Analysis of the whole process for the photocatalytic conversion of ethylene: A possible synthesis strategy and route

It is worth investigating the reduction of ethylene emission and the conversion of ethylene into two- or multicarbon organic compounds by photocatalysis. In this work, a Z-scheme photocatalytic film of TaON/Ta3N5/ WO3/Ni foam was successfully prepared. The photocatalytic activity of TaON/Ta3N5/WO3/Ni foam was evaluated by catalyzing the conversion of ethylene under simulated sunlight irradiation. The TaON/Ta3N5 and WO3 with a mass ratio of 2:8 loaded on Ni foam (TWN-2/8) demonstrated excellent photocatalytic performance. The conversion efficiency and reaction rate for ethylene over TWN-2/8 were 8.9 and 15.3 times higher than those of pure WO3/Ni foam, respectively. Compared to TaON/Ta3N5/Ni foam and WO3/Ni foam, the significantly improved photocatalytic activity of TWN-2/8 was attributed to higher carrier separation efficiency and lower charge transfer resistance, as well as stronger redox ability. A highly selective potential conversion pathway was proposed for the synthesis of ethanol, acetaldehyde and acetic acid from ethylene at different reaction times.