Wenan Cai , Shogo Ito , Eimi Morioka , Chitiphon Chuaicham , Akbarshokh Ulmaszoda , Hajime Miki , Keiko Sasaki
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Pure TiO2 and its composites can be used for hydrogen production by a two-step photocatalytic reduction: photocatalytic reduction of Pt (IV) and subsequent H2 evolution. Here, photocatalysts were synthesized from copper smelting flotation slags from Uzbekistan for hydrogen production. The crystallinity of the two main phases of the slag, CuFe2O4 and Fe3O4, was increased by calcinating the slag (Cal900Air5h). Subsequently, the Cal900Air5h was composited with TiO2 by in-situ hydrothermal reaction (TiO2-5 %Cal900Air5h_HT). The TiO2-5 %Cal900Air5h_HT catalyzed the production of a significant amount of H2, 2.6 times more than pure TiO2. Moreover, the most interesting result is that the TiO2-5 %Cal900Air5h_HT showed H2-generating activity not only higher than pure TiO2 and physically mixed composite (TiO2-5 %Cal900Air5h_PM), but also higher than the reagent-based hydrothermally fabricated TiO2 composite (TiO2-5 %CuFe2O4, Fe3O4, CuO_HT). This suggested other amorphous phases including Si, Ca, and Al in Cal900Air5h, which are insulators by themselves, might contribute in an indirect way to the photocatalytic reactions. A possible mechanism of the photocatalytic H2 evolution is as follows: The band structure determined using various techniques indicated that a Type II heterojunction formed mainly between TiO2 and CuFe2O4 and less between TiO2 and CuO in the calcined material. Therefore, when the composite was exposed to light, electrons were excited in both phases of TiO2 and CuFe2O4 (slightly CuO) in the calcined slag, and then the excited electrons were transferred from CuFe2O4 and CuO to TiO2 through the heterojunction. The electrons were accumulated on the TiO2 side, and the photocatalytic reduction of H2O molecules into H2 on the surfaces of Pt (0) nanoparticles serving as a cocatalyst. This study uniquely explored the recycling of copper slag as an econtomical and sustainable photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution to achieve carbon neutrality.
期刊介绍:
Materials Today Sustainability is a multi-disciplinary journal covering all aspects of sustainability through materials science.
With a rapidly increasing population with growing demands, materials science has emerged as a critical discipline toward protecting of the environment and ensuring the long term survival of future generations.