Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of Ni modified TiO2/GO nanosheet composites

Abstract

Solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen generation via splitting water requires an efficient visible light active photocatalyst. In this work, Ni cocatalysts on a TiO₂ composite photocatalyst with different graphene oxide (GO) contents were prepared using a hydrothermal method and characterized by TEM, XRD, UV-vis, Raman and PL spectra. The results show that the synthesized TiO₂/GO/Ni nanosheet composites have a large specific surface area and can provide a large number of active sites for a photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction. GO can broaden the optical absorption range of TiO₂ and absorb more visible light, thus stimulating more photogenerated electron–hole pairs. At the same time, GO can collect electrons and promote the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Ni, as a cocatalyst, can be used as an active site for hydrogen ion adsorption, which is conducive to promoting the migration of photogenerated electrons in the system and prolonging the life of photogenerated electrons and holes, thus ensuring the high efficiency of the photocatalytic reaction.