Abstract

Mesoporous nanostructured pure tantalum pentoxide and Eudoped Ta2O5 were produced by facile and reproducible one-pot procedure not involving structure directing agents. The asproduced material is poorly crystalline and catalytically inactive. Photoluminescence behavior of the doped oxide indicates that it is formed by quick nucleation of pure Ta2O5, leaving the Eudopant only on the surface of the formed material. Further thermal treatment leads to crystallization and structural transformation as revealed by in situ X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement used to identify and quantify the emerging phases as well as Diffuse Reflectance UV-vis Spectroscopy (DRUV-Vis) and Raman Spectroscopy studies. The thermally induced transformation results in generation of surface oxygen vacancies that provide the material with pronounced photocatalytic activity in selective oxidation of aromatic amine compounds. The processes of generation and curing of the vacancies have been followed and quantified by temperature programmed oxidation and reduction and photoluminescence studies, offering in depth insight into the reaction mechanism.

Published in

ChemistrySelect
2017, Volume: 2, number: 1, pages: 421-427
Publisher: WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

SLU Authors

• Seisenbaeva, Gulaim

  • The Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kessler, Vadim

  • The Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Nano-technology
Physical Chemistry
Materials Chemistry


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201601695

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/83349