higher photodegradation for positively charged rhodamine B than those for negatively charged methyl orange and neutral phenol, comparing with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) and ZnO commercial nanoparticles (ZnO-CNP) with high surface areas. This work may shed some light on better understanding the synthesis of 2D porous single-crystal nanosheet with exposed polar surfaces and photocatalytic mechanism of nanostructured semiconductors in a mixed organic molecules system.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000364256000015 Publication Date 2015-08-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited (up) 60 Open Access  
  Notes 246791 Countatoms Approved Most recent IF: 9.446  
  Call Number c:irua:127638 c:irua:127638 c:irua:127638 Serial 10  
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Author Zalfani, M.; van der Schueren, B.; Hu, Z.-Y.; Rooke, J.C.; Bourguiga, R.; Wu, M.; Li, Y.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Novel 3DOM BiVO4/TiO2nanocomposites for highly enhanced photocatalytic activity Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication Journal of materials chemistry A : materials for energy and sustainability Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem A  
  Volume 3 Issue 3 Pages 21244-21256  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Novel 3DOM BiVO4/TiO2 nanocomposites with intimate contact were for the first time synthesized by a hydrothermal method in order to elucidate their visible-light-driven photocatalytic performances. BiVO4 nanoparticles and 3DOM TiO2 inverse opal were fabricated respectively. These materials were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption–desorption and UV-vis diffuse (UV-vis) and photoluminescence spectroscopies. As references for comparison, a physical mixture of BiVO4 nanoparticles and 3DOM TiO2 inverse opal powder (0.08 : 1), and a BiVO4/P25 TiO2 (0.08 : 1) nanocomposite made also by the hydrothermal method were prepared. The photocatalytic performance of all the prepared materials was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) as a model pollutant molecule under visible light irradiation. The highly ordered 3D macroporous inverse opal structure can provide more active surface areas and increased mass transfer because of its highly accessible 3D porosity. The results show that 3DOM BiVO4/TiO2 nanocomposites possess a highly prolonged lifetime and increased separation of visible light generated charges and extraordinarily high photocatalytic activity. Owing to the intimate contact between BiVO4 and large surface area 3DOM TiO2, the photogenerated high energy charges can be easily transferred from BiVO4 to the 3DOM TiO2 support. BiVO4 nanoparticles in the 3DOM TiO2 inverse opal structure act thus as a sensitizer to absorb visible light and to transfer efficiently high energy electrons to TiO2 to ensure long lifetime of the photogenerated charges and keep them well separated, owing to the direct band gap of BiVO4 of 2.4 eV, favourably positioned band edges, very low recombination rate of electron–hole pairs and stability when coupled with photocatalysts, explaining the extraordinarily high photocatalytic performance of 3DOM BiVO4/TiO2 nanocomposites. It is found that larger the amount of BiVO4 in the nanocomposite, longer the duration of photogenerated charge separation and higher the photocatalytic activity. This work can shed light on the development of novel visible light responsive nanomaterials for efficient solar energy utilisation by the intimate combination of an inorganic light sensitizing nanoparticle with an inverse opal structure with high diffusion efficiency and high accessible surface area.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000363163200049 Publication Date 2015-09-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7488;2050-7496; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.867 Times cited (up) 88 Open Access  
  Notes This work was realized with the financial support of the Belgian FNRS (Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique). This research used resources of the Electron Microscopy Service located at the University of Namur. This Service is a member of the “Plateforme Technologique Morphologie – Imagerie”. The XPS analyses were made in the LISE, Department of Physics of the University of Namur thanks to Dr P. Louette. This work was also supported by Changjiang Scholars and the Innovative Research Team (IRT1169) of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. B. L. Su acknowledges the Chinese Central Government for an “Expert of the State” position in the Program of the “Thousand Talents” and a Clare Hall Life Membership at the Clare Hall and the financial support of the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge. G. Van Tendeloo and Z. Y. Hu acknowledge support from the EC Framework 7 program ESTEEM2 (Reference 312483).; esteem2_jra4 Approved Most recent IF: 8.867; 2015 IF: 7.443  
  Call Number c:irua:129476 c:irua:129476 Serial 3951  
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