Issue 33, 2018

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting of CrTiO2 nanotube photoanodes by the decoration of their surface via the photodeposition of Ag and Au

Abstract

It is of great significance to develop green fuels in order to prevent the accumulation of carbon dioxide generated by the combustion of conventional fossil fuels. A potential, clean, renewable alternative fuel, which may be produced from solar energy, stored and safely transported, is hydrogen. In this work, bare CrTiO2 NTs were fabricated using an in situ anodizing process. CrTiO2 NTs were then modified with the photodeposition of noble metals (Ag and Au) at different light irradiation times (10–120 min). The new photocatalysts have been characterized using SEM, EDX, XRD, Raman and UV-vis spectra. The impact of noble metals on the photo-electrochemical activities of the photocatalysts has been evaluated. In addition, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was conducted for the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. Most of the current density is related to Ag4/CrTiO2 NTs and Au4/CrTiO2 NTs, and is nearly 2 and 3 times as that of the bare CrTiO2 NTs, respectively. All of the samples have adequate stability during continuous illumination for 1200 s. Finally, water splitting was performed under light irradiation at 0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl for 60 min. Ag4/CrTiO2 NTs and Au4/CrTiO2 NTs have the highest H2 evolution among their families, corresponding to 0.52 and 0.80 ml cm−2 h−1, respectively.

Graphical abstract: Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting of CrTiO2 nanotube photoanodes by the decoration of their surface via the photodeposition of Ag and Au

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Jun 2018
Accepted
31 Jul 2018
First published
03 Aug 2018

Dalton Trans., 2018,47, 11593-11604

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting of CrTiO2 nanotube photoanodes by the decoration of their surface via the photodeposition of Ag and Au

T. Sharifi, Y. Ghayeb, T. Mohammadi and M. M. Momeni, Dalton Trans., 2018, 47, 11593 DOI: 10.1039/C8DT02383B

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.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements