Query:  Semiconductor/boron nitride composites: Synthesis, properties, and photocatalysis applications

Candidate papers:

abstract: Abstract Semiconductor photocatalysis has been regarded as one of promising approach to solve the environmental pollution and energy crisis. Boron nitride (BN) as a new nanomaterial, has distinct structures and properties that can add attractive properties to photocatalysts. In the past few years, many encouraging achievements have been made in the research field of BN based semiconductor photocatalysts. Semiconductor/BN composites have attracted extensive attention due to its well photocatalytic activity. This work summarized recent progress on the synthesis of BN and semiconductor/BN composites. These semiconductor/BN composites have various applications in photocatalytic fields, such as pollutant degradation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The role of BN in semiconductor/BN composites is discussed in depth. Coupling BN with semiconductors can improve the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors due to their surface charge transfer properties. The photocatalytic mechanisms and different types of photocatalysts are studied. Furthermore, perspectives on semiconductor/BN composites are discussed, including the challenges for large scale preparations and theoretical calculation of composites. It is expected that this review would be helpful for designing of highly efficient semiconductor/BN composites.
author_names: Chengyun Zhou

Cui Lai

Chen Zhang

Guangming Zeng

Danlian Huang

Min Cheng

Liang Liang Hu

Weiping Xiong

Ming Chen

Jiajia Wang

Yang Yang

Longbo Jiang
title: Semiconductor/boron nitride composites: Synthesis, properties, and photocatalysis applications
year: 2018

abstract: Graphite carbon nitride (g C3N4) is well known as one of the most promising materials for photocatalytic activities, such as CO2 reduction and water splitting, and environmental remediation through the removal of organic pollutants. On the other hand, carbon nitride also pose outstanding properties and extensive application forecasts in the aspect of field emission properties. In this mini review, the novel structure, synthesis and preparation techniques of full bodied g C3N4 based composite and films were revealed. This mini review discussed contemporary advancement in the structure, synthesis, and diverse methods used for preparing g C3N4 nanostructured materials. The present study gives an account of full knowledge of the use of the exceptional structural and properties, and the preparation techniques of graphite carbon nitride (g C3N4) and its applications.
author_names: Williams Kweku Darkwah

Yanhui Ao
title: Mini Review on the Structure and Properties (Photocatalysis) and Preparation Techniques of Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nano Based Particle, and Its Applications
venue: Nanoscale Research Letters
year: 2018

abstract: Foreword Preface COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS OF NITRIDES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CERAMIC MATERIALS OF NEW GENERATION Introduction Peculiarities of Phase and Structure Formation of Metal and Nonmetal Nitrides in Combustion Mode Dependence of SHS Nitride Composition and Structure on Infiltration Combustion Mode SHS Equipment for Powder Synthesis Synthesis of SHS Ceramics Based on Silicon and Aluminum Nitrides and SiAlON Powders Direct Production of Materials and Items Based on Nitride Ceramics by SHS Gasostating Conclusion COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS OF BORON NITRIDE CERAMICS: FUNDAMENTALS AND APPLICATIONS Introduction Combustion in Boron Nitrogen System Mechanism of Structure Formation in CS Wave Combustion Synthesis of Nitride Based Ceramics Final Remarks COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS OF ALUMINUM NITRIDE (AIN) POWDERS WITH CONTROLLED GRAIN MORPHOLOGIES Introduction Combustion Synthesis of Quasi Aligned AlN Nanowhiskers Enhanced Thermal Conductivity of Polymer Composites Filled with 3D Brush Like AlN Nanowhiskers by Combustion Method Growth of Flower Like AlN by Combustion Synthesis Assisted with Mechanical Activation Combustion Synthesis of AlN Porous Shell Hollow Spheres Summary and Conclusions COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS AND SPARK PLASMA SINTERING OF ss SiAlON Introduction CS of High Purity ss SiAlON and Densification by SPS Physical Properties of CS SPSed ss SiAlON Corrosion Resistance Conclusions of This Chapter COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS OF AlN (Al3O3N) BN, ZrN, AND TiN IN AIR AND CERAMIC APPLICATION Thermochemical Features of Aluminum Particles Combustion (Theoretical Background) Chemical Features of Metals Combustion in Air (Experimental Background) Nitrides (Oxynitrides) Formation by Metal Powder Combustion in Air Applcation of the Synthesized Nitrides and Oxynitrides in Dense Ceramics COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS OF NITRIDES OF VANADIUM, NIOBIUM, AND TANTALUM Introduction Experimental Methods of Approach Results and Discussion Conclusions SYNTHESIS OF NITRIDES BY SHS OF FERROALLOYS IN NITROGEN Introduction Synthesis of Silicon Nitride by Combustion of Ferrosilicon in Nitrogen Synthesis of Vanadium Nitride by Combustion of Ferrovanadium in Nitrogen Synthesis of Niobium Nitride by Combustion of Ferrovniobium in Nitrogen Synthesis of Titanium Nitride by Combustion of Ferrovtitanium in Nitrogen Combustion of Ferrochromium in Nitrogen and Synthesis of Chromium Nitride Combustion of Ferroboron in Nitrogen and Synthesis of Boron Nitride Application Prospects of Products of Combustion of Ferroalloys in Nitrogen Conclusions HALIDES IN SHS AZIDE TECHNOLOGY OF NITRIDES OBTAINING Introduction The Use of Ammonia Halides The Use of Halides of Elements to be Nitrided The Use of Complexing Halides of Elements to be Nitrided and Alkaline Metals The Use of Complexing Halides of Ammonia and Elements to be Nitrided The Use of Halides for Obtaining Refractory Compositions Efficiency of Use of Halides in Azide SHS Systems Chemical Stages of Formation of Nitrides in a Mode SHS Az Property of SHS Az Powders Property of SHS Az Ceramics The Synthesis of Nanostructural SHS Az Powders Conclusion AlN CERAMICS FROM NANOSIZED PLASMA PROCESSED POWDER, ITS PROPERTIES AND APPLICATION Introduction: AlN Ceramics, its Characteristics and Application Production of AlN Ceramics from Nanosized Plasma Processed Powder Properties of AlN Ceramics from Nanosized Plasma Processed Powder Practical Application of Luminescence Properties of AlN Ceramics Conclusions AN OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF NITRIDES AND OXYNITRIDES IN PHOTOCATALYSIS AND ELECTROCATALYSIS Introduction Preparation Photocatalysis Electrocatalysis Conclusion CONCLUSION Index
author_names: Alexander A Gromov

