TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen production
T2 - A systematic approach to improving g-C3N4/TiO2 nano-composites
AU - Shahpal, Amen
AU - Strunk, Jennifer
AU - Khare, Rachit
AU - Lercher, Johannes A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - Aqueous-phase photocatalytic oxidation of isopropanol (IPA) leads to effective H2 evolution and simultaneous formation of acetone with high selectivity on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-coated TiO2 hybrid photocatalysts (denoted as CT). These hybrid photocatalysts were synthesized using a simple, efficient, and scalable ultrasonication strategy. Under optimized conditions, the Pt-decorated hybrid photocatalyst with ∼0.5 wt% Pt loading and ∼2 wt% g-C3N4 loading exhibited high photocatalytic activity for H2 formation (∼17 µmolH₂ gcat–1 s–1). The photoactivity of the hybrid photocatalyst was nearly three-fold that of the parent Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst (∼5.4 µmolH₂ gcat–1 s–1) under similar reaction conditions. The improved photoactivity of the Pt/CT nano-composite material is attributed to (i) increased photon absorption due to modified optical properties and (ii) suppressed electron-hole recombination rates owing to the hybrid band structure. The H2 generated predominantly results from water splitting, with only minor contributions from IPA dehydrogenation to acetone or its photoreforming to CO2. The capture of photo-generated holes by the adsorbed IPA enhances the overall photon efficiency towards water splitting.
AB - Aqueous-phase photocatalytic oxidation of isopropanol (IPA) leads to effective H2 evolution and simultaneous formation of acetone with high selectivity on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-coated TiO2 hybrid photocatalysts (denoted as CT). These hybrid photocatalysts were synthesized using a simple, efficient, and scalable ultrasonication strategy. Under optimized conditions, the Pt-decorated hybrid photocatalyst with ∼0.5 wt% Pt loading and ∼2 wt% g-C3N4 loading exhibited high photocatalytic activity for H2 formation (∼17 µmolH₂ gcat–1 s–1). The photoactivity of the hybrid photocatalyst was nearly three-fold that of the parent Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst (∼5.4 µmolH₂ gcat–1 s–1) under similar reaction conditions. The improved photoactivity of the Pt/CT nano-composite material is attributed to (i) increased photon absorption due to modified optical properties and (ii) suppressed electron-hole recombination rates owing to the hybrid band structure. The H2 generated predominantly results from water splitting, with only minor contributions from IPA dehydrogenation to acetone or its photoreforming to CO2. The capture of photo-generated holes by the adsorbed IPA enhances the overall photon efficiency towards water splitting.
KW - Graphitic carbon nitride
KW - Green hydrogen
KW - Isopropanol photo-oxidation
KW - Photocatalysis
KW - Titanium (IV) oxide
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85210773215&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jece.2024.114803
DO - 10.1016/j.jece.2024.114803
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85210773215
SN - 2213-3437
VL - 12
JO - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
JF - Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
IS - 6
M1 - 114803
ER -