Molten‐Salt‐Mediated Synthesis of an Atomic Nickel Co‐catalyst on TiO2 for Improved Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

Atomic co‐catalysts offer high potential to improve the photocatalytic performance, of which the preparation with earth‐abundant elements is challenging. Here, a new molten salt method (MSM) is designed to prepare atomic Ni co‐catalyst on widely studied TiO₂ nanoparticles. The liquid environment and space confinement effect of the molten salt leads to atomic dispersion of Ni ions on TiO₂, while the strong polarizing force provided by the molten salt promotes formation of strong Ni?O bonds. Interestingly, Ni atoms are found to facilitate the formation of oxygen vacancies (OV) on TiO₂ during the MSM process, which benefits the charge transfer and hydrogen evolution reaction. The synergy of atomic Ni co‐catalyst and OV results in 4‐time increase in H₂ evolution rate compared to that of the Ni co‐catalyst on TiO₂ prepared by an impregnation method. This work provides a new strategy of controlling atomic co‐catalyst together with defects for efficient photocatalytic water splitting.     

Porous TiO2 Nanotubes with Spatially Separated Platinum and CoOx Cocatalysts Produced by Atomic Layer Deposition for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, and associated surface reactions, is a crucial aspect of efficient semiconductor photocatalytic systems employed for photocatalytic hydrogen production. A new CoO_x/TiO₂/Pt photocatalyst produced by template‐assisted atomic layer deposition is reported for photocatalytic hydrogen production on Pt and CoO_x dual cocatalysts. Pt nanoclusters acting as electron collectors and active sites for the reduction reaction are deposited on the inner surface of porous TiO₂ nanotubes, while CoO_x nanoclusters acting as hole collectors and active sites for oxidation reaction are deposited on the outer surface of porous TiO₂ nanotubes. A CoO_x/TiO₂/Pt photocatalyst, comprising ultra‐low concentrations of noble Pt (0.046 wt %) and CoO_x (0.019 wt %) deposited simultaneously with one atomic layer deposition cycle, achieves remarkably high photocatalytic efficiency (275.9 μmol h⁻¹), which is nearly five times as high as that of pristine TiO₂ nanotubes (56.5 μmol h⁻¹). The highly dispersed Pt and CoO_x nanoclusters, porous structure of TiO₂ nanotubes with large specific surface area, and the synergetic effect of the spatially separated Pt and CoO_x dual cocatalysts contribute to the excellent photocatalytic activity.     

Photocatalytic 2-Iodoethanol Coupling to Produce 1,4-Butanediol Mediated by TiO2 and a Catalytic Nickel Complex

Photocatalytic 2-iodoethanol (IEO) coupling provides 1,4-butanediol (BDO) of particular interest to produce degradable polyesters. However, the reduction potential of IEO is too negative (−1.9 vs NHE) to be satisfied by most of the semiconductors, and the kinetics of transferring one electron for IEO coupling is slow. Here we design a catalytic Ni complex, which works synergistically with TiO₂, realizing reductive coupling of IEO powered by photo-energy. Coordinating by terpyridine stabilizes Ni²⁺ from being photo-deposited to TiO₂, thereby retaining the steric configuration beneficial for IEO coupling. The Ni complex can rapidly extract electrons from TiO₂, generating a low-valent Ni capable of reducing IEO. The photocatalytic IEO coupling thus provides BDO in 72 % selectivity. By a stepwise procedure, BDO is obtained with 70 % selectivity from ethylene glycol. This work put forward a strategy for the photocatalytic reduction of molecules requiring strong negative potential.     

Charge Polarization from Atomic Metals on Adjacent Graphitic Layers for Enhancing the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Atomic metal species‐based catalysts (AMCs) show remarkable possibilities in various catalytic reactions. The coordination configuration of the metal atoms has been widely recognized as the determining factor to the electronic structure and the catalytic activity. However, the synergistic effect between the adjacent layers of the multilayered AMCs is always neglected. We reported an atomic Co and Pt co‐trapped carbon catalyst, which exhibits a ultrahigh activity for HER in the wide range of pH (η₁₀=27 and 50 mV in acidic and alkaline media, respectively) with ultralow metal loadings (1.72 and 0.16 wt % for Co and Pt, respectively), which is much superior to the commercial Pt/C. Theoretical analysis reveals that the atomic metals on the inner graphitic layers significantly alter the electronic structure of the outmost layer, thus tailoring the HER activity. This finding arouses a re‐thinking of the intrinsic activity origins of AMCs and suggests a new avenue in the structure design of AMCs.     

