Sun-light driven hydrogen generation by Pd/Rb2O cocatalysts: Escalate the utility of rutile TiO2 for photocatalytic water splitting

Abstract

Rising consumption and cost of fossil fuels invite the researchers to discover the renewable energy sources. Herein, a novel approach to enhance the photocatalytic performances of rutile-TiO2 has been revealed. To boost the hydrogen generation reactions, Pd/Rb2O cocatalysts have been deposited over TiO2 via chemical reduction. The morphology and optical characteristics of catalysts were demonstrated by XRD, Raman, UV-Vis/DRS, SEM and TEM analysis. Surface properties, particle sizes, and chemical composition were examined via AFM and XPS techniques. The H2 production activities were monitored by GC-TCD (Shimadzu-2010/Japan). Comparatively, Pd1.8/RbO0.2@TiO2 was found most active catalysts that can deliver hydrogen 22.74 mmolg−1h−1. Higher H2 generation activities were attributed to the presence of Pd and Rb2O cocatalysts. Rb2O promoted electrons from TiO2 to Pd active sites by elevation in fermi energy levels to attain the equilibrium during photoreactions. The mechanistic approach for higher electron transportation and better charge separation has been demonstrated and discussed over here. On the basis of results, it can be concluded that the work reported here in is reliable for sustainable energy applications.