Liudmila N Chukhlomina
title: Nitride Ceramics: Combustion Synthesis, Properties and Applications
year: 2014

abstract: Abstract There has been increasing interest in the study of photocatalysis technology application in hydrogen production by splitting water because of environmental pollution and energy utilization. In this study, a high efficiency of the photocatalytic H2 production was achieved via graphene oxide (GO) and graphitic carbon nitride (g C3N4) composite photocatalysts (GO/g C3N4) The GO/g C3N4 photocatalysts possessed enhanced activities for hydrogen production than pure g C3N4 under visible light irradiation. The structural and optical properties of all the synthesized photocatalysts were successfully characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS, UV vis spectra, TEM, SEM, N2 adsorption desorption and photoluminescence spectra techniques. Experimental results indicated that GO/g C3N4 photocatalysts can reach a high H2 production rate of 224.6 mmol/h (nearly 12 times of that obtained from pure g C3N4) at GO content of 0.5 wt and Pt 1 wt under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of GO/g C3N4 is ascribed to the ability of GO in accepting and transporting electrons from excited g C3N4, which promotes the charge separation. This work highlights that the affordable and abundant carbon material can be a good candidate for an electron attracting collector and transporter to efficiently lengthen the lifetime of the photogenerated charge carriers in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen production.
author_names: Jiajia Li

Yuping Tang

Ruyi Jin

Qinghua Meng

Yanyan Chen

Xu Long

Liwen Wang

Hui Guo

Shuan Zhang
title: Ultrasonic microwave assisted synthesis of GO/g C3N4 composites for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution
venue: Solid State Sciences
year: 2019

abstract: Abstract Carbon dots (CDs) an emerging fluorescent carbon nanomaterial, have attracted great attention in recent year due to their features such as unique optical property, good biocompatibility and low cost and easy synthesis. When CDs are integrated with porous materials, it not only compensates for the shortcomings of monocomponent CDs in applications, but also produces new functionalities through synergistic interactions to extend new applications. At present, CDs have been assembled with various porous materials such as zeolites, carbonaceous porous materials, porous graphitic carbon nitride (g C3N4) mesoporous SiO2, porous metallic compounds and metal organic frameworks (MOFs) which exhibit excellent performance and a wide range of applications. Therefore, recent research advances in CDs/porous materials composites should be presented to facilitate further development of the field. In this article, the preparation methods, porous structures, and properties of CDs/porous materials composites are classified and presented. Then, the applications of CDs/porous materials composites in optics, biomedicine, sensing, electrochemistry, and photocatalysis are also discussed. Finally, current challenges and future directions are briefly discussed to facilitate the next development of CDs/porous materials composites.
author_names: Jiancang Chen

