Browsing by Author "Clark, Chelsea"

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    Niobium Oxide Photocatalytically Oxidizes Ammonia in Water at Ambient Conditions
    (SciELO, 2024) Elias, Welman; Clark, Chelsea; Heck, Kimberly; Arredondo, Jacob; Wang, Bo; Toro, Andras; Kürtib, László; Wong, Michael; Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment
    Ammonia contamination in water is a significant environmental issue since it is toxic and leads to eutrophication. Photocatalysis has been investigated as a strategy for ammonia degradation but can potentially form toxic nitrite (NO2–) and nitrate (NO3–) byproducts. This work reports on the ability of niobium oxide (Nb2O5) to photocatalytically oxidize aqueous-phase ammonia (NH3). Whereas as-synthesized Nb2O5 showed little catalytic activity (< 1% NH3 conversion after 6 h of UV-C irradiation, at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and under O2 headspace), Nb2O5 treated in basic solution (OH-Nb2O5) was able to photocatalytically degrade NH3 at ca. 9% conversion after six hours, with ca. 70% selectivity to the desired N2, with a first-order rate constant of ca. 12 times higher than the as synthesize catalyst (1.6 × 10–3 min–1 vs. 2.0 × 10–2 min–1). Raman spectroscopic analysis indicated the presence of terminal Nb=O species after base treatment of Nb2O5, implicating them as catalytically active sites. These results underscore how a simple structural modification can significantly affect photocatalytic activity for aqueous ammonia oxidation.