Facet-Control versus Co-Catalyst-Control in Photocatalytic H2 Evolution from Anatase TiO2 Nanocrystals

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and, in particular, its anatase polymorph, is widely studied for photocatalytic H₂ production. In the present work, we examine the importance of reactive facets of anatase crystallites on the photocatalytic H₂ evolution from aqueous methanol solutions. For this, we synthesized anatase TiO₂ nanocrystals with a large amount of either {001} facets, that is, nanosheets, or {101} facets, that is, octahedral nanocubes, and examined their photocatalytic H₂ evolution and then repeated this procedure with samples where Pt co-catalyst is present on all facets. Octahedral nanocubes with abundant {101} facets produce >4 times more H₂ than nanosheets enriched in {001} facets if the reaction is carried out under co-catalyst-free conditions. For samples that carry Pt co-catalyst on both {001} and {101} facets, faceting loses entirely its significance. This demonstrates that the beneficial role of faceting, namely the introduction of {101} facets that act as electron transfer mediator is relevant only for co-catalyst-free TiO₂ surfaces.     

Atomic Arrangement in Metal‐Doped NiS2 Boosts the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Media

We report a novel modulation strategy by introducing transition metals into NiS₂ nanosheets (NSs) to flexibly optimize the electronic configurations and atomic arrangement. The Co‐NiS₂ NSs exhibit excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with an overpotential of 80 mV at j=10 mA cm^?2 and long‐term stability of 90 h in alkaline media. The turnover frequencies (TOFs) of 0.55 and 4.1 s^?1 at an overpotential of 100 and 200 mV also confirm their remarkable performance. DFT calculations reveal that the surface dopants abnormally sensitize surface Ni‐3d bands in the long‐range order towards higher electron‐transfer activity, acting as the electron‐depletion center. Meanwhile, the high lying surface S‐sites possess substantially high selectivity for splitting the adsorbing H₂O that guarantee the high HER performance within alkaline conditions. This work opens opportunities for enhancing water splitting by atomic‐arrangement‐assisted electronic modulation via a facile doping strategy.     

碳包覆Pd/TiO2光催化产氢协同胺类选择性氧化合成亚胺(英文)

负载型金属纳米催化剂由于其优异的光催化性能,被广泛应用于光催化产氢协同胺类氧化偶联合成高附加值亚胺体系。但在反应过程中,金属表面对H原子和亚胺表现出较强的吸附能力,导致了亚胺易于发生自氢化反应而生成仲胺,显著降低了亚胺的选择性。在本文中,我们证实了在Pd/Ti O₂表面构建超薄碳层(Pd/Ti O₂@C)是一种解决上述问题的有效策略。在Pd/Ti O₂表面构筑的超薄碳层可以有效调控H原子和亚胺在其表面的吸附行为,避免了光催化氧化偶联过程中亚胺的自氢化。因此,Pd/Ti O₂@C光催化剂在光催化产氢协同胺类选择性氧化合成亚胺体系中展现出优异的亚胺选择性。本研究提供了一种便捷有效的策略推动负载型金属纳米催化剂在光催化产氢协同合成高附加值产物体系中的应用。     

Synthesis of Bi-doped TiO2 Nanotubes and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution from Glycerol Solution

Bi‐doped TiO₂ nanotubes with variable Bi/Ti ratios were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment in 10 mol·L^?1 NaOH (aq.) through using Bi‐doped TiO₂ particles derived from conventional sol‐gel method as starting materials. The effects of Bi content on the morphology, textural properties, photo absorption and photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotubes were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) observations of the obtained samples revealed the formation of titanate nanotube structure doped with Bi, which exists as a higher oxidation state than Bi³⁺. Bi‐doping TiO₂ nanotubes exhibited an extension of light absorption into the visible region and improved photocatalytic activities for hydrogen production from a glycerol/water mixed solution as compared with pure TiO₂ nanotubes. There was an optimal Bi‐doped content for the photocatalytic hydrogen production, and high content of Bi would retard the phase transition of titanate to anatase and result in morphology change from nanotube to nanobelt, which in turn decreases the photocatlytic activity for hydrogen evolution.     