Guangchun Xiao

Gaigai Duan

Yongzhong Wu

Xiujian Zhao

Xiao Gong
title: Structural design of carbon dots/porous materials composites and their applications
year: 2020

abstract: Graphitic carbon nitride (g C3N4) is a promising material for photocatalytic applications such as solar fuels production through CO2 reduction and water splitting, and environmental remediation through the degradation of organic pollutants. This promise reflects the advantageous photophysical properties of g C3N4 nanostructures, notably high surface area, quantum efficiency, interfacial charge separation and transport, and ease of modification through either composite formation or the incorporation of desirable surface functionalities. Here, we review recent progress in the synthesis and photocatalytic applications of diverse g C3N4 nanostructured materials, and highlight the physical basis underpinning their performance for each application. Potential new architectures, such as hierarchical or composite g C3N4 nanostructures, that may offer further performance enhancements in solar energy harvesting and conversion are also outlined.
author_names: Santosh Kumar

Sekar Karthikeyan

Adam Fraser Lee
title: g C3N4 Based Nanomaterials for Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis
year: 2018

abstract: Progress in nanotechnology has led to the development of new classes of materials with unprecedented control of structure, composition, defects and resulting properties. Nanostructure ceramic materials have good chemical resistance, good mechanical resistance, corrosion resistance, electrical, optical and/or magnetic properties, good refractory properties, chemical inertness and hardness both at normal and high temperatures. The synthesis of nanostructured ceramic materials by the sol gel process plays a crucial role in the development of advanced materials with suitable properties for various applications. The synthesis process is based on the controlled hydrolysis and polycondensation of silica and alkoxides, which leads to the formation of nanoscale particles and their arrangement to a nanoporous network after gelation. Depending on ageing and drying conditions, either dense monolithic ceramic composites or nanoporous materials can be fabricated. These materials at nanoscale have attracted a lot of attention from researchers in various fields such as fuel cells, biomedical engineering, corrosion protective coatings, biotechnology, photocatalysis, genetics, etc. This chapter gives an insight into the fabrication of ceramic materials through the sol gel process and their possible applications in various fields. 1.1 General Introduction to Nanomaterials Nanomaterials are increasing an important product of nanotechnologies. Nanomaterials are usually considered to be materials in which the average particle size is smaller than 100 nm in at least one dimension. Within this size range E. Vunain S.B. Mishra A.K. Mishra B.B. Mamba Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa e mail: evunain@gmail.com A.K. Mishra e mail: mishrak@unisa.ac.za (c) Springer International Publishing AG 2017 A.K. Mishra (ed. Sol gel Based Nanoceramic Materials: Preparation, Properties and Applications, DOI 10.1007/978 3 319 49512 5_1 1 (between 1 and 100 nm) the properties of the nanomaterials are quite different from the properties of the bulk materials. As a result, nanomaterials are developed to exhibit novel characteristics such as increased strength, chemical activity or conductivity compared to the same material at bulk scale. Generally, the physical, chemical, electrical and optical properties of nanomaterials are size and shape dependent and often exhibit differences from the bulk properties. This is attributed to the large number of surface or interface atoms shown by materials at this nanoscale range. Nanomaterials are coming into in use in energy and environmental applications, agriculture, electronics, healthcare, cosmetics and other areas [1 5] Structural materials are classified as ceramics, metals or polymers with each type of materials having its own advantages and limitations [6] Ceramic comes from the Greek word meaning "pottery" though pottery is just part of the ceramic world. The term "ceramic" covers inorganic non metallic materials that are formed by the action of heat to produced hard and strong mechanical properties [7] A ceramic is therefore an inorganic non metallic solid made up of either metal or non metal compounds that have been shaped and then hardened by heating to high temperatures. Ceramics are divided into two groups: traditional ceramics and advanced ceramics (engineering ceramics) However, nowadays advanced ceramics are further divided into three distinct categories: oxides ceramics (alumina, beryllium and zirconia) non oxides ceramics (borides, carbides, nitrides and silicides) and composites ceramics (particulate reinforced combinations of oxides and non oxides) [7] Metals are strong, cheap and tough, but they are heavy, chemically reactive and present limitations on maximum operating temperatures. Moreover, polymers are light and easily processable but can only be used at temperatures below 300 degC [6] Ceramics are brittle solids particularly suited for withstanding high temperatures. The different materials used in the fabrication of ceramics offer them a wide range of properties. Compared to metals and polymers, most ceramics possess useful features such as high temperature strength, chemical stability (the ability to withstand the damaging effects of oxygen, acids and chemicals due to their inertness) strength and brittleness, superior wear resistance and lower thermal and electrical conductivity (electrical insulators) The retention of these properties at elevated temperatures presents ceramic materials as a generic group to solving engineering application problems [8] Generally, these excellent characteristics features of ceramics make them more suitable for a wide range of applications. The field of ceramics stands as an interesting area of research more especially where nanoscience and nanotechnology have shown remarkable progress in the production of a variety of advanced materials with unique properties and performance. 1.1.
author_names: Ajay Kumar Mishra
title: Sol gel Based Nanoceramic Materials: Preparation, Properties and Applications
year: 2017

