Enhanced Photoelectrocatalytic Reduction and Removal of Atrazine: Effect of Co-Catalyst and Cathode Potential

Abstract

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) reduction and removal of atrazine, one typical endocrine disruptor chemical, was achieved on Pd quantum dots modified TiO 2 nanotubes (PdQDs@TiO 2 NTs) under regulating potentials. Compared with that on TiO 2 NTs, the PEC reduction efficiency of atrazine on PdQDs@TiO 2 NTs significantly increased, mainly attributed to the reduced electron transfer resistance, longer lifetime of the photogenerated electrons and the faster electron injection from the catalyst to atrazine in the solution. Meanwhile, PdQDs could also function as cocatalyst so that the electrocatalytic activity of PdQDs@TiO 2 NTs was evidently improved. Moreover, the investigation indicated that the applied potential not only played important role in accelerating the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, but also with the increment of the cathodic potential, the PEC reduction mechanism of atrazine underwent the variation of electro-assisted photocatalysis, synergetic photoelectrocatalysis, and photoassisted electro-catalysis. A highest atrazine PEC reduction efficiency was achieved as 99.5% on PdQDs@ TiO 2 NTs in about 5 h under the potential of −1.3 V vs. SCE, whereas the highest synergetic effect of photo-and electrocatalysis was achieved at a lower potential of −0.9 V vs. SCE.

Recent advances of cobalt-based nitride catalysts in solar energy conversion

“…This results in greater cathodic and anodic photocurrent responses as well as photoelectrocatalytic efficiency. 62 The photopotential value should be no less than the thermodynamic potential for a reaction (taking the water splitting reaction as an example, the potential is 1.23 eV), plus the kinetic overpotential for oxidation ( η O ) and reduction ( η R ) reactions. 61 In a two-electrode PEC cell, the potential loss caused by a series resistance across the cell should also be considered.…”

The Construction of p/n-Cu2O Heterojunction Catalysts for Efficient CO2 Photoelectric Reduction

“…However, it often involves multi-step reactions and expensive catalysts, which inevitably lead to the shortcomings of a complex route, poor economy, and high energy consumption, which limit its large-scale application in the industrial field [12]. Similar to photothermal synergy [13,14], photoelectrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO 2 RR), as a practical extension of photocatalytic reduction and electrocatalytic reduction, combines the advantages of photocatalytic reduction and electrocatalytic reduction and utilizes photoelectric coordination to effectively promote carrier separation, enhance surface catalytic activity, and improve the efficiency and selectivity of CO 2 conversion while reducing energy consumption [15,16]. As it is a CO 2 -reduction technology with excellent development potential, photoelectrocatalysis received widespread attention as soon as it was proposed [17,18].…”

Endocrine-disrupting pollutants properties affecting their bioactivity, remediation, and detection

“…Given the long-term persistence and high bioaccumulation tendency of ED pollutants, several efforts are devoted to establish highly selective and sensitive analytical approaches for the detection of trace amounts of such contaminants, in order to support and complement classical methods based on chromatography and mass spectrometry. Recent advances in the development of specific sensors and biosensors, as well as in the application of nanostructured materials (e.g., metal-organic frameworks, molecular imprinted polymers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, polymer nanocomposites, metal oxides, quantum dots) to the detection of EDCs in different sample matrices have been extensively reviewed [12][13][14][15][16]. In this context, understanding the molecular basis of recognition of suspected EDCs by their biological targets, might help the design of novel biomimetic platforms for sensing ED pollutants.…”