Photocatalytic structure and method for making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020238266-A1
Application number	US-201916380247-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 25, 2019
Publication date	Jul 30, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a photocatalytic structure. The photocatalytic structure includes a carbon nanotube structure, a photocatalytic active layer coated on the carbon nanotube structure, and a metal layer including a plurality of nanoparticles located on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer. The carbon nanotube structure comprises a plurality of intersected carbon nanotubes and defines a plurality of openings, and the photocatalytic active layer is coated on the surface of the plurality of carbon nanotubes. The metal layer includes a plurality of nanoparticles located on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A photocatalytic structure comprising:
a carbon nanotube structure; a photocatalytic active layer coated on the carbon nanotube structure; and a metal layer comprising a plurality of nanoparticles on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer; wherein the carbon nanotube structure comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes intersected with each other and defines a plurality of openings, and the photocatalytic active layer is coated on the surface of the plurality of carbon nanotubes.

2 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanotube structure comprises a first carbon nanotube film and a second nanotube film stacked and intersected with each other.

3 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 2 , wherein the first carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of first carbon nanotubes aligned along a first direction, the second carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of second carbon nanotubes aligned along a second direction, an angle is defined between the first direction and the second direction.

4 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 3 , wherein the angle between the first direction and the second direction is larger than 0 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees.

5 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanotube structure comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube films, carbon nanotubes of each of the plurality of carbon nanotube films are aligned along an alignment direction, and the plurality of carbon nanotube films are arranged so that none of the carbon nanotube films has a same alignment direction.

6 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises a plurality of nanoparticles on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer.

7 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, iron, nickel, aluminum, and alloy thereof.

8 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer covers an entire surface of the photocatalytic active layer.

9 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer covers part surface of the photocatalytic active layer.

10 . The photocatalytic structure of claim 1 , wherein the photocatalytic active layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, zirconium dioxide, and cadmium sulfide.

11 . A method for making a photocatalytic structure, the method comprising:
providing a carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes intersected with each other; a plurality of openings being defined by the plurality of carbon nanotubes; forming a photocatalytic active layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure; applying a metal layer pre-form on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer; and annealing the metal layer pre-form.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising arranging the photocatalytic structure on a substrate after annealing the metal layer pre-form.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz, silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, alumina, magnesia, iron, copper, titanium, chromium, aluminum, zinc, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethylsiloxane, and polyethylene naphthalate.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method of forming the photocatalytic active layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure comprises depositing a layer of titanium dioxide on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure by atomic layer deposition.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method of forming the photocatalytic active layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure comprises sputtering a titanium layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure, and obtaining titanium dioxide by oxidizing the titanium layer during the sputtering process.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method of annealing the metal layer pre-form is performed at an annealing temperature in a range from approximately 200° C. to approximately 1000° C., and for a time period in a range from approximately 10 minutes to approximately 6 hours.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method of applying the metal layer pre-form on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer is performed by electron beam evaporation, ion beam sputtering, atomic layer deposition, magnetron sputtering, thermal vapor deposition, or chemical vapor deposition.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein a thickness of the metal layer pre-form ranges from approximately 2 nanometers to approximately 100 nanometers.

Assignees

• Univ Tsinghua
• Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Ying-Cheng
• Jin Yuan-Hao
• Xiao xiao-yang
• Zhang tian-fu
• Li Qun-Qing
• Fan Shou-Shan

Classifications

• B01J35/395

  Thickness of the active catalytic layer · CPC title

• B01J2235/30

  Scanning electron microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy · CPC title

• B01J2235/00

  Indexing scheme associated with group B01J35/00, related to the analysis techniques used to determine the catalysts form or properties · CPC title

• B01J35/45

  Nanoparticles · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title