Nickel-enhanced electrochemical activities of shape-tailored TiO2{001} nanocrystals for water treatment: A combined experimental and DFT studies. (20th April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shao, Cairu; Lin, Litian; Duan, Lijuan; Jiang, Yusi; Shao, Qingyi; Cao, Hongyang
• Is Part Of: Electrochimica acta. Volume 376(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-04-20
• Subjects: Ni-doping -- TiO2 electrode -- Water treatment -- Photoelectrocatalytic degradation -- Organic pollutants; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry, Industrial -- Periodicals; 541.37
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138066
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-4686

Abstract

Abstract: Understanding the reaction mechanism at the solid/liquid interface is necessary to improve the catalytic activity of electrode materials for water treatment. In this study, the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol in water was studied using undoped and Ni-doped TiO2 with {001} facets (TiO2 {001}). Under visible light irradiation, Ni-doped TiO2 electrodes exhibited higher contamination removal efficiency than undoped ones. Photoluminescence detection and density functional theory calculations revealed that the Ni-doped TiO2 provides a better hydroxyl radical yield and adsorption capacity than the undoped TiO2, which could be a major reason for the improvement of the catalytic activity of Ni-doped TiO2 . The diffuse reflectance spectroscopy data showed that introducing the Ni 2+ ions into TiO2 can shift the absorption edge towards the visible light region, which also contributes to the excellent photoelectrocatalytic performance. This work provides a strategy for improving the electrochemical performance of TiO2 and an in-depth understanding of the doping and catalytic mechanism of Ni 2+ ions. Graphical abstract: Image, graphical abstract