Tao Zhong

Title : Cu nanocrystals coupled with poly (heptazine imide) for synergistically enhanced photocatalytic CH3SH elimination: Facet engineering strengthened electron pump effect

Abstract:

The efficient separation and utilization of intrinsic carriers in photocatalyst, as well as the adsorption and elimination of target pollutants, are two critical challenges in the development of photocatalytic oxidation technology. Herein, the different crystal facet of Cu (111), Cu (100), Cu (111+100) were engineered and coupled with Poly (heptazine imide) (PHI) as an emerging photocatalyst for CH₃SH elimination under simulated solar light (SSL). Cu (111)/PHI exhibited 87.8% elimination efficiency after 30 min of illumination, significantly higher than that of pure PHI (60.4%), Cu (100)/PHI (71.5%), and Cu (111+100)/PHI (70.4%). Besides, the photocatalytic performance was maintained at 83.3% after a prolonged reaction time of up to 450 min, indicating that Cu (111)/PHI has good stability and reusability. A comprehensive characterizations study confirmed that Cu (111) exhibited the enhanced surface electron pump effect compared to Cu (100) and Cu (111+100), facilitating the accelerated extraction and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that Cu (111) surface active sites can effectively adsorb H₂O, O₂, and CH₃SH due to unsaturated pairing of d-orbital electrons, thus prompting the activation of H₂O, O₂ into reactive oxygen species (•OH/•O₂⁻/¹O₂) for the eliminating of adjacent CH₃SH. This study presents a new facet engineering approach for the rational design of highly efficient photocatalysts for the elimination of S-VOCs.

KeyWords: Facet Engineering, Electron pump effect, Photocatalysis, S-VOCs removal

Audience Take Away

• This presentation will be interested for researchers who focus on the facet-engineered catalysts fabrication well as the catalytic elimination of environmental pollutants.
• This presentation not only emphasized the importance of crystallographic engineering in photocatalyst design but also gave a new understanding of the mechanism behind the enhanced photocatalytic performance.
• This presentation is a good inspiration for aspiring practitioners of ambient air pollutant abatement technologies.
• The results presented in this presentation have good prospects for practical applications.

Biography:

Tao Zhong received his M.S. degree in School of Resources, Environment and Materials from Guangxi University in 2022. is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Professor Chun He in the Department of Environmental Engineering of Sun Yat-sen University. His current research focuses on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, photocatalytic elimination of S-VOCs, water treatment technology, and first-principles calculations. He has published more than 16 research articles in SCI journals.