Titanate nanotubes coupled with Pt nanoparticles for the inhibition of CdS photocorrosion during visible-light-driven hydrogen production from formic acid
Journal
Materials Research Express
Journal Volume
5
Journal Issue
9
Pages
-
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Abstract
The photocatalytic performances of composites formed from Pt, CdS, and titanate nanotubes (TNTs) were examined for hydrogen production from an aqueous solution containing 10 vol% formic acid under visible light irradiation. Experimental results showed that CdS/TNTs exhibited much higher activity than CdS/TiO2, attributed to the specific properties of TNTs that promoted the separation of photogenerated charges. The valence states of the catalysts were determined from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Results from photocatalysis experiments showed that TNT composites with Pt loading by the photo-deposition method had a significantly enhanced photoactivity and exhibited a hydrogen production rate of 661.1 μmol h-1, which is approximately 3.6 times higher than that observed for Pt deposited by the thermal impregnation method. This result indicates that smaller and more uniform Pt nanoparticles efficiently promoted the separation of photogenerated charges. Furthermore, XPS analyses results revealed that the TNT composites showed no significant amount of oxidized S0 or S6+ on the catalyst surface even after 3 h of reaction. Thus, we conclude that the photocorrosion of CdS was significantly inhibited when combined with TNTs during the photocatalytic reactions. The present work demonstrates the very high photocatalytic efficiency of TNT composites for the decomposition of HCOOH into hydrogen gas under visible light irradiation. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Subjects
CdS photocorrosion; hydrogen production; titanate nanotubes
SDGs
Other Subjects
Cadmium sulfide; Catalysts; CdS nanoparticles; Formic acid; II-VI semiconductors; Image enhancement; Irradiation; Light; Metal nanoparticles; Nanotubes; Photocatalytic activity; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Yarn; Hydrogen production rate; Photocatalytic efficiency; Photocatalytic performance; Photocatalytic reactions; Photocorrosion; Thermal impregnations; Titanate nanotubes; Visible-light irradiation; Hydrogen production
Type
journal article