• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.146-151
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• 2021

Pure and Sm ion doped BiVO₄ catalysts were synthesized using a conventional hydrothermal method and characterized by XRD, DRS, SEM, and PL. We also examined the activity of these materials on the photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The doping of Sm ion into BiVO₄ catalyst changed the ms-BiVO₄ crystal structure into the tz-BiVO₄ crystal structure in the low synthesis temperature. Light absorption analysis using DRS showed that all the catalysts displayed strong absorption in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum regardless of Sm ion doping. In addition, an amorphous morphology was shown in the pure BiVO₄ catalyst, but the morphology of the BiVO₄ catalyst doped with Sm ion was changed into an ellipse shape and also the particle size decreased. In the photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B, Sm ion doped BiVO₄ catalyst showed higher photocatalytic activity than the pure BiVO₄ catalyst. In addition, the Sm3-BVO catalyst doped with 3% Sm ion showed the highest photocatalytic activity, as well as the highest formation rate of OH radicals (•OH) and the highest PL peak. This result suggests that the formation rate of OH radicals produced in the interface between the photocatalyst and water is well correlated with the photocatalytic activity.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2019

$Bi_2MoO_6$ catalysts were successfully synthesized using ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME), glycerol (GL), ethylene glycol (EG), and water as solvents by a conventional hydrothermal method. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by XRD, DRS, BET, SEM, and PL, and we also investigated the photocatalytic activity of these materials for the decomposition of Rhodamin B under visible light irradiation. The XRD results revealed the successful synthesis of 12-18 nm, well-crystallized ${\gamma}-Bi_2MoO_6$ crystals with an Aurivillius structure regardless of solvent. In addition, the $Bi_2MoO_6$ catalysts prepared below $140^{\circ}C$ showed an amorphous phase; however, those prepared above $160^{\circ}C$ showed well-crystallized ${\gamma}-Bi_2MoO_6$ crystals. All the catalysts have a similar absorption spectrum from the ultraviolet region up to the visible region less than 470 nm. This result suggests that all the $Bi_2MoO_6$ catalysts are potential visible-light-driven photocatalysts. The $Bi_2MoO_6$ catalysts prepared using EGME as a solvent showed the highest photocatalytic activity. In addition, the $Bi_2MoO_6$ catalysts prepared at $180^{\circ}C$ showed the highest photocatalytic activity. The PL peaks appeared at about 560 nm at all catalysts and the excitonic PL signal was proportional to the photocatalytic activity for the decomposition of Rhodamin B. This suggests that the stronger the PL intensity, the larger the amount of oxygen vacancies and defects, and the higher the photocatalytic activity.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.311-320
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• 2020

In this study, the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) was carried out under visible light irradiation using CdS and CdZnS/ZnO photocatalysts prepared by a simple precipitation method. This study focused on examining the effect of physicochemical properties of dye and photocatalyst on the reaction pathway of photocatalytic degradation. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, UV-vis DRS and XPS. Both the CdS and CdZnS/ZnO photocatalysts exhibit an excellent absorption in the visible light and the UV light regions. It was observed that the photocatalytic degradation of MO proceeds via the same reaction mechanism on both the CdS and CdZnS/ZnO photocatalysts. However, the photocatalytic degradation of RhB and MB was found to proceed through a different reaction pathway on the CdS and CdZnS/ZnO catalysts. It is interesting to note that MB dimer was formed on the CdS catalyst at the beginning of the photocatalytic reaction, while the MB monomer was degraded during the overall photocatalytic reaction on CdZnS/ZnO. The above results may be mainly ascribed to the difference of band edge potential of the conduction band in the CdS and CdZnS/ZnO semiconductors and the adsorption property of dye on the catalysts.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.356-361
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• 2015

$Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S/ZnO$ composite photocatalysts were synthesized using the precipitation method and characterized by XRD, UV-vis DRS, PL and FE-SEM. Photocatalytic activities of the materials were evaluated by measuring the degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. Contrary to ZnO, $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S/ZnO$ materials absorb visible light as well as UV and their absorption intensities in visible region increased with increasing the $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S$ amount. The increment in the $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S$ content in $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S/ZnO$ also leads to reducing the particle size and consequently increasing the specific surface area. $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S/ZnO$ materials with the larger $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S$ content showed the higher activity in the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. Therefore, the heterojunction effect between $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S$ and ZnO as well as the adsorption capacity seems to give important contributions to the photocatalytic activity of the $Cd_{0.5}Zn_{0.5}S/ZnO$.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.955-960
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• 2015

A colorimetric chemosensors $Sn^{2+}$ have been designed and synthesized by three steps. The spirolactam ring-opening process of rhodamine B is one of the most useful mechanisms for controlling fluorescence properties. Herein, new fluorescent chemosensors 1 and 2 based on rhodamine B containing phenothiazine derivertive were synthesized. They exhibit selective fluorescence enhancement behaviour in the presence of $Sn^{2+}$ ion. Complexation between these compounds and the metal cations were confirmed through continuous variation method. It is observed that compounds 1, 2, and $Sn^{2+}$ ion are complexed by 1:1 formation. Especially the proposed compounds 1 and 2 exhibit quick, simple and facile synthetic route.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.534-541
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• 2014

