A CuO/bentonite composite photocatalyst was prepared to fully utilize the adsorption capacity of bentonite and the photocatalytic activity of CuO. CuO and bentonite were chosen as a photocatalyst due to the excellent optical property of CuO and large specific surface area of bentonite, together with their high stability and low production cost. The sample was characterized by XRD, SEM, and BET. The effects of several factors on degradation process were investigated such as dosage of H₂O₂, irradiation time, pH of the solution, and dosage of catalyst. The optimum conditions for decolorization of methylene blue solution by CuO/bentonite were determined. Under optimal conditions, the decolorization efficiency of methylene blue by a 1.4% CuO/bentonite (400 °C) composite photocatalyst under visible irradiation at 240 min reached 96.98%. The degradation process follow edpseudo-second-order kinetics. The photocatalytic mechanism is discussed in detail. This composite structure provides a new solution to the cycle and aggregation of the photocatalyst in water.

A g-C₃N₄/zeolites photocatalyst is designed so that give full play to the photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄ and adsorption support ability of zeolites. g-C₃N₄ and zeolites are chosen as a photocatalyst group thanks to an excellent optical performance of g-C₃N₄ and an unique porous structure of zeolites as well as their common high stability. The best amount of g-C₃N₄ loaded on zeolites is determined. The optical performance of g-C₃N₄ and photocatalytic property of g-C₃N₄/zeolites are characterized. The methylene blue decolouration rate of g-C₃N₄/zeolites (CNZ-2) reaches 92.4% under visible light irradiation at 120 min, which is greater than that of zeolites (89.6%) at 180 min. The photocatalytic mechanism of g-C₃N₄ is discussed in detail. Additionally, this composite structure will offer an insight to solve the recycle and aggregation of photocatalysts in water.

In this paper, a simple, inexpensive, and rapid method for the fabrication of controlled layer candle soot film has been reported by interface self-assembly and transferred method. The mechanism of candle soot self-assembly is explained and their morphology, elemental composition, optical, and wetting properties are characterized. The uniformity and thickness of prepared films especially depend on the concentration of candle soot mixed solution (alcohol and deionized water). The results show that the optimal concentration of candle soot solution is approximately ~0.2% wt/mL. In addition, the absorption spectra of the controlled-layer candle soot films are determined by the number of layers and the surface morphology. The hydrophobic properties of candle soot films are closely related to their layer number. When these films reach to the fourth layer, the water contact angle and roll-off angle are measured as 142° ± 2° and 6°, respectively. The controlled assembly CS films have the potential application in photo/electrocatalysis, solar cells, lithium-ion batteries, and water splitting.

Piezo-/photocatalysis combining piezoelectric effect and photocatalysis based on a PZT/Ag₂O heterojunction was used for degrade dyes.

In this article, we report the preparation of a novel 1D/2D TiO₂ NRs/BiOI NSs photoanode via a simple hydrothermal method followed by SILAR method. This facile synthesis route can simultaneously achieve uniform TiO₂ NRs/BiOI NSs composite nanostructures and obtain varied thick of BiOI NSs by controlling the SILAR cycles. The TiO₂ NRs/BiOI-3 (SILAR cycles of 15 cycles) heterojunction photoanode enhanced highest photocatalytic activity with a photocurrent density of 0·40 mA cm^–2 at 1·23 V versus RHE compared to pristine TiO₂ NRs photoanode at the same condition. It is demonstrated that the presence of BiOI NSs has played an important role in expanding the spectral response region and reduced photogenerated charges recombination rate. More importantly, the results provide new insights in the 1D/2D NRs/NSs composite structure served as photoanodes for PEC water splitting.