Abstract Metallic-semiconducting Ta3B2@Ta2O5 heterostructure with enhanced photocatalytic activity have been prepared by in-situ solid state reaction, using Ta2O5 and NaBH4 powders. As-prepared Ta3B2@Ta2O5 products were characterized by XRD, FESEM, HRTEM, EDS, XPS and UV–vis absorption. The results showed that (2 1 0) crystal surface of Ta3B2 have tightly combined with (0 0 1) crystal surface of Ta2O5 to form a core-hell heterostructure. From the photocatalytic activity test, there is about 80% of methylene blue (MB) being photodegraded in 180 min over Ta3B2@Ta2O5, which is about two times higher than that of pure Ta2O5 commercial powder ~38%. It is worthy pointing out that the enhanced photocatalytic activities originate from the metallic layer of interface and Ta3B2 nanodots. This special construction could accelerate electron mobility, increase visible light harvesting and enhance electron-hole separation ratio. Therefore, the Ta3B2@Ta2O5 heterostructure as a promising photocatalyst should have potential applications in removal of environmental pollution.

中文翻译：

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通过用 Ta3B2 纳米点装饰的表面修饰 Ta2O5 的电子结构以增强光催化活性

摘要 利用 Ta2O5 和 NaBH4 粉末通过原位固相反应制备了具有增强光催化活性的金属半导体 Ta3B2@Ta2O5 异质结构。制备的 Ta3B2@Ta2O5 产品通过 XRD、FESEM、HRTEM、EDS、XPS 和 UV-vis 吸收进行表征。结果表明，Ta3B2的(2 1 0)晶面与Ta2O5的(0 0 1)晶面紧密结合，形成核-地狱异质结构。从光催化活性测试来看，在 180 分钟内，约 80% 的亚甲蓝 (MB) 在 Ta3B2@Ta2O5 上被光降解，比纯 Ta2O5 商业粉末高约 2 倍~38%。值得指出的是，增强的光催化活性源于界面的金属层和 Ta3B2 纳米点。这种特殊的结构可以加速电子迁移，增加可见光收集并提高电子空穴分离率。因此，Ta3B2@Ta2O5异质结构作为一种有前景的光催化剂在去除环境污染方面应该具有潜在的应用价值。