Work

Calcined Xerogels of C/TiO2 Nanostructures for Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The solar-driven water splitting for the production of renewable green hydrogen fundamentally relies on the exploration of efficient photocatalysts. Nanostructured TiO2 is widely recognized as a promising material for photocatalysis, yet it remains hindered by inadequate light harvesting and fast photogenerated carrier recombination. Herein, calcined C/TiO2 xerogels with yolk–shell and core–shell nanostructures (denoted as YS-C/TiO2 and CS-C/TiO2) were designed and fabricated via a typical sol–gel–calcination assisted approach. Thanks to the encapsulation of carbon nanospheres into TiO2, it effectively enhances light absorption, improves carrier separation, and lessens carrier recombination, making the well-designed YS-C/TiO2 composite display a remarkable hydrogen evolution rate of 975 µmol g−1 h−1 under simulated solar light irradiation and without the use of any co-catalyst, which is approximately 21.7 times that of the commercial TiO2. The work provides an efficacious design concept in developing nanostructured TiO2-based photocatalysts and in boosting broad photocatalytic applications.

Source: Gels

DOI: 10.3390/gels11110911

Authors: Yong Li, Hongpeng Zhang, Canni Zhuo, Xixi Sun, Jiaqi Gao, Yali Zhao

Institution: Jinzhong University

Language: English

Topic: TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,534