Enhancing photocatalytic H2O2 production with Au co-catalysts through electronic structure modification

Abstract

Gold-based co-catalysts are a promising class of materials with potential applications in photocatalytic H2O2 production. However, current approaches with Au co-catalysts show limited H2O2 production due to intrinsically weak O2 adsorption at the Au site. We report an approach to strengthen O2 adsorption at Au sites, and to improve H2O2 production, through the formation of electron-deficient Auδ+ sites by modifying the electronic structure. In this case, we report the synthesis of TiO2/MoSx-Au, following selective deposition of Au onto a MoSx surface which is then further anchored onto TiO2. We further show that the catalyst achieves a significantly increased H2O2 production rate of 30.44 mmol g−1 h−1 in O2-saturated solution containing ethanol. Density functional theory calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveal that the MoSx mediator induces the formation of electron-deficient Auδ+ sites thereby decreasing the antibonding-orbital occupancy of Au-Oads and subsequently enhancing O2 adsorption. This strategy may be useful for rationally designing the electronic structure of catalyst surfaces to facilitate artificial photosynthesis.

Triazinyl-graphdiyne induces electron directional migration to drive charge separation of CdS for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

“…The capacity of TA-GDY as a co-catalyst to rapidly transfer photogenerated electrons was demonstrated at higher light intensities, which further enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the composite photocatalysts. 36–38 In short, in the presence of TA-GDY, the photogenerated electron transfer pathway was increased and the photocatalytic reaction was facilitated. The performance of the composite catalyst CS/TA exceeds that of most previously reported GDY or CdS-based photocatalysts (Fig.…”

Regulating the Monomer Symmetry of Poly-Perylene-Diimides for Photocatalytic H2O2 Production

“…In the current research, photocatalysis technology using clean solar energy has aroused great attention [4,5]. Among various solar photocatalytic technologies, photocatalytic H 2 O 2 production is a viable solution for dealing with energy and environmental challenges, because of its minimal energy usage, security, and green credentials [6]. In addition, H 2 O 2 has a significant market potential as an industrial effluent treatment involving sterilization and pulp bleaching [7].…”