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11.
Improved photocatalytic activity of anatase-rutile nanocomposites induced by low-temperature sol-gel Sn-modification of TiO2
Ksenija Maver, Iztok Arčon, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, Mattia Fanetti, Saim Emin, Matjaž Valant, 2020, original scientific article

Abstract: The Sn-modified TiO2 photocatalysts are prepared by low-temperature sol-gel processing based on organic titanium and tin precursors with varied Sn concentrations (from 0.1–20 mol .%). The role of Sn dopant as the promotor of the formation of TiO2 rutile crystalline phase is explained and the optimal Sn concentration for preparation of efficient Sn-modified titania photocatalyst is determined. Up to 40 % increase in photocatalytic activity is achieved in Sn-modified TiO2 photocatalytic thin films dried at 150 °C with low Sn concentrations in the range from 0.1 to 1 mol .%. At low Sn concentrations optimal ratio between anatase and rutile (nano)crystals is obtained, which facilitates charge separation at the TiO2 photocatalyst’s surface. When the concentration of Sn increases above 5 mol.% or when the films are calcined at 500 °C, the relative amount of rutile phase with inferior photocatalytic activity, increases and the nanocrystals of titania grow, leading to fewer active sites per unit mass and the reduction of activity in comparison to unmodified TiO2.
Keywords: Anatase-rutile Sn-modified TiO2 XAS analysis Photocatalytic activity
Published in RUNG: 10.02.2020; Views: 2948; Downloads: 0
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12.
Self-cleaning and photoactive TiO2 – ZrO2 – SiO2 films on thermosensitive and glass substrates
Nives Vodišek, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, 2017, published scientific conference contribution abstract

Abstract: Nanosized TiO2 is well-known for its photocatalytic property. From the combination of photocatalysis and photoinduced hydrophilicity properties, thin films of this material have also anti-fogging, self-cleaning and antimicrobial properties. There are numerous deposition techniques e.g. spin-coating, dip-coating, spraying, the most suitable one is chosen based on substrate or solution characteristics. Thin films are often required to be transparent for visible light, especially if we use them on transparent substrates, or they should not affect the color of the substrate. Radicals that are produced during photosensitizing process are able to destroy structure of a substrate and substrate can lose mechanical stability [1,2]. Some studies show that adding a SiO2 protective layer can prevent the damage of the substrate [3–5]. Ti-Zr containing sols were prepared with sol-gel process, where titanium(IV) isopropoxide, zirconium(IV) butoxide and ethanol were hydrolyzed with aqueous solution of perchloric acid. Solution was then refluxed for 48 hours. During that time crystallization and deaggregation took place and that resulted in a stable final solution [6]. To prepare suitable solution for production of durable films silica binder was added. On glass and plastic substrates, thin films were deposited with the dip-coating method and dried with a heat-gun. Thin films were characterized by measurements of photocatalytic activity with terephthalic acid as model organic pollutant subjected to oxidation via fluorescent degradation product, photoinduced superhydrophilicity phenomena, UV-Vis and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, SEM images, as well as mechanical properties measurements. References [1] H. Schmidt, M. Naumann, T.S. Müller, M. Akarsu, Thin Solid Films (2006) 502, 132– 137. [2] W. A. Daoud, J.H. Xin, Y.H. Zhang, Surf. Sci. (2005) 599, 69–75. [3] Ž. Senić, S. Bauk, M. Vitorović-Todorović, N. Pajić, A. Samolov, D. Rajić, Sci. Tech. Rev. (2011) 61, 63–72. [4] T. Yuranova, R. Mosteo, J. Bandara, D. Laub, J. Kiwi, J. Mol. Catal. A: Chem. (2006) 244, 160–167. [5] T. Yuranova, D. Laub, J. Kiwi, Catal. Today (2007) 122, 109–117. [6] N. Vodišek, K. Ramanujachary, V. Brezová, U. Lavrenčič Štangar, Catal. Today (2017) 287, 142–147.
Keywords: Self-cleaning surface, photocatalysis, TiO2, ZrO2, SiO2, PVC, PMMA, thermosensitive substrates, glass
Published in RUNG: 05.03.2019; Views: 3578; Downloads: 0
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13.
Correlations between photocatalytic activity and chemical structure of Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 nanoparticle composites
T. Čižmar, doctoral dissertation