abstract: Graphitic carbon nitride (g C3N4) is a promising material for photocatalytic applications such as solar fuels production through CO2 reduction and water splitting, and environmental remediation through the degradation of organic pollutants. This promise reflects the advantageous photophysical properties of g C3N4 nanostructures, notably high surface area, quantum efficiency, interfacial charge separation and transport, and ease of modification through either composite formation or the incorporation of desirable surface functionalities. Here, we review recent progress in the synthesis and photocatalytic applications of diverse g C3N4 nanostructured materials, and highlight the physical basis underpinning their performance for each application. Potential new architectures, such as hierarchical or composite g C3N4 nanostructures, that may offer further performance enhancements in solar energy harvesting and conversion are also outlined.
author_names: Santosh Kumar

Sekar Karthikeyan

Adam Fraser Lee
title: g C 3 N 4 Based Nanomaterials for Visible Light Driven Photocatalysis
year: 2018

abstract: Heterogeneous photocatalysis plays a key role in the implementation of novel sustainable technologies, e.g. CO2 conversion into fuel, H2 production from water or organics degradation. The progress of photocatalysis relies on the development of tuneable photocatalysts and particularly the ability to build nanocomposites exhibiting synergistic properties with reduced electron hole recombination rates. We report for the first time the in situ synthesis of nanocomposites of carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNSs) and metal organic frameworks (MOFs) for application as photocatalysts. This approach leads to the 'nano scale mixing' of the components, thereby enabling a greater performance compared to other types of 2D materials/MOF composites typically obtained via physical mixing. The objective is to take advantage of the complementary features of the materials while forming a heterojunction. The structural, chemical, photophysical and electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites are characterized and compared to those of the parent materials and their physical mixture. The nanocomposites retain the high specific surface area and strong visible light absorbance of MIL 100(Fe) The intimate contact between the CNNSs and the MOF particles is found to promote the electron hole separation significantly due to the formation of a heterojunction. Hence, more efficient photocatalytic dye degradation is achieved over the composites than the physical mixture.
author_names: Jindui Hong

Chunping Chen

Franky Esteban Bedoya

Geoff H Kelsall

Dermot O'Hare

Camille Petit
title: Carbon nitride nanosheet/metal organic framework nanocomposites with synergistic photocatalytic activities
year: 2016

abstract: BACKGROUND: Environmental pollution and energy crisis are nowadays considered among the most important problems facing humanity. Several strategies have been proposed to solve them, being photocatalysis a very promising one because of its ease of application and low cost. In the search for active photocatalysts, those based on graphite like carbon nitride (g C3N4) are becoming good alternatives for various reactions. In this work, the properties of g C3N4/MoS2/MnOOH composite material and its photocatalytic behavior for the production of hydrogen (H2) under UV radiation were investigated. RESULTS: The composite material was synthesized by applying a combination of thermal condensation and hydrothermal methods. According to the results of X ray diffraction (XRD) ultraviolet diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV DRS) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) good dispersion of the phases and the formation of a heterojunction were observed. The band gap value of the composite material, calculated by the Kubelka Munk equation using the values obtained from UV DRS analysis, was lower than those of the individual components, while it also had a much longer electron hole recombination time, according to photoluminescence analysis. As a consequence of a synergistic effect, the activity of the proposed composite photocatalyst was superior in the reaction of water splitting, with a kinetic constant of 466 mmol h 1 and a production rate of 1750 mmol H2gcat 1 h 1 (50 and 21% higher than those obtained with MoS2 and g C3N4, respectively) CONCLUSION: Because of its high activity and stability, g C3N4/MoS2/MnOOH composite photocatalyst is an excellent alternative for H2 production by the water splitting reaction. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
author_names: K Jimenez-Rangel

Luis Lartundo-Rojas

Alejandra Garcia-Garcia

Sandra Cipagauta-Diaz

Angeles Mantilla

J Enrique Samaniego-Benitez
title: Hydrothermal synthesis of a two dimensional g C 3 N 4 /MoS 2 /MnOOH composite material and its potential application as photocatalyst
venue: Journal of Chemical Technology Biotechnology
year: 2019