Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of New Nonmetallic Photocatalysts -- Resorcinol Formaldehyde Resin and Boron Carbon Oxynitride

This thesis describes the synthesis, characterization and applications of two kinds of nonmetallic photocatalysts: resorcinol formaldehyde (RF) resin and boron carbon oxynitride (BCNO).;Part I: Catalyst-free hydrothermal method was developed to synthesize RF resin. It started with a solution containing only resorcinol and formaldehyde. The products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) spectrometer and UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy.;The particle size (diameter: 100nm-4microm) of RF the spheres was controlled by changing the concentration of the reactants. With increasing particle size, visible light absorption of the product was also increased. These RF spheres could degrade Rhodamine B and generate OH radicals under visible light irradiation. Besides, highly concentrated starting reactants would form large macroporous gel instead of individual particles. This kind of gel could be easily shaped to dishes and tubes, which could be used in filtration and degradation of air pollutants.;Part II: The BCNO was prepared by heating a mixture of boric acid, melamine and PEG in atmosphere. The optical properties of the products were measured by UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy with integrating sphere. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that all BCNO compounds had the turbostratic boron nitride (t-BN) structure. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) were used to determine the chemical composition of the catalyst.;The BCNO could be identified as t-BN with N atoms partly substituted by O and C atoms. The degree of substitution affected its photocatalytic properties. Perdew--Burke--Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange model was introduced to simulate the density of state (DOS) of BCNO using these supercells. Simulation results indicated that C and O substitution induced occupied impurity states in the gap region which modified the band structure and optical properties of original BN. These modifications made BCNO a proper narrow band gap semiconductor for visible light driven H2 formation. A cyclic heating process was proposed to improve the crystallinity and uniformity of the products.