Chinese Journal of Catalysis

Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2019, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (3): 380-389.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(18)63166-3

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Accelerating photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation by coupling organic co-catalysts with TiO2

Jun Shena, Rui Wangb, Qinqin Liub, Xiaofei Yangc, Hua Tangc, Jin Yangb   

  1. a School of Pharmacy, Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou 215009, Jiangsu, China;
    b School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China;
    c Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China
  • Received:2018-08-31 Revised:2018-09-21 Online:2019-03-18 Published:2019-02-22
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51672113, 51602132), the Six Talent Peaks Project in Jiangsu Province (2015-XCL-026), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20171299), the Training Project of Jiangsu University for Young Cadre Teachers (5521220009), and the Youth Research Project of Jiangsu Health and Family Planning Commission in 2016 (Q201609).

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Abstract:

Accelerating the separation efficiency of photoexcited electron-hole pairs with the help of highly active co-catalysts has proven to be a promising approach for improving photocatalytic activity. Thus far, the most developed co-catalysts for semiconductor-based photocatalysis are inorganic materials; the employment of a specific organic molecule as a co-catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant photodegradation is rare and still remains a challenging task. Herein, we report on the use of an organic molecule, oxamide (OA), as a novel co-catalyst to enhance electron-hole separation, photocatalytic H2 evolution, and dye degradation over TiO2 nanosheets. OA-modified TiO2 samples were prepared by a wet chemical route and demonstrated improved light absorption in the visible-light region and more efficient charge transport. The photocatalytic performance of H2 evolution from water splitting and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation for an optimal OA-modified TiO2 photocatalyst reached 2.37 mmol g-1 h-1 and 1.43×10-2 min-1, respectively, which were 2.4 and 3.8 times higher than those of pristine TiO2, respectively. A possible mechanism is proposed, in which the specific π-conjugated structure of OA is suggested to play a key role in the enhancement of the charge transfer and catalytic capability of TiO2. This work may provide advanced insight into the development of a variety of metal-free organic molecules as functional co-catalysts for improved solar-to-fuel conversion and environmental remediation.

Key words: TiO2, Oxamide, Co-catalyst, Photocatalysis, Hydrogen evolution, Dye degradation