title: Synthesis of indium borate and its application in photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol.
abstract: Indium borate has been prepared by a sol-gel method. The structure, morphology, and photophysics of the resultant photocatalysts have been studied via the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and diffuse reflectance UV-visible light spectroscopy. These photocatalysts have been used to photodegrade 4-chlorophenol. The photocatalytic activity depends on the annealing temperature during preparation. It is found that borates can exhibit a high photodegradation activity under UV-light irradiation, for which the efficiency can be higher than that of as-prepared TiO(2). This is explained according to the results of fluorescence spectra and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is confirmed by the results of time-resolved photoluminescence decay spectra; i.e., the lifetime of electrons and holes involved in the radiative process can be longer for the borates than that for TiO(2). This implies that indium borate can be a promising photocatalyst for future applications in treatment of environment contaminants.
authors.affiliation: College of Physics and Teda Applied Physics School, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
authors.forename: Jixiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jianghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yaan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D001881:Borates / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002384:Catalysis; D002733:Chlorophenols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D007204:Indium / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D010782:Photolysis; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D001881:Borates; D002733:Chlorophenols; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D007204:Indium; C029107:4-chlorophenol