Nanostructured photocatalysts based on engineered MoxC/TiO2 interfaces for efficient noble metal-free H2 production from bioethanol
The photocatalytic H2 production is a promising green strategy to store the power from the Sun as chemical energy. TiO2 is a key photoactive semiconductor, and shape-engineering has recently emerged as a power tool to optimize the TiO2 NPs physicochemical properties. Moreover, a suitable strategy to improve the charge carrier separation and to facilitate the H2 photocatalytic production is the surface modification of the TiO2 NPs by addition of co-catalysts; Pt, Ag, Pd or Au NPs are the most employed materials. We demonstrate in this research, in the framework of a collaborative work between the Catalysis and Advanced Inorganic Materials (MATCAT) group and the Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces Centre at the University of Torino, that appropriate MoxC NPs are efficient co-catalysts in engineered TiO2 NPs for the photocatalytic H2 production from ethanol aqueous solutions, a biomass-derived source for green and renewable H2 production.
Engineered MoxC/TiO2 interfaces for efficient noble metal-free photocatalytic hydrogen production. Wang, Y., Mino, L., Pellegrino, F., Homs, N., Ramírez de la Piscina, P. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. 318,121783, 2022