Abstract
In this study, hydrogen generation was performed by utilizing methylene blue dye as visible-light photosensitizer while the used catalyst is working as a transfer bridge for the electrons to H+/H2 reaction. Silica NPs-incorporated TiO2 nanofibers, which have a more significant band gap and longer electrons lifetime compared to pristine TiO2, were used as a catalyst. The nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning of amorphous SiO2 NPs/titanium isopropoxide/poly (vinyl acetate)/N, N-dimethylformamide colloid. Physicochemical characterizations confirmed the preparation of well morphology SiO2–TiO2 nanofibers with a bandgap energy of 3.265 eV. Under visible light radiation, hydrogen and oxygen were obtained in good stoichiometric rates (9.5 and 4.7 mL/min/gcat, respectively) without any considerable change in the dye concentration, which proves the successful exploitation of the dye as a photosensitizer. Under UV irradiation, SiO2 NPs incorporation distinctly enhanced the dye photodegradation, as around 91 and 94% removal efficiency were obtained from TiO2 nanofibers containing 4 and 6 wt% of the used dopant, respectively, within 60 min.
Highlights
One of the most critical processes in the developing renewable energy industry is converting of solar energy to chemical energy
Silica NPs-incorporated titanium oxide nanofibers can be prepared by calcination of electrospun nanofiber mats composed of silica NPsN.P.s, titanium isopropoxide, and poly(vinyl acetate) under air atmosphere
Incorporation of the amorphous silica nanoparticles leads to little enlargement of the bandgap energy (3.265 eV) of the produced TiO2-based nanofibers that makes this photocatalyst applicable under the UV irradiation
Summary
One of the most critical processes in the developing renewable energy industry is converting of solar energy to chemical energy. Water splitting over particulate semiconductor catalysts has been touted as a cost-effective and straightforward approach for large-scale hydrogen generation. Water photo splitting is an electron transfer process between a donor (OH− or H2O) and an acceptor (H+ or H2O) as follows: Donor. 2H2O → O2 + 4H+ + 4e− pH = 0 E0 = 1.229 V (1) pH = 14 E0 = 0.401 V (2) Acceptor 2H+ + 2e− → H2 E0 = 0 V (3).
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