The Influence of Reaction Temperature on the Formation and Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation of (001) Faceted TiO2 Nanosheets

Abstract

AbstractThe rapid depletion of fossil fuel reserves has triggered an urgent need for developing clean energy solutions, for example, using sunlight to produce hydrogen with benign photocatalysts. The discovery of (001) faceted TiO2 has inspired intensive studies of this model photocatalyst. Here, we found that the reaction temperature plays an important role in the formation and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanosheets. Small anatase TiO2 nanoparticles are formed at low temperatures, large anatase TiO2 nanosheets appear along with some TiOF2 crystals as the temperature increases, and pure (001) faceted TiO2 nanosheets are formed at high temperatures. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 nanoparticles/nanosheets in hydrogen generation increases when the temperature increases. The (001) facet of TiO2 shows better photocatalytic activity over other facets, and the best performance in hydrogen generation is achieved with synergistic effects between TiO2 nanosheets and TiOF2 particles.