Extending light absorption to the near-infrared spectrum through the induction of the plasmon effect is an effective strategy in the photocatalytic field. Herein, plasmonic WO 2.72 /Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S nanorods are prepared via a solvothermal method coupled with in-situ deposition. WO 2.72 with oxygen vacancies performs broad Vis-NIR light absorption capabilities and acts as the hot electron donors for Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S to exploit the NIR-driven photocatalytic H2 2 activity. WO 2.72 /Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S performs Vis-NIR-driven photocatalytic activity to produce H2 2 for 1419.55 mu mol center dot g- g- 1 center dot h- 1 under visible light (lambda >= 400 nm), and 116.175 mu mol center dot g- g- 1 center dot h- 1 under NIR light (>= 780 nm), which is 3 times higher than that of Cd 0.5 Zn 0.5 S (465.37 mu mol center dot g- g- 1 center dot h- 1 ) in visible region. Through catalytic analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the effective charge separation and transfer in the Z-scheme heterojunction, as well as the broad spectrum light absorption and efficient "hot electron" transfer facilitated by the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. This work provides a new horizon for harnessing solar energy across a broad spectrum.

The introduction of a metallic cocatalyst is a good strategy for achieving a high carrier density and absorbing photons under wide-spectrum illumination. Herein, metallic WO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposites were designed and synthesized for the first time using a simple calcination method to enhance the photocatalytic performance. WO2/g-C3N4 exhibited significant photocatalytic properties: under visible light irradiation, 4 wt% WO2/g-C3N4 exhibited an RhB photocatalytic degradation of 96% in 120 min. Meanwhile, the H2 production rate of 4 wt% WO2/g-C3N4/3 wt% Pt was 2436.9 μmol g−1 h−1, which was 2.55 and 6.18 times higher than that of 3 wt% Pt/g-C3N4 (956.35 μmol g−1 h−1) and WO2/g-C3N4, respectively. Experimental tests and density functional theory calculations reveal that WO2 exhibits a metal-like performance with a narrow bandgap to capture electrons and hinders the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers at the interface of WO2/g-C3N4. Our study provides a new perspective for the rational design of metallic cocatalysts/semiconductors with highly efficient photocatalytic properties.

Effective and suitable utilization of solar energy was achieved using a full-spectrum-response photocatalyst AgBr/CsxWO3, applied in the photocatalytic and photochromic field. Benefitting from near-infrared (NIR) absorption ability of CsxWO3, AgBr/CsxWO3 exhibits enhanced visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) driven photocatalytic activity. Based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence spectra (PL), and the photoelectrochemical analysis, AgBr and CsxWO3 formed a Z-scheme system at the interface to efficiently separate and transfer photo-induced electrons at a fast rate. The quenching experiment and the electron spin resonance (ESR) tests indicated that the photocatalytic reaction is activated by the production of superoxide radicals. Furthermore, the photochromic analysis to different light exhibits the AgBr/CsxWO3 heterostructure is stable under visible light with negligible photodeposition of AgBr, and has excellent double photochromic activity with visible-shielding effect of AgBr to Ag0 and infrared-blocking effect of CsxWO3 under ultraviolet light. This research provides new insights into the manufacture of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly materials that provide excellent performance in both thermal insulation and decontamination.

The surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect of Bi can effectively improve the light absorption abilities and photogenerated charge carrier separation rate. In this study, a novel ternary heterojunction of g-C3N4/Bi2MoO6/Bi (CN/BMO/Bi) hollow microsphere was successfully fabricated through solvothermal and in situ reduction methods. The results revealed that the optimal ternary 0.4CN/BMO/9Bi photocatalyst exhibited the highest photocatalytic efficiency toward rhodamine B (RhB) degradation with nine times that of pure BMO. The DRS and valence band of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum demonstrate that the band structure of 0.4CN/BMO/9Bi is a z-scheme structure. Quenching experiments also provided solid evidence that the •O2− (at −0.33 eV) is the main species during dye degradation, and the conduction band of g-C3N4 is only the reaction site, demonstrating that the transfer of photogenerated charge carriers of g-C3N4/Bi2MoO6/Bi is through an indirect z-scheme structure. Thus, the enhanced photocatalytic performance was mainly ascribed to the synergetic effect of heterojunction structures between g-C3N4 and Bi2MoO6 and the SPR effect of Bi doping, resulting in better optical absorption ability and a lower combination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. The findings in this work provide insight into the synergism of heterostructures and the SPR absorption ability in wastewater treatment.

In this paper, a facile one-step hydrothermal method for the synthesis of crystalline-amorphous WO3-x core-shell nanopowders (nanoparticles, nanorods, and nanowires) is reported. The core-shell structure, the size and the morphology of the core, and the shell ratio can be controlled by pH, the content of oxalic acid and the content of ammonium tungstate. A possible formation and growth mechanism is proposed. It was found that oxalic acid determines the crystalline-amorphous core-shell structure and [Formula: see text]/OH- plays a key role in retarding the crystal growth along the [001] axis. The synthesis method may introduce a new way to monitor and tune the stoichiometric and substoichiometric composition of semiconductor oxide nanostructure. The homojunction exhibits an enhanced adsorption ability, obvious visible photocatalytic efficiency, and good photochromic and chemochromic properties.