TY - JOUR AU - Xiong, Kun AU - Wang, Kunzhou AU - Chen, Lin AU - Wang, Xinqing AU - Fan, Qingbo AU - Courtois, Je´re´mie AU - Liu, Yuliang AU - Tuo, Xianguo AU - Yan, Minhao PY - 2017/11/16 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Heterostructured ZnFe2O4/Fe2TiO5/TiO2 Composite Nanotube Arrays with an Improved Photocatalysis Degradation Efficiency Under Simulated Sunlight Irradiation JF - Nano-Micro Letters JA - Nano-Micro Lett VL - 10 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - 10.1007/s40820-017-0169-x UR - https://www.nmlett.org/index.php/nml/article/view/302 SP - 17 AB - <p>To improve the visible light absorption and photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (TONTAs), ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (ZFO) nanocrystals were perfused into pristine TONTA pipelines using a novel bias voltage-assisted perfusion method. ZFO nanocrystals were well anchored on the inner walls of the pristine TONTAs when the ZFO suspensions (0.025&nbsp;mg&nbsp;mL<sup>−1</sup>) were kept under a 60&nbsp;V bias voltage for 1&nbsp;h. After annealing at 750&nbsp;°C for 2&nbsp;h, the heterostructured ZFO/Fe<sub>2</sub>TiO<sub>5</sub> (FTO)/TiO<sub>2</sub> composite nanotube arrays were successfully obtained. Furthermore, Fe<sup>3+</sup> was reduced to Fe<sup>2+</sup> when solid solution reactions occurred at the interface of ZFO and the pristine TONTAs. Introducing ZFO significantly enhanced the visible light absorption of the ZFO/FTO/TONTAs relative to that of the annealed TONTAs. The coexistence of type I and staggered type II band alignment in the ZFO/FTO/TONTAs facilitated the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, thereby improving the efficiency of the ZFO/FTO/TONTAs for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue when irradiated with simulated sunlight.</p><p>Highlights:</p><p>1 ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanocrystals were perfused into pristine TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube array pipelines using a novel bias voltage-assisted perfusion method.<br>2 Novel heterostructured ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/Fe<sub>2</sub>TiO<sub>5</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> composite nanotube arrays were obtained with staggered type II band alignment at the ZnFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/Fe<sub>2</sub>TiO<sub>5</sub> interface and type I band alignment at the Fe<sub>2</sub>TiO<sub>5</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> interface.<br>3 Visible light absorption and the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methylene blue were significantly improved upon irradiation with simulated sunlight.</p> ER -