Self-assembled hierarchical Bi12TiO20-graphene nanoarchitectures with excellent simulated sunlight photocatalytic activity.

A series of hierarchical Bi12TiO20-graphene nanoarchitectures (Bi12TiO20-GR) with GR loadings from 1% to 10% are fabricated by a single-step solvothermal treatment technique, and the intimate interfacial contact between flexible GR sheets and flower-like Bi12TiO20 nanocrystals is observed in the Bi12TiO20-GR composites. As a novel composite photocatalyst, Bi12TiO20-GR with GR loading of 2% possesses the highest simulated sunlight photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of two typical organic pollutants, methyl orange (MO) and p-nitrophenol (PNP). Furthermore, the separation and transportation of the photogenerated carriers in the simulated sunlight-irradiating Bi12TiO20-GR system is studied, meanwhile, the active species (hVB(+), O2˙(-) and ˙OH) generated in the Bi12TiO20-GR-photocatalyzed PNP degradation system are identified by free radical and hole scavenging experiments. Based on the experimental and theoretical results, the mechanism and pathway of photocatalytic degradation of PNP in the simulated sunlight-irradiating Bi12TiO20-GR system are proposed.

Survey data on household electricity consumption and living status in Northwestern China.

Based on 1128 survey questionnaires, main information on urban and rural household electricity consumption was obtained. Original data included household income, the price of electricity, all kinds of electrical appliances, purchase price of main appliances, household size, electricity consumption, as well as power, daily use time of electrical appliances in this data article. These data fully reflected behavior, preferences and living pattern of sample households in electricity use and provided the basis for analyzing the relationship between household electricity consumption and the quality of life ("Does electricity consumption improve residential living status in less developed regions? An empirical analysis using the quantile regression approach" [1]).

Simulated sunlight photocatalytic degradation of aqueous p-nitrophenol and bisphenol A in a Pt/BiOBr film-coated quartz fiber photoreactor.

Pt/BiOBr film-coated quartz fiber bundles were prepared by dip-coating combined with photodeposition, and their phase and chemical structures, electronic and optical properties, textural properties as well as morphologies were well-characterized. The simulated sunlight photocatalytic performance including activity and stability of the as-prepared Pt/BiOBr film was evaluated in a self-made quartz fiber photoreactor by selecting two typical light-insensitive organic pollutants, p-nitrophenol (PNP) and bisphenol A (BPA), as the target compounds. Since the quartz fiber bundles served as both the support for Pt/BiOBr films and the medium of light propagation, Pt/BiOBr film-coated quartz fiber bundles exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity due to their enhanced light harvesting ability. In addition, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Pt/BiOBr film is explained based on the results of photoelectrochemistry and free radical and hole scavenging experiments.