A Cu+1/Cu0-TiO2 mesoporous nanocomposite exhibits improved H2 production from H2O under direct solar irradiation
2017
Rather, Rayees Ahmad | Singh, Satnam | Pal, Bonamali
A photostable sunlight-responsive mesoporous Cu⁺¹/Cu⁰–TiO2 (Cu-mpTiO2) photocatalyst has been fabricated for the H2 production from water. Structural analysis revealed the anatase polymorph of TiO2 with mesoporous characteristics and an average particle size of ∼32nm. Mesoporous TiO2 was observed to possess high surface area (188m²g⁻¹) and pore size (0.32nm). HRTEM studies suggested the deposition of Cu in Cu⁰ and Cu⁺¹ oxidation states with three distinct lattice fringes of 0.21, 0.25, and 0.35nm for Cu, Cu2O, and TiO2 respectively. Cu-mpTiO2 produced 1000μmol of H2 (AQE=11.39%) under sunlight irradiation, which is severalfold more than obtained with Cu impregnated on commercial Cu–TiO2 (P25). The photostability of the Cu–mpTiO2 increased after recycling because the excess Cu⁺¹ (binding energy=533.5eV) is reduced to Cu⁰ (533.3eV) and the excess holes in the valance band of Cu2O oxidize Cu⁰ to Cu⁺¹.
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