Strategies to Improve Photocatalytic Performance of Metal Oxides: Future Perspectives

Description

This book investigates applicability of various emerging strategies to improve important properties and features of metal oxide materials that can be used further to advance their photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performances. The range of discussed strategies includes introduction of intrinsic and extrinsic deficiencies, fabrication of heterojunction and utilizing of metal nanoparticles in the form of deposited or embedded formations. Each of them is addressed as separate case in order to reach full and comprehensive assessment of their most fundamental principles and basics as well as accessing pivotal advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, additional discussion is dedicated to achieving thorough awareness over methods and experimental protocols that are used to realize them and also probing changes which they induce in electronic and geometrical configurations of metal oxide materials. It is believed that this book might become a valuable addition to extend further current knowledge about photocatalysis and material processing. Cover Half Title Advancement of Metal Oxide Materials for Photocatalytic Application: Selected Strategies to Achieve Higher Efficiency Copyright Dedication Preface Acknowledgment About the Book Contents About the Author Part I. Photocatalysis: What Is It? 1. Photocatalysis: Basic Principles 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Types of Photocatalytic Reactions and Their Mechanisms 1.2.1 General Descriptions 1.2.2 Photocatalytic Water Treatment 1.2.3 Photocatalytic Water Splitting 1.2.4 Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 1.2.5 Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation 1.3 Metal Oxides Materials for Photocatalysis 1.3.1 Brief Overview 1.3.2 Binary vs. Ternary Metal Oxides 1.3.3 Properties and Characteristics of Metal Oxides 1.3.3.1 The Internal Structure 1.3.3.2 Optical Properties: Absorption of Visible and UV Lights 1.3.3.3 Electronic Properties 1.3.3.4 Electrical Properties 1.3.3.5 Other Properties 1.3.4 Methods and Approaches to Boost the Photoactivity of Metal Oxides 1.3.5 Metal Oxides vs. Other Types of Materials: Advantages and Disadvantages 1.4 Concluding Remarks References Part II. Strategies to Improve the Photocatalytic Activity of Metal Oxides 2. Strategy I: Doping 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 What Is Doping? 2.1.2 Why Need to Make Doping? 2.1.3 Challenges of Doping 2.1.4 Metal vs. Non-metal Doping: Differences and Similarities 2.1.5 Methods to Create Doping: General Descriptions 2.2 Selected Examples 2.2.1 Doping of TiO2 2.2.1.1 Brief Overview 2.2.1.2 Experimental Approaches to Create Doped TiO2 2.2.1.3 Properties and Characteristics of Doped TiO2 2.2.1.4 Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Applications of Doped TiO2 2.2.2 Doping in ZnO 2.2.2.1 Brief Overview 2.2.2.2 Experimental Approaches to Create Doped ZnO 2.2.2.3 Properties and Characteristics of Doped ZnO 2.2.2.4 Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Applications of Doped ZnO 2.2.3 Doping of Other Binary Oxide Materials 2.2.3.1 WO3 2.2.3.2 Fe2O3 2.2.3.3 Ta2O5 2.2.3.4 Nb2O5 2.2.3.5 CuO 2.2.3.6 Cu2O 2.2.4 Ternary Metal Oxides 2.3 Concluding Remarks References 3. Strategy II: Utilizing Metal Nanoparticles in the Form of Deposited or Embedded Formations 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 Metal Nanoparticles: Why They Are Special? 