Author
Quanjun Xiang
Other affiliations: Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan University, Huazhong Agricultural University ...read more
Bio: Quanjun Xiang is an academic researcher from University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. The author has contributed to research in topics: Photocatalysis & Materials science. The author has an hindex of 47, co-authored 92 publications receiving 16120 citations. Previous affiliations of Quanjun Xiang include Wuhan University of Technology & Wuhan University.
Papers
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TL;DR: This critical review summarizes the recent progress in the design and fabrication of graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts via various strategies including in situ growth, solution mixing, hydrothermal and/or solvothermal methods.
Abstract: Graphene, a single layer of graphite, possesses a unique two-dimensional structure, high conductivity, superior electron mobility and extremely high specific surface area, and can be produced on a large scale at low cost. Thus, it has been regarded as an important component for making various functional composite materials. Especially, graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts have attracted extensive attention because of their usefulness in environmental and energy applications. This critical review summarizes the recent progress in the design and fabrication of graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts via various strategies including in situ growth, solution mixing, hydrothermal and/or solvothermal methods. Furthermore, the photocatalytic properties of the resulting graphene-based composite systems are also discussed in relation to the environmental and energy applications such as photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, photocatalytic hydrogen generation and photocatalytic disinfection. This critical review ends with a summary and some perspectives on the challenges and new directions in this emerging area of research (158 references).
2,451 citations
TL;DR: A new composite material consisting of TiO(2) nanocrystals grown in the presence of a layered MoS(2)/graphene hybrid as a high-performance photocatalyst for H( 2) evolution without noble metals is reported.
Abstract: The production of H2 by photocatalytic water splitting has attracted a lot attention as a clean and renewable solar H2 generation system. Despite tremendous efforts, the present great challenge in materials science is to develop highly active photocatalysts for splitting of water at low cost. Here we report a new composite material consisting of TiO2 nanocrystals grown in the presence of a layered MoS2/graphene hybrid as a high-performance photocatalyst for H2 evolution. This composite material was prepared by a two-step simple hydrothermal process using sodium molybdate, thiourea, and graphene oxide as precursors of the MoS2/graphene hybrid and tetrabutylorthotitanate as the titanium precursor. Even without a noble-metal cocatalyst, the TiO2/MoS2/graphene composite reaches a high H2 production rate of 165.3 μmol h–1 when the content of the MoS2/graphene cocatalyst is 0.5 wt % and the content of graphene in this cocatalyst is 5.0 wt %, and the apparent quantum efficiency reaches 9.7% at 365 nm. This unusu...
2,201 citations
TL;DR: Graphene and graphitic carbon nitride composite photocatalysts were prepared by a combined impregnation−chemical reduction strategy involving polymerization of melamine in the presence of graphene oxide (precursors) and hydrazine hydrate (reducing agent), followed by thermal treatment at 550 °C under flowing nitrogen as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Graphene and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) composite photocatalysts were prepared by a combined impregnation−chemical reduction strategy involving polymerization of melamine in the presence of graphene oxide (precursors) and hydrazine hydrate (reducing agent), followed by thermal treatment at 550 °C under flowing nitrogen. The resulting graphene/g-C3N4 composite photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV−visible spectrophotometry, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The transient photocurrent response was measured for several on−off cycles of intermittent irradiation. The effect of graphene content on the rate of visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production was studied for a series of graphene−graphitic carbon nitride composite samples containing Pt as a cocatalyst in methanol aqueous solutions. This study shows that graphene sheets a...
1,660 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a critical review presents the recent advances and progress in the design and synthesis of various semiconductor photocatalytic technology that converts solar energy into chemical fuel has been widely studied.
Abstract: To solve the problem of the global energy shortage and the pollution of the environment, in recent years, semiconductor photocatalytic technology that converts solar energy into chemical fuel has been widely studied. Regarding semiconductor-based photocatalysts, CdS has attracted extensive attention due to its relatively narrow bandgap for visible-light response and sufficiently negative potential of the conduction band edge for the reduction of protons. Studies have shown that CdS-based photocatalysts possess excellent photocatalytic performance in terms of solar-fuel generation and environmental purification. This critical review presents the recent advances and progress in the design and synthesis of various CdS and CdS-based photocatalysts. The basic physical and chemical properties of CdS and the related growth mechanism have been briefly summarized. Moreover, the applications of CdS-based photocatalysts have been discussed such as in photocatalytic hydrogen production, reduction of CO2 to hydrocarbon fuels and degradation of pollutants. Finally, a brief perspective on the challenges and future directions for the development of CdS and CdS-based photocatalysts are also presented.
1,054 citations
TL;DR: The proposed mechanism for the observed photocatalytic performance of TiO(2) nanosheets, modified with a small amount of graphene, was further confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient photocurrent response and for the first time shows a significant enhancement in the H(2)-production activity by using metal-free carbon material as an effective co-catalyst.
