Controllable Synthesis of Defective TiO2 Nanorods for Efficient Hydrogen Production
Xing, Congcong (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria Química)
Yang, Linlin (Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya)
Spadaro, Maria Chiara (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Zhang, Yu (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Guardia, Pablo (Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona)
Arbiol i Cobos, Jordi (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia)
Liu, Tianqi (Zhejiang University. Institute of Wenzhou)
Fan, Xiaolei (Zhejiang University. Institute of Wenzhou)
Fernández-García, Marcos (Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica - CSIC)
Llorca, Jordi (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria Química)
Cabot i Codina, Andreu (Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Nanorods (NRs), with their high atomic surface exposure within a crystalline architecture, facilitate effective diffusion/transport of charge, rendering them particularly suitable for applications requiring both interaction with the media and charge transfer. In this study, we present a straightforward approach to produce brookite-phase titanium dioxide (TiO) NRs with tunable defects and narrow size distributions by utilizing methylamine hydrochloride and 1,2-hexadecanediol as shape-directing agents. The presence of the Ti defect was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and its effect on the photocatalytic properties of TiO, with and without Pt loading, show that the longest TiO NRs provide the highest photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical hydrogen production activity. Transient photocurrent response analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Mott-Schottky analysis plots indicate that an increase in temperature significantly reduces the interface barrier and lowers the transport resistance, leading to a 104% improvement in hydrogen production rates from 25 to 60 °C for the longest TiO NRs. This study underscores the critical role of the TiO nanorod dimensions (18-45 nm) in elevating the hydrogen production efficiency. At 25 °C, rates surged from 1. 6 to 2. 6 mmol g h, and at 60 °C, rates soared from 3. 3 to 5. 3 mmol g h, demonstrating the substantial impact of TiO NRs on enhancing hydrogen generation.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2021-124572OB-C31 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2019-105490RB-C32 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-00457 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-116093RB-C43 Agencia Estatal de Investigación CEX2021-001214-S Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RyC2019-028414-I
Rights:	Aquest material està protegit per drets d'autor i/o drets afins. Podeu utilitzar aquest material en funció del que permet la legislació de drets d'autor i drets afins d'aplicació al vostre cas. Per a d'altres usos heu d'obtenir permís del(s) titular(s) de drets.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	TiO2 nanorod ; Photocatalysis ; Hydrogen production ; Brookite ; Defect
Published in:	ACS applied electronic materials, Vol. 6, Issue 8 (August 2024) , p. 5833-5841, ISSN 2637-6113

DOI: 10.1021/acsaelm.4c00821

Postprint 23 p, 1.9 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles