Enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen production: A systematic approach to improving g-C3N4/TiO2 nano-composites

Amen Shahpal, Jennifer Strunk, Rachit Khare, Johannes A. Lercher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number114803
JournalJournal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume12
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Graphitic carbon nitride
  • Green hydrogen
  • Isopropanol photo-oxidation
  • Photocatalysis
  • Titanium (IV) oxide

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