Abstract: The objective of this dissertation was to examine how copper modification can improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-SiO2 and to explain the correlation between Cu concentration and chemical state of Cu cations in the TiO2-SiO2 matrix, as well as the photocatalytic activity under the UV/solar irradiation. The Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by a low temperature sol-gel method based on organic copper, silicon and titanium precursors with varied Cu concentrations (from 0.05 to 3 mol%). The sol-gels were dried at 150 °C to obtain the photocatalysts in the powder form. To test thermal stability, additional set of photocatalysts was obtained by calcinating dried samples in air at 500 °C for 1 h. The photocatalytic activity was determined by a fluorescence-based method of terephthalic acid decomposition. Up to three times increase in photocatalytic activity of air-dried samples is obtained when TiO2-SiO2 matrix is modified with Cu in a narrow concentration range from 0.05 to 0.1 mol%. At higher Cu loadings the photocatalytic activity of Cu-modified photocatalyst is smaller than in the unmodified reference TiO2-SiO2 photocatalyst. Calcined samples showed significantly reduced photocatalytic activity compared to air-dried samples. XRD analysis showed that all Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposites with different Cu concentrations have the same crystalline structure as unmodified TiO2-SiO2 nanocomposites (air-dried or calcined). The addition of Cu does not change the relative ratio between the anatase and brookite phase or unit cell parameters of the two TiO2 crystalline structures. TEM analysis showed that the addition of Cu does not change the morphology of TiO2-SiO2 catalyst dried at 150 °C. The Cu K-edge XANES and EXAFS analysis were used to determine valence state and local structure of Cu cations in Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalyst. The results elucidate the mechanism responsible for the improved or hindered photocatalytic activity. In the air-dried samples with low Cu content, which exhibit largest activity, Cu-O-Ti connections are formed, suggesting that the activity enhancement is due to Cu(II) cations attachment on the surface of the photocatalytically active TiO2 nanoparticles, so Cu(II) cations may act as free electron traps, reducing the intensity of recombination between electrons and holes at the TiO2 photocatalyst’s surface. At higher Cu loadings no additional Cu-O-Ti connections are formed, instead only Cu-O-Cu connections are established, indicating the formation of amorphous or nanocrystalline Cu(II) oxide, which hinders the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Calcination of Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalysts at 500 °C induces significant structural changes: Cu-O-Ti connections are lost, Cu partially incorporates into the SiO2 matrix and amorphous copper oxides, which again reduce the photocatalytic activity of the material, are formed.
Keywords: titanium dioxide, Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalyst, photocatalytic activity, Cu K-edge XANES, EXAFS.
Published in RUNG: 17.12.2018; Views: 4573; Downloads: 146
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Energy-level alignment in organic dye-sensitized TiO2 from GW calculations
Paolo Umari, Luigi Giacomazzi, Filippo De Angelis, M Pastore, Stefano Baroni, 2013, original scientific article

Keywords: TiO2, dye-sensitized, GW, first-principles
Published in RUNG: 15.10.2018; Views: 2986; Downloads: 0
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17.
XAS studies of Sn modified TiO2 coatings
Ksenija Maver, Iztok Arčon, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, 2018, published scientific conference contribution abstract

