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Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2023, 12(8): 1577-1592 https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220773
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 14 August 2023

Oxygen vacancy self-doped single crystal-like TiO2 nanotube arrays for efficient light-driven methane non-oxidative coupling

Show Author's Information Jinbo Xuea,b( ),  Jinyu Lia,b,  Zhe Suna,b,  Huimin Lia,b,  Huan Changa,b,  Xuguang Liua,b,  Husheng Jiaa,b,c,  Qi Lid,  Qianqian Shena,b( )
Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan 030032, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Keywords:
preferential orientation, TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs), oxygen vacancies (VO), photocatalytic non-oxidative coupling of methane (PNOCM)
Cite this article:
Xue J, Li J, Sun Z, et al. Oxygen vacancy self-doped single crystal-like TiO2 nanotube arrays for efficient light-driven methane non-oxidative coupling. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2023, 12(8): 1577-1592. https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220773
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

Photocatalytic non-oxidative coupling of methane (PNOCM) is a mild and cost-effective method for the production of multicarbon compounds. However, the separation of photogenerated charges and activation of methane (CH4) are the main challenges for this reaction. Here, single crystal-like TiO2 nanotubes (VO-p-TNTs) with oxygen vacancies (VO) and preferential orientation were prepared and applied to PNOCM. The results demonstrate that the significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance is mainly related to the strong synergistic effect between preferential orientation and VO. The preferential orientation of VO-p-TNT along the [001] direction reduces the formation of complex centers at grain boundaries as the form of interfacial states and potential barriers, which improves the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Meanwhile, VO provides abundant coordination unsaturated sites for CH4 chemisorption and also acts as electron traps to hinder the recombination of electrons and holes, establishing an effective electron transfer channel between the adsorbed CH4 molecule and photocatalyst, thus weakening the C–H bond. In addition, the introduction of VO broadens the light absorption range. As a result, VO-p-TNT exhibits excellent PNOCM performance and provides new insights into catalyst design for CH4 conversion.


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About this article

Oxygen vacancy self-doped single crystal-like TiO2 nanotube arrays for efficient light-driven methane non-oxidative coupling

Show Author's information Jinbo Xuea,b( ), Jinyu Lia,b, Zhe Suna,b, Huimin Lia,b, Huan Changa,b, Xuguang Liua,b, Husheng Jiaa,b,c, Qi Lid, Qianqian Shena,b( )
Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan 030032, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China

Abstract

Photocatalytic non-oxidative coupling of methane (PNOCM) is a mild and cost-effective method for the production of multicarbon compounds. However, the separation of photogenerated charges and activation of methane (CH4) are the main challenges for this reaction. Here, single crystal-like TiO2 nanotubes (VO-p-TNTs) with oxygen vacancies (VO) and preferential orientation were prepared and applied to PNOCM. The results demonstrate that the significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance is mainly related to the strong synergistic effect between preferential orientation and VO. The preferential orientation of VO-p-TNT along the [001] direction reduces the formation of complex centers at grain boundaries as the form of interfacial states and potential barriers, which improves the separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. Meanwhile, VO provides abundant coordination unsaturated sites for CH4 chemisorption and also acts as electron traps to hinder the recombination of electrons and holes, establishing an effective electron transfer channel between the adsorbed CH4 molecule and photocatalyst, thus weakening the C–H bond. In addition, the introduction of VO broadens the light absorption range. As a result, VO-p-TNT exhibits excellent PNOCM performance and provides new insights into catalyst design for CH4 conversion.

Keywords: preferential orientation, TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs), oxygen vacancies (VO), photocatalytic non-oxidative coupling of methane (PNOCM)

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Received: 02 March 2023
Revised: 27 April 2023
Accepted: 25 May 2023
Published: 14 August 2023
Issue date: August 2023

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© The Author(s) 2023.

Acknowledgements

The financial support was gratefully acknowledged from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62004137, 21878257, and 21978196), Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 20210302123102), Key Research and Development Program of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 201803D421079), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (Grant No. 2019L0156), Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering (Grant No. 2022SX-TD002), and Research Project Supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (Grant No. 2020-050).

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