Abstract
Photocatalytic water splitting into hydrogen is considered as one of the key solutions to the current demand for eco-responsible energy. To improve the efficiency and sustainability of this process, the development of a TiO2-based photoanode by adding bio-sourced surfactants to the sol–gel preparation method has been considered. Three different polymeric biosurfactants (GB, GC, and BIO) have been tested, giving rise to three different materials being structurally and morphologically characterized by XRD, Rietveld refinement, BET, SEM, AFM, and XPS, which was completed by light absorption, photocatalytic (Pilkington test), electronic (EIS and C-AFM), and photoelectrochemical (cyclic voltammetry) measurements. Correlations between the structure/morphology of materials and their functional properties have been established. One specific surfactant has been proven as the most suitable to lead to materials with optimized photoelectrochemical performance in direct relation with their photocatalytic properties essentially controlled by their specific surface area.
Highlights
The planet’s need for energy has been increasing for years, but today, we can no longer meet it with the same energy sources
Considering the experimental data, we can see at 25.2◦ the most intense characteristic peak of the anatase phase and at 27.4◦ that of the rutile phase [26]
By Rietveld refinement, the amount of anatase and rutile phase was determined; the presence of surfactants promoted the formation of a rutile phase
Summary
The planet’s need for energy has been increasing for years, but today, we can no longer meet it with the same energy sources. For this reason, an energy transition is underway in order to supply our needs while respecting the ecological impact. By analogy with the photosynthesis of vegetables, research on the electrolysis of water using light energy appears to be a good idea for producing green hydrogen [1,2]. Hydrogen is an ideal storage medium or energy carrier essentially due to its high energy yield (122 kJ × g−1) compared to other fuels such as gasoline (40 kJ × g−1). They can recombine to give no net chemical reaction [2]
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