Efficient H{sub 2} production over Au/graphene/TiO{sub 2} induced by surface plasmon resonance of Au and band-gap excitation of TiO{sub 2}

Journal Article · Sat Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Materials Research Bulletin

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATERRESBULL.2014.07.013· OSTI ID:22420611

Liu, Yang; Yu, Hongtao ^[1]; Wang, Hua ^[1]; Chen, Shuo ^[1]; Quan, Xie ^[1]

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1. Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)

Highlights: • Both surface plasmon resonance and band-gap excitation were used for H{sub 2} production. • Au/Gr/TiO{sub 2} composite photocatalyst was synthesized. • Au/Gr/TiO{sub 2} exhibited enhancement of light absorption and charge separation. • H{sub 2} production rate of Au/Gr/TiO{sub 2} was about 2 times as high as that of Au/TiO{sub 2}. - Abstract: H{sub 2} production over Au/Gr/TiO{sub 2} composite photocatalyst induced by surface plasmon resonance of Au and band-gap excitation of TiO{sub 2} using graphene (Gr) as an electron acceptor has been investigated. Electron paramagnetic resonance study indicated that, in this composite, Gr collected electrons not only from Au with surface plasmon resonance but also from TiO{sub 2} with band-gap excitation. Surface photovoltage and UV–vis absorption measurements revealed that compared with Au/TiO{sub 2}, Au/Gr/TiO{sub 2} displayed more effective photogenerated charge separation and higher optical absorption. Benefiting from these advantages, the H{sub 2} production rate of Au/Gr/TiO{sub 2} composite with Gr content of 1.0 wt% and Au content of 2.0 wt% was about 2 times as high as that of Au/TiO{sub 2}. This work represents an important step toward the efficient application of both surface plasmon resonance and band-gap excitation on the way to converting solar light into chemical energy.

• OSTI ID: 22420611
• Journal Information: Materials Research Bulletin, Vol. 59; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0025-5408
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BINDING ENERGY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE
ELECTRONS
EXCITATION
GOLD
GRAPHENE
HYDROGEN
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMONS
SURFACES
SYNTHESIS
TITANIUM OXIDES
VALENCE
VISIBLE RADIATION