This study investigated a method to determine an efficient operating condition for the $UV/H_2O_2$ process. The OH radical scavenging factor is the most important factor to predict the removal efficiency of the target compound and determine the operating condition of the $UV/H_2O_2$ process. To rapidly and simply measure the scavenging factor, Rhodamine B (RhB) was selected as a probe compound. Its reliability was verified by comparing it with a typical probe compound (para-chlorobenzoic acid, pCBA); the difference between RhB and pCBA was only 1.1%. In a prediction test for the removal of Ibuprofen, the RhB method also shows a high reliability with an error rate of about 5% between the experimental result and the model prediction using the measured scavenging factor. In the monitoring result, the scavenging factor in the influent water of the $UV/H_2O_2$ pilot plant was changed up to 200% for about 8 months, suggesting that the required UV dose could be increased about 1.7 times to achieve 90% caffeine removal. These results show the importance of the scavenging factor measurement in the $UV/H_2O_2$ process, and the operating condition could simply be determined from the scavenging factor, absorbance, and information pertaining to the target compound.

• Clean Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2015

Rhodamine dyes are widely used as fluorescent probes because of their excellent photophysical properties, such as high extinction coefficients, excellent quantum yields, great photostability, relatively long emission wavelengths. A great synthetic effort has been focused on developing efficient and practical procedures to prepare rhodamine derivatives, because for most applications the probe must be covalently linked to another (bio)molecule or surface. Sulforhodamine B is one of the most used rhodamine dyes for this purpose, because it carries two sulfoxy functions which can be easily utilized for binding with other molecules. Recently, we needed an expedient, practical synthesis of sulforhodamine derivatives. We found the existing procedure for obtaining those compounds unsatisfactory, particularly, with the cyclization process of the dihydroxytriarylmethane (1) to produce the corresponding xanthene derivative (2). We report here our findings, which represent modification of the existing literature procedure and provide access to the corresponding xanthene derivative (2) in a high yield. Use of methanol as a co-solvent was found quite effective to prohibit the water molecule produced during the cyclization reaction from retro-cyclizing back to the starting dihydroxytriarylmethane and the yield of the cyclization was increased (up to 84% from less than 20%). The reaction temperature was significantly lowered (80 vs. 135 ℃). Thus, the reaction proceeds in a higher yield and energy-saving manner where the use of reactants and the production of chemical wastes is minimized.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.731-736
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• 2015

Rhodamine B (RhB) was utilized as a dye sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and its photovoltaic property was examined under the illumination of AM 1.5 G, $100mWcm^{-2}$. DSSCs based on RhB exhibited typical photovoltaic properties with an open-circuit voltage ($V_{OC}$) of 0.34 V, a short-circuit current ($J_{SC}$) of $1.55mA{\cdot}cm^{-2}$, a fill factor (FF) of 50%, and a conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.26%. In order to further improve the photovoltaic properties of RhB-based DSSCs, the effect of (i) incorporating a strong electron-donating NCS unit into the RhB molecular backbone, (ii) combining a bis-negatively charged zinc complex anion ($Zn-dmit_2$, dmit=di-mercapto-dithiol-thione) with the amine cation of RhB, (iii) co-adsorbing RhB dyes with chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) molecules onto porous $TiO_2$ electrodes, was investigated and discussed.

• Clean Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2019

CdS and CdZnS/ZnO materials were prepared using precipitation method and used as photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. The prepared photocatalysts were also characterized by XRD and UV-vis DRS. The results indicated that the photocatalysts with intended crystalline structures were successfully obtained and both the CdS and CdZnS/ZnO can absorb visible light as well as UV. The photocatalytic activities were examined with the addition of scavenger for various active chemical species and the difference of reaction mechanisms over the catalysts were discussed. The $CH_3OH$, KI and p-benzoquinone were used as scavengers for ${\cdot}OH$ radical, photogenerated positive hole and ${\cdot}O_2{^-}$ radical, respectively. The CdS and CdZnS/ZnO showed different photocatalytic degradation mechanisms of RhB. It can be postulated that ${\cdot}O_2{^-}$ radical is the main active species for the reaction over CdS photocatalyst, while the photogenerated positive hole for CdZnS/ZnO photocatalyst. As a result, the predominant reaction pathways over CdS and CdZnS/ZnO photocatalysts were found to be the dealkylation of chromophore skeleton and the cleavage of the conjugated chromophore structure, respectively. The above results may be mainly ascribed to the difference of band edge potential of conduction and valence bands in CdS, CdZnS and ZnO semiconductors and the redox potentials for formation of active chemical species.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.655-662
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• 2017

Sulfide photocatalysts, CdS and CdZnS, were synthesized using a simple precipitation method and their photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The effects of four inorganic salt additives, KCl, NaCl, $K_3PO_4$, and $Na_3PO_4$, on the photocatalytic reaction were examined and the role of $K^+$, $Na^+$, $Cl^-$ and $PO_4{^{3-}}$ ions during photocatalytic reaction was discussed. The added inorganic salts were shown to have a remarkable effect on the photocatalytic reaction. It was also found that the anions in inorganic salts have a much more profound effect on the reaction rate, as compared to the cations. Under the present experimental conditions, $PO_4{^{3-}}$ revealed a significant inhibitory effect on the degradation rate whereas $Cl^-$ enhanced the rate slightly. This work pointed out that the consideration of additive effects is needed in the photocatalytic reaction for wastewater treatment.