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TiO2 nanocrystalline for enhanced hydrogen and oxygen generation of thin film photocatalyst: from catalytic mechanism and microstructural analysis

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Abstract

Anatase TiO2 nanocrystalline film prepared by using sol–gel method was assembled on TiO2 nanotubes to produce composite thin film photocatalyst and investigated as interfacial layer for the catalytic performance of Ti/TNT/N–P/NaTaO3:La (the nanostructures is Ti/TiO2 nanotubes/TiO2 nanocrystalline film/NiO film/NaTaO3:La) photocatalyst to generate hydrogen and oxygen under UV irradiation. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by FESEM, XRD, Element Mapping, UV–Vis, PL, I–V, and EIS. Characteristic analyses show that the interface between the TNT layer (TiO2 nanotubes) and P layer (NiO film) can be optimized by adjusting the number of N layers (TiO2 nanocrystalline film), thus affecting the efficiency of the photocatalyst. Compared with unformed TiO2 film, the Ti/TNT/N–P/NaTaO3:La photocatalyst with four TiO2 layers enhanced the H2 and O2 generation rate from 43.7 to 87.1 μmol/h which realized almost 2.0 times. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the low defect density and the effective separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. Furthermore, the performance stability of thin film photocatalyst was favorably showcased through multiple water splitting reactions, and the rational mechanism of improved photocatalytic property was interpreted systematically. In summary, such results have certain guiding effect on solving the weakness of composite film catalyst of interface defects and carrier recombination.

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Qianjin Street 2699, Changchun, 130012, People’s Republic of China

    Chang Bian, Wenshu Yang, Guijie Zhu, Shuang Feng, Jiejing Zhang, Ri Xu, Xinxin Zhang, Wuyou Fu & Haibin Yang

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  1. Chang Bian
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Correspondence to Haibin Yang.

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We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, and there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service, and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, “TiO2 nanocrystalline for enhanced hydrogen and oxygen generation of thin film photocatalyst: From catalytic mechanism and microstructural analysis.”

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Bian, C., Yang, W., Zhu, G. et al. TiO2 nanocrystalline for enhanced hydrogen and oxygen generation of thin film photocatalyst: from catalytic mechanism and microstructural analysis. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 31, 9961–9968 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-020-03576-4

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