{"title":"Co-introduction of oxygen vacancies and cocatalysts into protonic titanate derived TiO2 nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production","authors":"Xiao Liu, Shuo Li, Liangliang Li, Gang Cheng","doi":"10.1007/s42823-024-00731-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Photocatalytically splitting water into hydrogen upon semiconductors has tremendous potential for alleviating environmental and energy crisis issues. There is increasing attention on improving solar light utilization and engineering photogenerated charge transfer of TiO<sub>2</sub> photocatalyst because it has advantages of low cost, non-toxicity, and high chemical stability. Herein, oxygen vacancies and cocatalysts (Cu and MoS<sub>2</sub>) were simultaneously introduced into TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles from protonic titanate by a one-pot solvothermal method. The composition and structure characterization confirmed that the pristine TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticle was rich in oxygen vacancies. The photocatalytic performances of the composites were evaluated by solar-to-hydrogen evolution test. The results revealed that both Cu-TiO<sub>2</sub> and MoS<sub>2</sub>-TiO<sub>2</sub> could improve the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution ability. Among them, 0.8% Cu-TiO<sub>2</sub> showed the best hydrogen evolution rate of 7245.01 μmol·g<sup>−1</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>, which was 3.57 and 1.34 times of 1.25% MoS<sub>2</sub>-TiO<sub>2</sub> (2726.22 μmol·g<sup>−1</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>) and pristine TiO<sub>2</sub> material (2028.46 μmol·g<sup>−1</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>), respectively. These two kinds of composites also had good stability for hydrogen evolution. Combined with the results of photocurrent density and electrochemical impedance spectra, the incorporation of oxygen vacancies and cocatalysts (Cu and MoS<sub>2</sub>) could not only enhance the light-harvesting of TiO<sub>2</sub> but also improve the separation and transfer capabilities of light-induced charge carriers, thus promoting water splitting to hydrogen.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":506,"journal":{"name":"Carbon Letters","volume":"34 6","pages":"1765 - 1778"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Carbon Letters","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42823-024-00731-3","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Photocatalytically splitting water into hydrogen upon semiconductors has tremendous potential for alleviating environmental and energy crisis issues. There is increasing attention on improving solar light utilization and engineering photogenerated charge transfer of TiO2 photocatalyst because it has advantages of low cost, non-toxicity, and high chemical stability. Herein, oxygen vacancies and cocatalysts (Cu and MoS2) were simultaneously introduced into TiO2 nanoparticles from protonic titanate by a one-pot solvothermal method. The composition and structure characterization confirmed that the pristine TiO2 nanoparticle was rich in oxygen vacancies. The photocatalytic performances of the composites were evaluated by solar-to-hydrogen evolution test. The results revealed that both Cu-TiO2 and MoS2-TiO2 could improve the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution ability. Among them, 0.8% Cu-TiO2 showed the best hydrogen evolution rate of 7245.01 μmol·g−1·h−1, which was 3.57 and 1.34 times of 1.25% MoS2-TiO2 (2726.22 μmol·g−1·h−1) and pristine TiO2 material (2028.46 μmol·g−1·h−1), respectively. These two kinds of composites also had good stability for hydrogen evolution. Combined with the results of photocurrent density and electrochemical impedance spectra, the incorporation of oxygen vacancies and cocatalysts (Cu and MoS2) could not only enhance the light-harvesting of TiO2 but also improve the separation and transfer capabilities of light-induced charge carriers, thus promoting water splitting to hydrogen.
期刊介绍:
Carbon Letters aims to be a comprehensive journal with complete coverage of carbon materials and carbon-rich molecules. These materials range from, but are not limited to, diamond and graphite through chars, semicokes, mesophase substances, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphenes, carbon blacks, activated carbons, pyrolytic carbons, glass-like carbons, etc. Papers on the secondary production of new carbon and composite materials from the above mentioned various carbons are within the scope of the journal. Papers on organic substances, including coals, will be considered only if the research has close relation to the resulting carbon materials. Carbon Letters also seeks to keep abreast of new developments in their specialist fields and to unite in finding alternative energy solutions to current issues such as the greenhouse effect and the depletion of the ozone layer. The renewable energy basics, energy storage and conversion, solar energy, wind energy, water energy, nuclear energy, biomass energy, hydrogen production technology, and other clean energy technologies are also within the scope of the journal. Carbon Letters invites original reports of fundamental research in all branches of the theory and practice of carbon science and technology.