Preparation of ZnO Nanoparticles and Photocatalytic H2 Production Activity from Different Sacrificial Reagent Solutions

Abstract

ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized via a direct precipitation method followed by a heterogeneous azeotropic distillation and calcination processes, and then characterized by X-ray power diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement. The effects of Pt-loading amount, calcination temperature, and sacrificial reagents on the photocatalytic H2 evolution efficiency from the present ZnO suspension were investigated. The experimental results indicate that ZnO nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C exhibit the best photoactivity for the H2 production in comparison with the samples calcined at 300 and 500 °C, and the photocatalytic H2 production efficiency from a methanol solution is much higher than that from a triethanolamine solution. It can be ascribed to the oxidization of methanol also contributes to the H2 production during the photochemical reaction process. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism for the H2 production from the present ZnO suspension system containing methanol solution is also discussed in detail.