Issue 5, 2015

Self-assembled 3D hierarchical sheaf-like Nb3O7(OH) nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Novel three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical Nb3O7(OH) nanostructures with a sheaf-like nanoarchitecture were fabricated for the first time by a hydrothermal process. Interestingly, the nanosheafs are composed of nanorods with an average diameter of about 25 nm. The as-prepared 3D hierarchical nanostructures possess a high surface area of 77 m2 g−1 with pore diameters of ca. 4.2–12.5 nm. A possible growth mechanism based on the combined Ostwald ripening and self-assembly process was proposed. It is found that both the valence-band top and the conduction-band bottom consist of O 2p and Nb 4d orbitals. Importantly, the 3D hierarchical Nb3O7(OH) nanostructures exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV-visible light, which is attributed to the unusual hierarchical structure, high surface area, and hybridization of energy bands.

Graphical abstract: Self-assembled 3D hierarchical sheaf-like Nb3O7(OH) nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Nov 2014
Accepted
08 Dec 2014
First published
10 Dec 2014

Nanoscale, 2015,7, 1963-1969

Self-assembled 3D hierarchical sheaf-like Nb3O7(OH) nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

P. Hu, D. Hou, Y. Wen, B. Shan, C. Chen, Y. Huang and X. Hu, Nanoscale, 2015, 7, 1963 DOI: 10.1039/C4NR06580H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements