Biocompatible anatase TiO2 single-crystals with 27 % -- 50 % chemically reactive facets were obtained in 90 minutes by using a microwave-assisted method. The preparation involved an aqueous solution of titanium tetrafluoride and an ionic liquid (1-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate). The as-obtained TiO2 single-crystals exhibited a truncated tetragonal bipyramidal shape. By simply changing the concentration of the ionic liquid, the level of reactive facets can be continuously tuned from 27 % to 50 %. The use of microwave heating is critical as it allows rapid and uniform heating of the reaction mixture. The TiO2 single-crystals were characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS and FESEM. The products exhibited excellent photocatalytic efficiency for both oxidation of nitric oxide in air and degradation of organic compounds in aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. The relationship between the physicochemical properties and the photocatalytic performance of the samples was discussed. The TiO2 single-crystals were found to be nontoxic using Zebrafish (D. rerio) as a model. / Bismuth oxyhalide semiconductors (BiOBr, BiOCl) with marigold-like open architectures were also prepared by a solvothermal method involving imidazolium-based ionic liquids and ethylene glycol. The 3D self-assembled marigold-like materials were effective photocatalysts for degrading organic pollutants and generating hydrogen. The main advantages of the new materials were large surface area, high surface-to-bulk ratio, facile species transportation, and ease of recovery and regeneration. / By using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method involving titanium tetrafluoride and a tetrafluoroborate-based ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium-tetrafluoroborate), a micro-sheet anatase TiO2 single crystal photocatalyst with remarkable 80 % reactive facets was synthesized. The as-obtained TiO2 single-crystal exhibited a truncated tetragonal bipyramidal shape. The high reactivity of facets made these single crystals highly photocatalytically active. They were easily recyclable and thermally stable up to 800 °C. / Furthermore, a simple and environmentally benign approach for the synthesis of photocatalytically active rutile TiO2 mesocrystals was developed. It was a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method involving titanium(III) chloride as the only reactant. The resulting 1D rutile nanowires could easily assemble into 3D hierarchical architectures without the help of surfactants or additives. The average aspect ratio for the nanowires was 267. The BET specific surface area of the mesocrystal was 16 m2/g. / Part I: Size-tunable monodispersed hierarchical metallic Ni nanocrystals (58-190 nm in diameter) were prepared by the reduction of Ni2+ with hexadecylamine under atmospheric pressure. The diameter of the particles could be tuned by simply changing the reaction time. A reaction mechanism was proposed and the relationships between the size, hierarchical surfaces and the magnetic properties were investigated. The as synthesized Ni crystals exhibited higher coercivities than the bulk metallic material owing to the reduced size and the hierarchical surface structure. The saturation magnetization (Ms) and the ratio of remanence to saturation (Mr/Ms) increased with increasing particle size. / Part II: A facile microwave-assisted solvothermal method was developed for the controlled synthesis of novel 3D CdS structures. Dendrite-, star-, popcorn- and hollow sphere-like CdS structures could be obtained by changing the reaction conditions including the reaction temperature and the amounts of reagents and solvents. The results revealed that the final structures were related to the solvent properties such as surface tension and viscosity. The degree of supersaturation was also responsible for the morphology variation and it could be adjusted by the reaction temperature. The CdS products with different morphologies exhibited interesting shape-dependent optical properties and photocatalytic activities. / The optical band energy of the product exhibited an obvious red-shift of 0.2 eV with aspect to that of pure rutile TiO2. This red-shift effect may be ascribed to the high aspect ratio of the rutile nanowires. The products showed excellent photocatalytic activity for NO removal in air and the activity was well maintained after three cycles. Gold modification on the rutile TiO2 resulted in a 50 % improvement in the photocatalytic performance. / This thesis focuses primarily on the preparation of various functional materials with controllable structures and properties. The first part describes the synthesis of materials by solvothermal methods. The second part describes the rapid fabrication of novel semiconductor materials by microwave-assisted methods. / Zhang, Dieqing. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-190). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:cuhk.edu.hk/oai:cuhk-dr:cuhk_344544 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Contributors | Zhang, Dieqing., Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School. Division of Life Sciences. |
| Source Sets | The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| Language | English, Chinese |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, theses |
| Format | electronic resource, microform, microfiche, 1 online resource (xxiv, 190 leaves : ill.) |
| Rights | Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
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