Abstract: Graphene-modified TiO2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets (graphene/TiO2) were prepared by microwave-hydrothermal treatment of graphene oxide (GO) and hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanosheets with exposed (001) facets in an ethanol–water solvent. These nanocomposite samples showed high photocatalytic H2-production activity in aqueous solutions containing methanol, as sacrificial reagent, even without Pt co-catalyst. The optimal graphene content was found to be ∼1.0 wt%, giving a H2-production rate of 736 μmol h−1 g−1 with a quantum efficiency (QE) of 3.1%, which exceeded the rate observed on pure TiO2 nanosheets by more than 41 times. This high photocatalytic H2-production activity is due to the deposition of TiO2 nanosheets on graphene sheets, which act as an electron acceptor to efficiently separate the photogenerated charge carriers. The observed enhancement in the photocatalytic activity is due to the lower absolute potential of graphene/graphene˙− (−0.08 V vs. SHE, pH = 0) in comparison to the conduction band (−0.24 V) of anatase TiO2, meanwhile the aforementioned absolute value is higher than the reduction potential of H+ (0 V), which favors the electron transfer from the conduction band (CB) of TiO2 to graphene sheets and the reduction of H+, thus enhancing photocatalytic H2-production activity. The proposed mechanism for the observed photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanosheets, modified with a small amount of graphene, was further confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy and transient photocurrent response. This work not only shows a possibility for the utilization of low cost graphene sheets as a substitute for noble metals (such as Pt) in the photocatalytic H2-production but also for the first time shows a significant enhancement in the H2-production activity by using metal-free carbon material as an effective co-catalyst.
721 citations
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TL;DR: This Review describes how the tunable electronic structure of TMDs makes them attractive for a variety of applications, as well as electrically active materials in opto-electronics.
Abstract: Ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are fundamentally and technologically intriguing. In contrast to the graphene sheet, they are chemically versatile. Mono- or few-layered TMDs - obtained either through exfoliation of bulk materials or bottom-up syntheses - are direct-gap semiconductors whose bandgap energy, as well as carrier type (n- or p-type), varies between compounds depending on their composition, structure and dimensionality. In this Review, we describe how the tunable electronic structure of TMDs makes them attractive for a variety of applications. They have been investigated as chemically active electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and hydrosulfurization, as well as electrically active materials in opto-electronics. Their morphologies and properties are also useful for energy storage applications such as electrodes for Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.
7,903 citations
TL;DR: It is anticipated that this review can stimulate a new research doorway to facilitate the next generation of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts with ameliorated performances by harnessing the outstanding structural, electronic, and optical properties for the development of a sustainable future without environmental detriment.
Abstract: As a fascinating conjugated polymer, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has become a new research hotspot and drawn broad interdisciplinary attention as a metal-free and visible-light-responsive photocatalyst in the arena of solar energy conversion and environmental remediation. This is due to its appealing electronic band structure, high physicochemical stability, and “earth-abundant” nature. This critical review summarizes a panorama of the latest progress related to the design and construction of pristine g-C3N4 and g-C3N4-based nanocomposites, including (1) nanoarchitecture design of bare g-C3N4, such as hard and soft templating approaches, supramolecular preorganization assembly, exfoliation, and template-free synthesis routes, (2) functionalization of g-C3N4 at an atomic level (elemental doping) and molecular level (copolymerization), and (3) modification of g-C3N4 with well-matched energy levels of another semiconductor or a metal as a cocatalyst to form heterojunction nanostructures. The constructi...
5,054 citations
TL;DR: This paper presents a meta-analyses of the chiral stationary phase transition of Na6(CO3)(SO4)2, Na2SO4, and Na2CO3 of the Na2O/Na2O 2 mixture at the stationary phase and shows clear patterns in the response of these two materials to each other.
Abstract: Jenny Schneider,*,† Masaya Matsuoka,‡ Masato Takeuchi,‡ Jinlong Zhang, Yu Horiuchi,‡ Masakazu Anpo,‡ and Detlef W. Bahnemann*,† †Institut fur Technische Chemie, Leibniz Universitaẗ Hannover, Callinstrasse 3, D-30167 Hannover, Germany ‡Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, 1 Gakuen-cho, Sakai Osaka 599-8531, Japan Key Lab for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
4,353 citations
TL;DR: The unique advances on ultrathin 2D nanomaterials are introduced, followed by the description of their composition and crystal structures, and the assortments of their synthetic methods are summarized.
Abstract: Since the discovery of mechanically exfoliated graphene in 2004, research on ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has grown exponentially in the fields of condensed matter physics, material science, chemistry, and nanotechnology. Highlighting their compelling physical, chemical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as their various potential applications, in this Review, we summarize the state-of-art progress on the ultrathin 2D nanomaterials with a particular emphasis on their recent advances. First, we introduce the unique advances on ultrathin 2D nanomaterials, followed by the description of their composition and crystal structures. The assortments of their synthetic methods are then summarized, including insights on their advantages and limitations, alongside some recommendations on suitable characterization techniques. We also discuss in detail the utilization of these ultrathin 2D nanomaterials for wide ranges of potential applications among the electronics/optoelectronics, electrocat...
3,628 citations
TL;DR: The design and fabrication of a metal-free carbon nanodot–carbon nitride (C3N4) nanocomposite is reported and its impressive performance for photocatalytic solar water splitting is demonstrated.
Abstract: The use of solar energy to produce molecular hydrogen and oxygen (H2 and O2) from overall water splitting is a promising means of renewable energy storage. In the past 40 years, various inorganic and organic systems have been developed as photocatalysts for water splitting driven by visible light. These photocatalysts, however, still suffer from low quantum efficiency and/or poor stability. We report the design and fabrication of a metal-free carbon nanodot-carbon nitride (C3N4) nanocomposite and demonstrate its impressive performance for photocatalytic solar water splitting. We measured quantum efficiencies of 16% for wavelength λ = 420 ± 20 nanometers, 6.29% for λ = 580 ± 15 nanometers, and 4.42% for λ = 600 ± 10 nanometers, and determined an overall solar energy conversion efficiency of 2.0%. The catalyst comprises low-cost, Earth-abundant, environmentally friendly materials and shows excellent stability.
3,553 citations