Chapter 7
Applications Perspectives
of Nanodispersed Chalcogenides
of Transition Metals in Photocatalysis
Iryna Ivanenko, Tetiana Dontsova, and Yurii Fedenko
7.1 General
7.1.1 Introduction
The scientific-technical progress of modern world requires more careful attention
to environmental protection and rational appliance of mineral and energy resources.
Modern chemical industry has need, first and foremost, for modern, economically
justified and technologically simple methods for purification of industrial water and
waste gases. One of the most promising ways of solving the afore-mentioned problems is the application of photocatalysis, based on highly effective photocatalysts.
Photocatalytic reactions can occur at room or lower temperature with visible
light. It allows using the sun’s energy for carrying out useful processes. Most
processes occur using heterogeneous photocatalysts, which are semiconductors.
Titanium (IV) oxide is frequently used due to its high catalytic activity, high
chemical stability, low cost, and absence of toxicity. However, photocatalysis with
application of titanium (IV) oxide has a number of significant disadvantages. The
width of bandgap of titanium (IV) oxide is ∼3.2 eV, i.e., light absorption by
titanium (IV) oxide is in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, because the efficiency of
photocatalysts with visible light is less than 10%. Quantum yield of photoconversion
that is not very high is also observed, due to the high level of recombination of
charge carriers, low specific surface, and also low absorbability of µiO 2 .
I. Ivanenko () · T. Dontsova · Y. Fedenko
Department of Inorganic Substances Technology, Water Treatment and General Chemical
Engineering, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic
Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
e-mail: dontsova@xtf.kpi.ua
© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
O. Fesenko, L. Yatsenko (eds.), Nanochemistry, Biotechnology, Nanomaterials,
and Their Applications, Springer Proceedings in Physics 214,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92567-7_7
99
Applications Perspectives
of Nanodispersed Chalcogenides
of Transition Metals in Photocatalysis
Iryna Ivanenko, Tetiana Dontsova, and Yurii Fedenko
7.1 General
7.1.1 Introduction
The scientific-technical progress of modern world requires more careful attention
to environmental protection and rational appliance of mineral and energy resources.
Modern chemical industry has need, first and foremost, for modern, economically
justified and technologically simple methods for purification of industrial water and
waste gases. One of the most promising ways of solving the afore-mentioned problems is the application of photocatalysis, based on highly effective photocatalysts.
Photocatalytic reactions can occur at room or lower temperature with visible
light. It allows using the sun’s energy for carrying out useful processes. Most
processes occur using heterogeneous photocatalysts, which are semiconductors.
Titanium (IV) oxide is frequently used due to its high catalytic activity, high
chemical stability, low cost, and absence of toxicity. However, photocatalysis with
application of titanium (IV) oxide has a number of significant disadvantages. The
width of bandgap of titanium (IV) oxide is ∼3.2 eV, i.e., light absorption by
titanium (IV) oxide is in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum, because the efficiency of
photocatalysts with visible light is less than 10%. Quantum yield of photoconversion
that is not very high is also observed, due to the high level of recombination of
charge carriers, low specific surface, and also low absorbability of µiO 2 .
I. Ivanenko () · T. Dontsova · Y. Fedenko
Department of Inorganic Substances Technology, Water Treatment and General Chemical
Engineering, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic
Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine
e-mail: dontsova@xtf.kpi.ua
© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
O. Fesenko, L. Yatsenko (eds.), Nanochemistry, Biotechnology, Nanomaterials,
and Their Applications, Springer Proceedings in Physics 214,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92567-7_7
99