Niobium Oxide Photocatalytically Oxidizes Ammonia in Water at Ambient Conditions

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dc.citation.issueNumber4
dc.citation.journalTitleJournal of the Brazilian Chemical Society
dc.citation.volumeNumber35
dc.contributor.authorElias, Welman
dc.contributor.authorClark, Chelsea
dc.contributor.authorHeck, Kimberly
dc.contributor.authorArredondo, Jacob
dc.contributor.authorWang, Bo
dc.contributor.authorToro, Andras
dc.contributor.authorKürtib, László
dc.contributor.authorWong, Michael
dc.contributor.orgNanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-03T15:51:02Z
dc.date.available2024-05-03T15:51:02Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractAmmonia 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.
dc.identifier.citationElias, W. C., Clark, C. A., Heck, K. N., Arredondo, J. H., Wang, B., Toro, A., Kürti, L., & Wong, M. S. (2024). Niobium Oxide Photocatalytically Oxidizes Ammonia in Water at Ambient Conditions. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, 35, https://doi.org/10.21577/0103-5053.20230163
dc.identifier.digitalNiobiumOxide
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.21577/0103-5053.20230163
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/115512
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherSciELO
dc.rightsExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.titleNiobium Oxide Photocatalytically Oxidizes Ammonia in Water at Ambient Conditions
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.publicationpublisher version
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