Spatial separation of oxidation and reduction co-catalysts for efficient charge separation: Pt@TiO2@MnOx hollow spheres for photocatalytic reactions

Ang Li; Tuo Wang; Xiaoxia Chang; Weiting Cai; Peng Zhang; Jijie Zhang; Jinlong Gong

doi:10.1039/C5SC04163E

Spatial separation of oxidation and reduction co-catalysts for efficient charge separation: Pt@TiO₂@MnO_x hollow spheres for photocatalytic reactions†

Ang Li,^a Tuo Wang,^a Xiaoxia Chang,^a Weiting Cai,^a Peng Zhang,^a Jijie Zhang^a and Jinlong Gong*^a

* Corresponding authors

^a Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin, P. R. China
E-mail: jlgong@tju.edu.cn

Abstract

Efficient charge separation is a critical factor for solar energy conversion by heterogeneous photocatalysts. This paper describes the complete spatial separation of oxidation and reduction cocatalysts to enhance the efficacy of charge separation and surface reaction. Specifically, we design Pt@TiO₂@MnO_x hollow spheres (PTM-HSs) with Pt and MnO_x loaded onto the inner and outer surface of TiO₂ shells, respectively. Pt favours electron trapping, while MnO_x tends to collect holes. Upon generation from TiO₂, electrons and holes flow inward and outward of the spherical photocatalyst, accumulating on the corresponding cocatalysts, and then take part in redox reactions. Combined with other advantages, such as the large surface area and appropriate pore size, the PTM-HSs exhibit high efficiency for the photocatalytic oxidation of water and benzyl alcohol. The mechanism of the oxidation process of benzyl alcohol over the photocatalyst is also presented.

This article is part of the themed collections: Global Energy Challenges: Solar Energy and Global Energy Challenges: Energy Applications

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C5SC04163E
Article type: Edge Article
Submitted: 03 Nov 2015
Accepted: 26 Nov 2015
First published: 26 Nov 2015
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry

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Chem. Sci., 2016,7, 890-895

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Spatial separation of oxidation and reduction co-catalysts for efficient charge separation: Pt@TiO₂@MnO_x hollow spheres for photocatalytic reactions

A. Li, T. Wang, X. Chang, W. Cai, P. Zhang, J. Zhang and J. Gong, Chem. Sci., 2016, 7, 890 DOI: 10.1039/C5SC04163E

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