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New Trends in Semiconductors' Catalytic Application

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalytic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 17079

Special Issue Editors

1. Institute of Physical Metallurgy, Metal Forming and Nanotechnology, University of Miskolc, C/2-5 Building 209, H-3515 Miskolc-Egyetemvaros, Hungary
2. Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; photocatalytic materials; carbon nanotubes; nanocomposite materials; immobilization of biologically active units
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Szegedi Tudomanyegyetem (SZTE), Research Group of Environmental Chemistry, Szeged, Hungary
Interests: semiconductor oxides; photocatalysis; TiO2; noble metal nanoparticles; shape-tailored crystal synthesis
Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Szeged, Pf. 653, H-6701 Szeged, Hungary
Interests: photochemistry; materials chemistry; water treatment; photocatalysts; UV radiation; photolysis; TiO2
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Semiconductors are exceptional crystalline solids of indisputable catalytic importance. Thousands of papers have been published in this field; moreover, many semiconductors are already applied at an industrial scale. However, there are still many unanswered questions about their crystallinity, morphology, catalytic mechanism, and much more. Is there any plausible connection between the structure of semiconductors and their properties? Which peculiarities can be responsible for selectivity or catalytic activity? Could the catalytic properties be influenced by tailored modification?

This Special Issue is aimed at collecting quality papers about catalytic semiconductor materials. The collected articles will emphasize the surface and structural properties of semiconductor materials and focus on their applicability of any catalytic field. Studies concerning synthesis methods, characterization and reaction mechanisms are also welcome.

I am pleased to invite you to submit manuscripts for this Special Issue on "New Trends in Semiconductor Catalytic Applications" in the form of research papers, communications, letters and review articles. We look forward to your participation in this Special Issue of Materials.