TiO2/Bi2O3纳米复合体的制备及可见光催化产氢性能

首先采用相分离的水解-溶剂热法制备了Bi₂O₃纳米粒子,然后利用简单的湿化学法在Bi₂O₃表面负载不同比例的TiO₂纳米颗粒,进而得到TiO₂/Bi₂O₃纳米复合体。通过气氛调控的表面光电压谱(SPS)等测试表明,表面负载适量的TiO₂后能够提高Bi₂O₃光生电荷分离。可见光催化产氢和降解污染物测试结果进一步证明,表面负载适量的TiO₂后可显著提高其可见光催化活性,其中Ti/Bi摩尔比为7%时具有最高的光催化活性。这主要归因于TiO₂具有较为合适的导带能级位置,可以接收Bi₂O₃在可见光激发下所产生的高能级电子,从而抑制光生电子-空穴对复合,并且维持了高能级电子较高的还原能力。     

Bismuth-Based Halide Perovskites for Photocatalytic H2 Evolution Application

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs), in particular lead-based perovskites, have earned recognized fame in several fields for their outstanding optoelectronic properties, including direct generation of free charge carriers, optimal ambipolar charge carrier transport properties, high absorption coefficient, point-defect tolerance, and compositional versatility. Nowadays, this class of materials represents a real and promising alternative to silicon for photovoltaic technologies. This worthy success led to a growing interest in the exploration of MHPs in other hot research fields, such as solar-driven photocatalytic water splitting towards hydrogen production. Nevertheless, many of these perovskites show air and moisture instability problems that considerably hinder their practical application for photocatalytic water splitting. Moreover, if chemical instability is a problem that can be in part mitigated by the optimization of the chemical composition and crystal structure, the presence of lead represents a real problem for the practical application of MHPs in commercial devices due to environmental and healthcare issues. To successfully overcome these problems, lead-free metal halide perovskites (LFMHPs) have gained increasing interest thanks to their optoelectronic properties, comparable to lead-based materials, and their more eco-friendly nature. Among all the lead-free perovskite alternatives, this mini-review considers bismuth-based perovskites and perovskite derivatives with a specific focus on solar-driven photocatalysis application for H₂ evolution. Special attention is dedicated to the structure and composition of the different materials and to the advantage of heterojunction engineering and the relative impact on the photocatalytic process.     

钴掺杂二氧化钛的光催化制氢性能

采用聚合络合法（PCM）制备出钴掺杂二氧化钛（CO/TiO₂）光催化剂.以热重-差示扫描量热同步热分析（TGA-DSC）,傅里叶变换红外（FT-IR）光谱,X射线粉末衍射（XRD）,氮气吸附-脱附,紫外-可见漫反射光谱（UV-Vis DRS）,X射线光电子能谱（XPS）等手段对材料进行了表征.采用光催化制氧作为探针反应,以氧气的产量评价材料的光催化性能结果表明:采用聚合络合法制备的样品主体成分为锐钛矿晶型的二氧化钛,钴元素呈高度分散,钴的掺杂能够明显提升二氧化钛光催化材料的光催化制氢活性,当钴钛物质的量之比为0.3%时,催化剂具有最佳的光催化制氢活性,达到2499μmol,是同等条件下制备的无掺杂二氧化钛的近六倍.还对钴离子掺杂增强机理进行了探讨.     

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with H2O on TiO2 and Cu/TiO2 catalysts

Photoinduced reduction of CO₂ by H₂O to produce CH₄ and CH₃OH has been investigated on wellcharacterized standard TiO₂ catalysts and on a Cu²⁺ loaded TiO₂ catalyst. The efficiency of this photoreaction depends strongly on the kind of catalyst and the ratio of H₂O to CO₂. Anatase TiO₂, which has a large band gap and numerous surface OH groups, shows high efficiency for photocatalytic CH₄ formation. Photogenerated Ti³⁺ ions, H and CH₃ radicals are observed as reactive intermediates, by ESR at 77 K. Cu-loading of the small, powdered TiO₂ catalyst (Cu/TiO₂) brings about additional formation of CH₃OH. XPS studies suggest that Cu⁺ plays a significant role in CH₃OH formation.     

