Gd₂Ti₂O₇/In₂O₃: Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven Heterojunction‐Based Composite Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Production

Abstract

A series of Gd2Ti2O7/In2O3 heterojunction‐based composite photocatalysts was prepared by using solid‐state reaction methods and their activity was evaluated by measuring the photocatalytic H2 production under visible light (λ≥400 nm). The materials were characterised by using XRD, diffuse reflectance UV (DRUV)/Vis spectroscopy, TEM, field emission SEM (FESEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and BET surface area and photocurrent measurements. The modification of Gd2Ti2O7 with In2O3 resulted in a remarkable enhancement of the activity for H2 production with respect to the single components under visible light. The photocurrent and Mulliken electronegativity results show that Gd2Ti2O7 and In2O3 have a well‐matched band potential to exhibit synergic effects. The enhanced activity may be ascribed to the light absorption properties and the reduction of the recombination of charge carriers at the composite interface. The catalyst Gd2Ti2O7/In2O3 with 60 at % In (60 IGTO) showed the highest activity in comparison to the other composite materials prepared.

In2O3/Bi2Sn2O7 heterostructured nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity

“…2. As expected, the Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 sample shows a steep edge at 600 nm, which is caused by the bandgap transition [30], while the In 2 O 3 sample in absorption shows an onset at 560 nm, which is consistent with the literature results [23,31]. After two semiconductors are combined, the absorption edges of these heterostructured samples are well between those of Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 and In 2 O 3 , which should be attributed to the interaction between Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 and In 2 O 3 .…”

Surface and Interface Engineering in Ag2S@MoS2 Core–Shell Nanowire Heterojunctions for Enhanced Visible Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

“…As for the growth of MoS 2 shell on pre ‐synthesized Ag 2 S NWs, the irregular Ag 2 S NWs with rough and uneven surface does not favor the formation of intimate junction with MoS 2 , leading to a poor interelectron transfer between the two components in pre ‐Ag 2 S@MoS 2 NWs (Figure d). The different interfacial transfer abilities give an explanation of the different photocurrents and PL quenching degrees in spite of the comparable light absorption abilities between them . As a result, the Ag 2 S@MoS 2 NWs with smoother interfacial charge transfer exhibits a superior photocatalytic average H 2 production rate as compared with pre ‐Ag 2 S@MoS 2 NWs.…”

A facile in situ approach to fabricate N,S-TiO2/g-C3N4 nanocomposite with excellent activity for visible light induced water splitting for hydrogen evolution

“…3.2 eV) and another is the high recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers. [17][18][19][20] Metal-free p-conjugated g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts attract immense attention in the field of photocatalysis as under visible light irradiation they possess excellent photocatalytic activity for H 2 evolution and photodegradation of organic pollutants. To counter the limitations of TiO 2 , one of the most promising approaches is doping with metals and nonmetals which can create localized and delocalized states within the material and effectively enhance the visible light absorption ability.…”