Prof. Dr. Klara Hernadi
Dr. Zsolt Pap
Prof. Dr. Tünde Alapi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3390 KiB  
Article
Wavelength Dependence of the Transformation Mechanism of Sulfonamides Using Different LED Light Sources and TiO2 and ZnO Photocatalysts
by Máté Náfrádi, Tünde Alapi, Luca Farkas, Gábor Bencsik, Gábor Kozma and Klára Hernádi
Materials 2022, 15(1), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15010049 - 22 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2452
Abstract
The comparison of the efficiency of the commercially available photocatalysts, TiO2 and ZnO, irradiated with 365 nm and 398 nm light, is presented for the removal of two antibiotics, sulfamethazine (SMT) and sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMP). The OH formation rate was compared using [...] Read more.
The comparison of the efficiency of the commercially available photocatalysts, TiO2 and ZnO, irradiated with 365 nm and 398 nm light, is presented for the removal of two antibiotics, sulfamethazine (SMT) and sulfamethoxypyridazine (SMP). The OH formation rate was compared using coumarin, and higher efficiency was proved for TiO2 than ZnO, while for 1,4-benzoquinone in O2-free suspensions, the higher contribution of the photogenerated electrons to the conversion was observed for ZnO than TiO2, especially at 398 nm irradiation. An extremely fast transformation and high quantum yield of SMP in the TiO2/LED398nm process were observed. The transformation was fast in both O2 containing and O2-free suspensions and takes place via desulfonation, while in other cases, mainly hydroxylated products form. The effect of reaction parameters (methanol, dissolved O2 content, HCO3 and Cl) confirmed that a quite rarely observed energy transfer between the excited state P25 and SMP might be responsible for this unique behavior. In our opinion, these results highlight that “non-conventional” mechanisms could occur even in the case of the well-known TiO2 photocatalyst, and the effect of wavelength is also worth investigating. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Semiconductors' Catalytic Application)
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14 pages, 2559 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Crystallization of Bismuth Oxychlorides (BiOCl) Using Different Shape Control Reagents
by Enikő Bárdos, Viktória A. Márta, Szilvia Fodor, Endre-Zsolt Kedves, Klara Hernadi and Zsolt Pap
Materials 2021, 14(9), 2261; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14092261 - 27 Apr 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2451
Abstract
Bismuth oxychloride photocatalysts were obtained using solvothermal synthesis and different additives (CTAB—cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAC—cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, PVP–polyvinylpyrrolidone, SDS–sodium dodecylsulphate, U—urea and TU—thiourea). The effect of the previously mentioned compounds was analyzed applying structural (primary crystallite size, crystal phase composition, etc.), morphological (particle geometry), optical [...] Read more.
Bismuth oxychloride photocatalysts were obtained using solvothermal synthesis and different additives (CTAB—cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAC—cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, PVP–polyvinylpyrrolidone, SDS–sodium dodecylsulphate, U—urea and TU—thiourea). The effect of the previously mentioned compounds was analyzed applying structural (primary crystallite size, crystal phase composition, etc.), morphological (particle geometry), optical (band gap energy) parameters, surface related properties (surface atoms’ oxidation states), and the resulted photocatalytic activity. A strong dependency was found between the surface tension of the synthesis solutions and the overall morpho-structural parameters. The main finding was that the characteristics of the semiconductors can be tuned by modifying the surface tension of the synthesis mixture. It was observed after the photocatalytic degradation, that the white semiconductor turned to grey. Furthermore, we attempted to explain the gray color of BiOCl catalysts after the photocatalytic decompositions by Raman and XPS studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Semiconductors' Catalytic Application)
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11 pages, 7653 KiB  
Article
Controlled Synthesis of Visible Light Active CuxS Photocatalyst: The Effect of Heat Treatment on Their Adsorption Capacity and Photoactivity
by Szilvia Fodor, Lucian Baia, Klára Hernádi and Zsolt Pap
Materials 2020, 13(17), 3665; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13173665 - 19 Aug 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1743
Abstract
The effects of different precursor salts, stabilizing agents, and heat treatment parameters are already known to have an influence on the synthesis of nano-sized semiconductors in heterogenous photocatalysis. In the present work, CuxS materials were prepared by using different precursors (copper (II) chloride [...] Read more.
The effects of different precursor salts, stabilizing agents, and heat treatment parameters are already known to have an influence on the synthesis of nano-sized semiconductors in heterogenous photocatalysis. In the present work, CuxS materials were prepared by using different precursors (copper (II) chloride dihydrate or copper (II) acetate monohydrate) and shape tailoring/stabilizing agents, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid/polyvinylpyrrolidone, and thiourea as the sulfur source. The polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) kinetically controlled the growth rate of the nanoplates, while ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) adjusted the nucleation process through the complexation of copper. A one-step hydrothermal method was used for the synthesis, and the materials were characterized by means of morphological and structural complementary investigation methods. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity were also measured for these materials. It was found that the vacancy sites formed by changing the precursor salt, as confirmed by Raman measurements, affect the photocatalytic activity. The rise of the specific surface area was achieved by heat treatment, and concomitantly, the adsorption capacity of the treated samples was found to increase likewise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Semiconductors' Catalytic Application)
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18 pages, 6736 KiB  
Article
RETRACTED: SrFexNi1−xO3−δ Perovskites Coated on Ti Anodes and Their Electrocatalytic Properties for Cleaning Nitrogenous Wastewater
by Yuqing Zhang, Zilu Jin, Lijun Chen and Jiaqi Wang
Materials 2019, 12(3), 511; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma12030511 - 08 Feb 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3851 | Retraction
Abstract
Perovskites (ABO3), regarded as the antioxidative anode materials in electrocatalysis to clean nitrogenous wastewater, show limited oxygen vacancies and conductivity due to their traditional semiconductor characteristic. To further improve the conductivity and electrocatalytic activity, the ferrum (Fe) element was first doped [...] Read more.
Perovskites (ABO3), regarded as the antioxidative anode materials in electrocatalysis to clean nitrogenous wastewater, show limited oxygen vacancies and conductivity due to their traditional semiconductor characteristic. To further improve the conductivity and electrocatalytic activity, the ferrum (Fe) element was first doped into the SrNiO3 to fabricate the SrFexNi1−xO3−δ perovskites, and their optimum fabrication conditions were determined. SrFexNi1−xO3−δ perovskites were coated on a titanium (Ti) plate to prepare the SrFexNi1−xO3−δ/Ti electrodes. Afterward, one SrFexNi1−xO3−δ/Ti anode and two stainless steel cathodes were combined to assemble the electrocatalytic reactor (ECR) for cleaning simulated nitrogenous wastewater ((NH4)2SO4 solution, initial total nitrogen (TN) concentration of 150 mg L−1). Additionally, SrFexNi1−xO3−δ materials were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectra, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel curves, respectively. The results indicate that SrFexNi1−xO3−δ materials are featured with the perovskite crystal structure and Fe is appreciably doped into SrNiO3. Moreover, the optimum conditions for fabricating SrFexNi1−xO3−δ were the reaction time of 120 min for citrate sol-gel, a calcination temperature of 700 °C, and Fe doping content of x = 0.3. SrFe0.3Ni0.7O2.85, and perovskite performs attractive electrocatalytic activity (TN removal ratio of 91.33%) and ECR conductivity of 3.62 mS cm−1 under an electrocatalytic time of 150 min. Therefore, SrFexNi1−xO3−δ perovskites are desirable for cleaning nitrogenous wastewater in electrocatalysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Semiconductors' Catalytic Application)
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17 pages, 4358 KiB  
Article
Facile Green Synthesis of BiOBr Nanostructures with Superior Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Activity
by Seema Garg, Mohit Yadav, Amrish Chandra, Sameer Sapra, Soniya Gahlawat, Pravin P. Ingole, Milica Todea, Eniko Bardos, Zsolt Pap and Klara Hernadi
Materials 2018, 11(8), 1273; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma11081273 - 24 Jul 2018
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 5600
Abstract
Novel green bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr-G) nanoflowers were successfully synthesized via facile hydrolysis route using an Azadirachta indica (Neem plant) leaf extract and concurrently, without the leaf extract (BiOBr-C). The Azadirachta indica leaf extract was employed as a sensitizer and stabilizer for BiOBr-G, which [...] Read more.
Novel green bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr-G) nanoflowers were successfully synthesized via facile hydrolysis route using an Azadirachta indica (Neem plant) leaf extract and concurrently, without the leaf extract (BiOBr-C). The Azadirachta indica leaf extract was employed as a sensitizer and stabilizer for BiOBr-G, which significantly expanded the optical window and boosted the formation of photogenerated charge carriers and transfer over the BiOBr-G surface. The photocatalytic performance of both samples was investigated for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and phenol (Ph) under the irradiation of visible light. The leaf extract mediated BiOBr-G photocatalyst displayed significantly higher photocatalytic activity when compared to BiOBr-C for the degradation of both pollutants. The degradation rate of MO and Ph by BiOBr-G was found to be nearly 23% and 16% more when compared to BiOBr-C under visible light irradiation, respectively. The substantial increase in the photocatalytic performance of BiOBr-G was ascribed to the multiple synergistic effects between the efficient solar energy harvesting, narrower band gap, high specific surface area, porosity, and effective charge separation. Furthermore, BiOBr-G displayed high stability for five cycles of photocatalytic activity, which endows its practical application as a green photocatalyst in the long run. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Semiconductors' Catalytic Application)
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