• Admin
    UC Research Repository
    View Item 
       
    • UC Home
    • Library
    • UC Research Repository
    • College of Science
    • Science: Journal Articles
    • View Item
       
    • UC Home
    • Library
    • UC Research Repository
    • College of Science
    • Science: Journal Articles
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of the RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Bio-mimicking TiO2 Architectures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under UV and Visible Light

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Published version (844.8Kb)
    Author
    Hashemizadeh I
    Tsang DCW
    Ng YH
    Wu Z
    Golovko V
    Yip CK
    Date
    2017
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10092/14990

    Green leaves are responsible for natural photosynthesis in plants and their unique structures offer the most efficient blueprint for artificial materials in terms of solar energy capture and utilisation. The full architecture of the leaf photosystem was successfully replicated at both the nano and micro levels using biotemplating with TiO2. This approach resulted in a highly porous structure that can be used as a photocatalyst with enhanced properties such as improved visible light-harvesting ability. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images of the final products confirmed that the detailed microscale framework and nanostructures, such as the chloroplast and the thylakoids were well replicated. Biotemplated artificial TiO2 leaves with the architecture of Camellia tree leaves outperformed well-known P25 TiO2 in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under visible light: more than twofold in the case of blue (440 nm) and ca. one and a half times under green (515 nm) light. Also, the carbon dioxide yield of photocatalytic oxidation of ethanol catalysed by the biotemplated TiO2 material was approximately 1.3 times higher than the CO2 produced by P25 under green light. We attributed this enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance to the light-harvesting features and to the high surface area imparted by the interconnected nanosheets (replicating the thylakoids) resulting from our improved biotemplating method. The method reported in this work presents a facile route for the production of synthetic inorganic materials which possess morphologies similar to that present in the natural template materials.

    Subjects
    Field of Research::03 - Chemical Sciences::0306 - Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)::030601 - Catalysis and Mechanisms of Reactions
     
    Field of Research::06 - Biological Sciences::0601 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology
    Collections
    • Science: Journal Articles [912]

    UC Research Repository
    University Library
    University of Canterbury
    Private Bag 4800
    Christchurch 8140

    Phone
    364 2987 ext 8718

    Email
    ucresearchrepository@canterbury.ac.nz

    Follow us
    FacebookTwitterYoutube

    © University of Canterbury Library
    Send Feedback | Contact Us