Carbon layers on Pt/TiO2 induced dramatic promotion of photocatalytic H2 production: a combined experimental and computation study

M Zhou and ST Xue and Q Feng and X Liang and WC Wu and YL Zhou and MM Ni and XD Zheng and S Xu and J Zhao and ZY Li, MATERIALS TODAY ENERGY, 34, 101294 (2023).

DOI: 10.1016/j.mtener.2023.101294

Noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs) modified semiconductors play important roles in heterogeneous catalysis. However, for the ultra-small NMNPs (<5 nm) on TiO2, the problems of easy agglomeration and quick deactivation highlight the need for highly efficient protection of ultra-small NMNPs. Here, we introduce a novel structure of carbonized liquid crystals (CLCs) protected Pt NPs on TiO2, which involves in-situ photo-reduction of chloroplatinic acid to ultra-small Pt NPs in lamellar liquid crystals. According to the results of morphological structures, CLCs changed the contact type of Pt/TiO2 from 'face-contact' to 'point- contact', which was consistent with our simulation results. Compared with the bare Pt/TiO2, the visible-light photocatalytic H2 production rate of C-Pt/TiO2 exhibited 1.75-fold enhancement under the protection of CLCs (26.73 mmol g-1 h-1 vs. 15.26 mmol g-1 h-1). Especially, the marriage of CLCs and the traditional Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst achieved long-term stability, which remained 87% of the original rate at the sixth cycle.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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