溶胶-凝胶法镍基催化剂的研究-Ti/Si原子比对NiO/TiO2-SiO2结构和苯加氢性能的影响

采用溶胶－凝胶法,制备了超细镍基负载型催化剂。通过ＢＥＴ,ＴＰＲ,ＸＲＤ,ＴＥＭ,ＦＴ－ＩＲ等技术。考察了Ｔｉ／Ｓｉ原子比对催化剂表面及物化性能的影响。用固定床连续流动微反装置,以苯加氢为模型反应考察了催化剂的加氢性能、热稳定性及抗硫毒性。     

Graphene Oxide-Assisted Covalent Triazine Framework for Boosting Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

Covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) with two-dimensional structures have exhibited promising visible-light-induced H₂ evolution performance. However, it is still a challenge to improve their activity. Herein, we report π-conjugation-linked CTF-1/GO for boosting photocatalytic H₂ evolution. The CTF-1/GO hybrid material was obtained by a facile low-temperature condensation of 1,4-dicyanobenzene in the presence of GO. The results of photocatalytic H₂ evolution indicate that the optimum hybrid, CTF-1/GO-3.0, exhibited an H₂ evolution rate of 2262.4 μmol ⋅ g⁻¹ ⋅ h⁻¹ under visible light irradiation, which was 9 times that of pure CTF-1. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be attributed to the fact that GO in CTF-1/GO hybrids not only acts as an electron collector and transporter like a “bridge” to facilitate the separation and transfer of photogenerated charges but also shortens the electron migration path due to its thin sheet layer uniformly distribution over CTF-1. This work could help future development of novel conjugated CTF-based composite materials as high-efficiency photocatalyst for photocatalysis.     

CuOx/TiO2光催化水蒸气还原CO2

以商品TiO2-P25为原料,通过浸渍法负载一定量过渡金属Cu,得到一系列不同含量的CuOx/TiO2光催化剂。利用X射线衍射（XRD）,X－射线光电子能谱（XPS）,BET,高分辨率透射镜（HRTEM）,X射线荧光光谱（XRF）和光致发光光谱（PL）等方法对催化剂进行了详细表征,在自建的光催化反应器中评价了气态水光催化还原CO2反应的活性和CH4收率。结果表明负载CuOx后的TiO2纳米材料光催化性能显著提高,其中1%CuOx/TiO2样品紫外光照72 h后,CH4生成量达到了24.86 µmol•gTi-1。同时,CuOx负载量、反应温度、反应时间等因素对CH4收率均有显著影响。     

稀土离子掺杂对纳米TiO2光催化制氢活性的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶技术制备了纳米TiO2和一系列稀土离子掺杂的TiO2光催化剂,通过X射线衍射、透射电镜及N2吸附等技术对其进行了表征,考察了样品光催化分解水制氢的性能.结果表明,稀土离子掺杂有效抑制了TiO2粒子的生长,提高了粒子的分散性,增大了催化剂的比表面积,从而大幅度提高了其光催化分解水制氢的性能.其中,Gd3 掺杂的TiO2样品粒径最小,分散性最好,比表面积最大(是未掺杂TiO2的35倍).掺杂离子的电子构型对样品的光催化制氢活性有较大影响,具有全空电子构型的La3 和半充满电子构型的Gd3 掺杂的样品具有较高的光催化制氢活性(分别是未掺杂TiO2的3.69倍和3.72倍).     

多孔TiO2的合成条件对其光催化性能的影响

利用微波辅助水热法,以十八胺作为软模板合成了多孔TiO2;对多孔的TiO2进行XRD、N2吸附脱咐等温曲线、比表面积的表征.研究了超声波的能量、温度、硝酸的浓度对多孔结构形成的影响;并以甲苯为目标污染物,考察了合成的多孔TiO2在紫外光下的光催化活性.结果表明,多孔TiO2的光催化活性要比无孔道结构的TiO2的光催化活性高.