Issue 12, 2017

Cobalt oxide as a selective co-catalyst for water oxidation in the presence of an organic dye

Abstract

In photobiocatalytical processes involving the simultaneous oxidation of water and reduction of specific organic molecules (e.g., cofactors), the lack of physical separation of the redox half-reactions adversely affects the product stability. This is largely because organic molecules are generally less stable within harsh oxidative environments. In general, surface co-catalysts are able to improve the selectivity of photocatalysts towards water oxidation. However, harsh oxidative environments reduce the chemical stability of the organic molecules. Herein, we show that the use of Co3O4 as a surface co-catalyst on silver orthophosphate improve water photo-oxidation in the presence of organic dye molecules, such as methylene blue, that typically exhibits susceptibility toward photodegradation. The presence of Co3O4 on the photocatalyst surface prevents the adsorption of the organic dye, thus reducing its degradation rate. These findings provide a promising scenario for the visible light-driven reduction of organic molecules using water as an electron donor.

Graphical abstract: Cobalt oxide as a selective co-catalyst for water oxidation in the presence of an organic dye

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Aug 2017
Accepted
13 Oct 2017
First published
16 Oct 2017

Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017,16, 1771-1777

Cobalt oxide as a selective co-catalyst for water oxidation in the presence of an organic dye

K. Kinastowska, J. Barroso, L. Yate, V. Pavlov, A. Chuvilin, W. Bartkowiak and M. Grzelczak, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2017, 16, 1771 DOI: 10.1039/C7PP00320J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements