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Boosted photocatalytic removal of NO using direct Z-scheme UiO-66-NH2/Bi2MoO6 nanoflowers heterojunction: mechanism insight and humidity effect

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Abstract

In practical applications, relative humidity in the air is a key factor affecting the photocatalytic removal of NO, which is often overlooked in previous studies. Here, we developed a direct Z-scheme UiO-66-NH2/Bi2MoO6 heterojunction with a nanoflower-like structure to systematically investigate the effect of relative humidity on photocatalytic removal of NO. The optimized heterojunction for the removal efficiency of NO was 71.6% at 1.07 mg·m−3 NO concentration (relative humidity = 10%), and the generation of NO2 was only 1.1%. Interestingly, with the increase in relative humidity, it showed a higher inhibition effect on NO2, while the removal of NO decreased slightly (8%), which might be attributed to the affinity effect of NO2 with water molecules and the competitive adsorption of H2O and NO on the surface of the heterojunction photocatalysts. Furthermore, the reaction pathways of NO removal at the developed heterojunctions were revealed by in situ DRIFTS analysis. This work provides a novel vision for the development of direct Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts to effectively remove NO and inhibit the formation of toxic intermediate NO2 under different humidities.

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摘要

在实际应用中，空气中的相对湿度是影响光催化去除氮氧化物的关键因素，而以往的研究往往忽略了这一点。在此，我们开发了一种具有纳米花状结构的 Z 型 UiO-66-NH2/Bi2MoO6 异质结，系统研究了相对湿度对光催化去除 NO 的影响。当 NO 浓度为 1.07 mg·m-3（相对湿度＝10%）时，优化异质结对 NO 的去除率为 71.6%，而 NO2 的生成率仅为 1.1%。有趣的是，随着相对湿度的增加，它对 NO2 的抑制作用增强，而对 NO 的去除率仅略有下降（8%），这可能是由于 NO2 与水分子的亲合效应以及 H2O 和 NO 在异质结光催化剂表面的竞争吸附所致。此外，原位 DRIFTS 分析揭示了异质结去除 NO 的反应途径。本研究为开发直接 Z 型异质结光催化剂提供了一个新的视角，使其能够在不同湿度条件下有效去除 NO 并抑制有毒中间产物 NO2 的形成。

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52161145409 and 21976116), and SAFEA of China (“Belt and Road” Innovative Exchange Foreign Expert Project, No. DL2023041004L). The authors acknowledge Researchers Supporting Project number (No. RSPD2024R691), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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  1. Jiang-Yu-Shan Liang and Hai-Tao Ren have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710021, China

    Jiang-Yu-Shan Liang, Hai-Tao Ren, Abdelkader Labidi, Qiu-Hui Zhu, Qi-Bing Dong & Chuan-Yi Wang

  2. Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62511, Egypt

    Ahmed A. Allam

  3. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed Rady

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  1. Jiang-Yu-Shan Liang
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Liang, JYS., Ren, HT., Labidi, A. et al. Boosted photocatalytic removal of NO using direct Z-scheme UiO-66-NH2/Bi2MoO6 nanoflowers heterojunction: mechanism insight and humidity effect. Rare Met. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-024-02670-4

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