3.1.2 Indirect and Direct Plasmon Photocatalysis 3.1.3 Bimetallic Nanoparticles 3.1.4 Difference Between Surface Decorated and Embedded Metal Nanoparticles 3.1.5 Noble vs. Non-noble Metal Nanoparticles 3.2 Fabrication of Metal Nanoparticles and Their Localization on the Surface of Metal Oxides 3.2.1 Vapor Synthesis Method 3.2.2 Photodeposition Method 3.2.3 Chemical Reduction Method 3.2.4 Other Methods 3.3 Geometrical and Morphological Arrangement of Metal Nanoparticles vs. Properties 3.3.1 Size of Metal Nanoparticles 3.3.2 The Shape of Metal Nanoparticles 3.3.3 Concentration and Loading of Metal Nanoparticles 3.4 Why Do the Features of Metal Oxide Support Influence Their Decoration with Metal Nanoparticles? 3.5 Metal-Enhanced Oxide Photocatalyst: Properties 3.5.1 Optical Properties 3.5.2 Interfacial Charge Transfer 3.5.3 Other Properties and Features 3.6 Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Performances of Metal-Enhanced Oxides 3.7 Concluding Remarks References 4. Strategy III: Formation of Heterostructures 4.1 Heterostructure: What Is It and Why It Is Needed? 4.2 Types of Semiconductor-Based Heterojunction 4.2.1 Three Main Types of Heterojunctions: Particularities and Examples 4.2.2 Z-Scheme 4.2.3 S-Scheme 4.2.4 P-N Junction 4.3 Synthesis Methods to Prepare Heterojunctions 4.3.1 Bottom-Up Approaches 4.3.2 Top-Down Approaches 4.4 Morphological Aspects of Heterojunctions 4.4.1 Core-Shell Composition 4.4.2 Decoration-Based Heterojunction 4.4.3 Heterojunctions in the Powder-Like Form 4.5 Properties of Heterojunctions: Improvement and Enhancement 4.5.1 Optical Properties 4.5.2 Structural Properties 4.5.3 Electronic Properties 4.5.4 Electrical Properties 4.6 Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Applications of Heterojunction 4.7 Concluding Remarks References 5. Strategy IV: Playing with Morphology and Structure of Metal Oxide Materials 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Methods to Increase the Photocatalytic Performance of Nanostructured Metal Oxides 5.2.1 Playing with Surface Area: Why Dimension Is Important 5.2.2 Playing with the Orientation of Crystal Structure 5.2.3 Playing with Thermodynamic Phases: A Case of TiO2 5.2.4 Playing with Crystal Structure and Its Quality 5.3 Synthesis of Morphology and Structure-Advanced Nanostructured Metal Oxides 5.3.1 Classifying Methods 5.3.2 0-D Nanostructures: How to Create Them 5.3.3 1-D Nanostructures: How to Create Them 5.3.4 2-D Nanostructures: How to Create Them 5.3.5 3-D Nanostructures: How to Create Them 5.4 Selected Example I: Morphological Features 5.4.1 Hollow Nanostructures 5.4.2 Mesoporous Materials 5.4.3 Forestlike or Hierarchical Nanostructures 5.5 Selected Example II: Specific Metal Oxides 5.5.1 TiO2 5.5.2 ZnO 5.6 Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Applications of Metal Oxides with Intentionally Modified Structures and Morphologies 5.7 Concluding Remarks References 6. Strategy V: Intrinsic Deficiency 6.1 Introduction 6.2 What You Need to Know About Intrinsic Deficiency: Advantages and Disadvantages 6.3 Methods to Create an Intrinsic Deficiency 6.3.1 Solution-Based Methods 6.3.2 Vapor-Based Methods 6.3.3 Thermal Treatments Under Oxygen-Deficient and Oxygen-Rich Atmospheres 6.3.4 Bombardment with High-Energy Particles 6.3.5 Other Methods 6.4 Properties of Metal Oxides Filled with Intrinsic Defects 6.4.1 Optical Properties 6.4.2 Structural Properties 6.4.3 Electronic Properties 6.4.4 Electrical Properties 6.5 Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Applications of Metal Oxides Filled with Intrinsic Defects 6.6 Concluding Remarks References 7. Strategies to Improve Photocatalytic Performance of Metal Oxides: Future Perspectives 7.1 Which Strategy Is Going to Become Dominated Choice in the Future? 7.2 Development of New and Alternative Strategies: Perspectives and Dreams References Index