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.com
Volume 6
Research & Reviews: Journal of Material Sciences
CrystalloPolySci 2018
November 19-20, 2018
4
th
International Conference on
Crystallography & Novel Materials
&
9
th
International Conference on
Biopolymers & Polymer Sciences
November 19-20, 2018 Bucharest, Romania
Composite nanostructures for VIS-active photocatalysts
Anca DUTA, Dana Perniu, Maria Covei and Cristina Bogatu
Transylvania University of Brasov, Romania
P
hoto-catalysis is a process that makes possible solving some critical environmental issues, as the pollutants removal at (very)
low concentrations fromwaters or air. The first photo-catalyst and one of the most efficient is TiO
2
(the anatase polymorph)
that is largely used and reported. However, anatase has one major drawback that limits its up-scaling which is activated only
by UV radiation, thus photo-catalysis runs only under this type of radiation. Vis-active photo-catalysts are therefore very
much searched and are developed based on several principles as, e.g. novel type of semiconductors, aqueous stable (which, so
far, are not too many) or composite structures of TiO
2
with p-type semiconductors, resembling the structure of an inverted
photovoltaic cell, as CuInS
2
(CIS) or Cu
2
ZnSnS
4
(CZTS) efficient in Vis radiation harvesting and stable in water. Composite
structures are reported also considering the TiO
2
or ZnOmatrix infiltrated with graphene, graphene oxide or reduced graphene
oxide. The photo-catalytic material can be used as dispersed powder (in wastewater for advanced treatment) but this has the
disadvantage of light scattering and the more complex treatment process involving the separation step of the (nanosized)
powder, therefore, thin films of photo-catalytic materials are recommended. The properties of the thin photo-catalytic films
obtained by Spray Pyrolysis Deposition (SPD) are presented and discussed in terms of process overall efficiency and efficiency
of the key steps such as pollutants’ adsorption and pollutants photo-degradation through oxidation up to mineralization with
a focus on the influence of the crystallinity of the composite structure.
Biography
Anca DUTA has completed her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1996 from the Polytechnica University of Bucharest, Romania. She is the Leader of the Advanced
Materials for Energy and Environment group in the R&D Centre Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling in the Transylvania University of Brasov, Romania. She
has published more than 150 papers out of which 122 papers in ISI journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute.
a.duta@unitbv.roAnca DUTA et al., Res. Rev. J Mat. Sci. 2018, Volume 6
DOI: 10.4172/2321-6212-C9-038