Issue 12, 2023

Facile transfer of surface plasmon electrons of Au-NPs to Zn3V2O8 surfaces: a case study of sunlight driven H2 generation from water splitting

Abstract

For future energy perspectives, an effective way to produce H2 from water splitting is suggested using Zn3V2O8 photocatalyst as a semiconductor support. Further, to enhance the catalytic efficiency and stability of the catalyst, gold metal was deposited over the Zn3V2O8 surface by a chemical reduction method. For comparison, the Zn3V2O8 and gold-fabricated catalysts (i.e., Au@Zn3V2O8) were used for water splitting reactions. For structural and optical properties, various techniques, including XRD, UV-Vis DRS, FTIR, PL, Raman, SEM, EDX, XPS and EIS were used for the characterizations. The scanning electron microscope revealed the pebble-shaped morphology of the Zn3V2O8 catalyst. The FTIR and EDX results confirmed the purity and structural and elemental composition of the catalysts. Overall, 7.05 mmol g−1 h−1 H2 generation was observed over Au1.0@Zn3V2O8, which was ten times higher than bare Zn3V2O8. The results revealed that the higher H2 activities could be attributed to the Schottky barriers and surface plasmon electrons (SPRs). Thus the Au@Zn3V2O8 catalysts have potential to deliver higher hydrogen generation than Zn3V2O8 by water splitting.

Graphical abstract: Facile transfer of surface plasmon electrons of Au-NPs to Zn3V2O8 surfaces: a case study of sunlight driven H2 generation from water splitting

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 mrt 2023
Accepted
07 apr 2023
First published
11 apr 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2023,5, 3233-3246

Facile transfer of surface plasmon electrons of Au-NPs to Zn3V2O8 surfaces: a case study of sunlight driven H2 generation from water splitting

M. Jalil, K. Rafiq, M. Z. Abid, A. Rauf, S. Wang, S. Iqbal and E. Hussain, Nanoscale Adv., 2023, 5, 3233 DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00148B

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