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Hydrogen-Evolving CNT-Photocatalysts for Effective Use of Solar Energy

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Nanocarbons for Energy Conversion: Supramolecular Approaches

Part of the book series: Nanostructure Science and Technology ((NST))

Abstract

H2-evolving photocatalysts based on semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) were fabricated via a physical modification of s-SWCNTs using poly(amidoamine) dendrimer having C60 or an oligomethylene core. These CNT-photocatalysts possess the coaxial nanowire structure and show H2-evolving activity under visible and even NIR illumination since s-SWCNTs act as light absorbers, although H2 evolution reaction (HER) from water triggered by the photoexcitation of s-SWCNTs is quite rare. A coaxial s-SWCNT/C60 heterojunction was found to be quite useful for the construction of CNT-photocatalysts due to the efficient generation of mobile carriers, such as holes and electrons, via the exciton dissociation in SWCNT. Owing to the combination flexibility between the core-SWCNT and the shell material of CNT-photocatalysts , various types of CNT-photocatalysts can be synthesized in order to control the efficiency and the active wavelengths of photocatalytic HER. For example, by introducing a TiOx shell into the CNT-photocatalyst, apparent quantum yield (AQY) of HER reached 47% under 450-nm light illumination. SWCNT/fullerodendron nanocomposite having (8,3)tube at the core exhibited efficient H2 evolution , of which AQY was 7.3% under 1000-nm light illumination. It is notable that the CNT-photocatalysts are potentially useful to construct a Z-scheme photocatalytic system for the overall water splitting .

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan

    Yutaka Takaguchi & Tomoyuki Tajima

  2. Graduate School of Sciences and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, Ube, 755-8611, Japan

    Hideaki Miyake

Authors
  1. Yutaka Takaguchi
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  2. Tomoyuki Tajima
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  3. Hideaki Miyake
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Correspondence to Yutaka Takaguchi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I2CNER), Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Naotoshi Nakashima

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Takaguchi, Y., Tajima, T., Miyake, H. (2019). Hydrogen-Evolving CNT-Photocatalysts for Effective Use of Solar Energy. In: Nakashima, N. (eds) Nanocarbons for Energy Conversion: Supramolecular Approaches. Nanostructure Science and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92917-0_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92917-0_9

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-92917-0

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