Efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation on SrTiO3 without noble metal: dye-sensitization and earth-abundant cocatalyst modification

Abstract

Efficient visible-light-driven H2 production without noble metal is one of the major challenges in photocatalysis. Herein, SrTiO3 nanoparticles synthesized from a facile hydrothermal process are adopted as supporting material for a fluorescein-sensitized photocatalytic system, and considerable H2 production is obtained without cocatalyst due to the relatively large surface area for sufficient adsorption of dye molecules. Upon further modification with earth-abundant Ni cocatalyst, the activity of H2 production from the as-established noble-metal-free fluorescein-sensitized photocatalytic system could be drastically enhanced, achieving an apparent quantum yield of ∼4.1% at 500 nm. The excellent photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic contribution of the efficient electron excitation and injection, the significantly promoted charge transfer, and the abundant reactive sites provided by Ni cocatalyst.