Abstract: Coatings based on TiO2 are extensively investigated material for the preparation of surfaces which are referred as self-cleaning. Under solar illumination these coatings catalyze pollutants degradation and enhance their removal from the surface due to photoinduced superhydrophilicity [1]. There are two main drawbacks of using pure TiO2 (anatase) as a photocatalyst; i) its band gap lies in the UVA region so it can exploit only a part of the sunlight spectrum, and ii) it has a high degree of recombination between photo generated electrons and holes on the surface. There are various strategies to improve the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2, one of them is the modification with transition metals. Based on our previous experiences with sol-gel synthesis of low-temperature TiO2 thin films [2], we prepared a series of Sn modified TiO2 photocatalysts. As a starting material only organic (Ti and Sn alkoxide) precursors were used. The loadings of Sn cations were varied in the range of 0.05 to 20 mol.%. The coatings, deposited on glass substrates by dip-coating technique, were dried at 150 oC. In addition, another set of photocatalyst coatings was prepared by further calcination at 500 °C in air. The comparison of photocatalytic activities of Sn modified TiO2 to unmodified TiO2 showed that Sn loadings in the range of 1-10 mol.% improved photocatalytic activity up to 8 times. At lower loadings of Sn, the photocatalytic activity was improved only by 30 %. After the coatings are calcined, their photocatalytic activity was significantly reduced. The objective of the research was to examine the mechanism responsible for photocatalytic properties of Sn modified TiO2 and to to clarify the role of Sn cations in the TiO2 photocatalytic process. For this purpose, Sn and Ti K-edge XANES and EXAFS analysis was used to precisely determine the local structure and the site of incorporation of Sn cations on titania nanoparticles in the coatings. We examined the hypothesis that the solid-solid interface was a crucial structural feature that facilitates charge separation and enhances photocatalytic efficiency of titania.
Keywords: Sn, EXAFS, TiO2 fotokatalizator
Published in RUNG: 12.09.2018; Views: 3354; Downloads: 0
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18.
The effect of Zr loading on photocatalytic activity of Cu modified TiO [sub] 2
Olena Pliekhova, O. L. Pliekhov, Mattia Fanetti, Iztok Arčon, Nataša Novak Tušar, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, 2018, published scientific conference contribution abstract

Keywords: Cu Zr modified TiO2, EXAFS, XANES
Published in RUNG: 12.09.2018; Views: 3351; Downloads: 0
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Effects of Different Copper Loadings on the Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2-SiO2 Prepared at a Low Temperature for the Oxidation of Organic Pollutants in Water
T. Čižmar, Iztok Arčon, Mattia Fanetti, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, 2018, original scientific article

Abstract: The objective of this research is to examine how Cu modification can improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2-SiO2, to explainthe correlation between the Cu concentration and the chemical state of Cu cations in the TiO2-SiO2 matrix, and the photocatalytic activity under UV/solar irradiation. The Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by a low-temperature sol–gel method from organic Cu, Si and Ti precursors with various Cu concentrations (0.05–3 mol %). The sol–gels were dried at 150 8C to obtain the photocatalysts in a powder form. The photocatalytic activity was determined by using a fluorescence- based method of terephthalic acid decomposition. An up to three times increase in photocatalytic activity is obtained if the TiO2-SiO2 matrix is modified with Cu in a narrow concentration range from 0.05 to 0.1 mol%. At higher Cu loadings, the photocatalytic activity of the Cu-modified photocatalysts is lower than that of the un-modified reference TiO2-SiO2 photocatalyst. XRD was used to show that all Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 composites with different Cu concentrations have the same crystalline structure as un-modified TiO2-SiO2 composites. The addition of Cu does not change the relative ratio between the anatase and brookite phases or unit cell parameters of the two TiO2 crystalline structures. We used Cu K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analyses to determine the valence state and local structure of Cu cations in the Cu-modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalysts. The results elucidate the mechanism responsible for the improved photocatalytic activity. In samples with a low Cu content, which exhibit the highest activity, Cu@O@Ti connections are formed, which suggests that the activity enhancement is caused by the attachment of CuII cations on the surface of the photocatalytically active TiO2 nanoparticles, so CuII cations may act as free-electron traps, which reduce the intensity of recombination between electrons and holes at the TiO2 photocatalyst surface. At higher Cu loadings no additional Cu@O@Ti connections are formed, instead only Cu@O@Cu connections are established. This indicates the formation of amorphous or nanocrystalline copper oxide, which hinders the photocatalytic activity of TiO2.
Keywords: Cu modified TiO2-SiO2 photocatalyst Cu EXAFS, XANES, Organic pollutants
Published in RUNG: 30.08.2018; Views: 3472; Downloads: 0
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