The role and effect of CdS-based TiO2 photocatalysts enhanced with a wetness impregnation method for efficient photocatalytic glucose electrooxidation

Abstract

The 0.1% CdS-based TiO2photocatalysts with different atomic ratios were synthesized by the wetness impregnation (WI) method. These photocatalysts were characterized to actively determine surface area using TPx analyses (TPR, TPO, and TPD). Furthermore, surface structures and properties of photocatalysts were defined by analyses such as XRD, UV–VIS spectroscopy, SEM-EDX and mapping, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM-EDS, and XPS. The photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts were examined by CV, CA, and EIS electrochemical analyses to investigate use in photocatalytic fuel cells (PFCs) in glucose solution in the dark and under UV illumination. The characterization analyses revealed that anatase TiO2 formed in the catalyst and its electronic structure and surface properties changed when doped with metal. The photocatalytic glucose electrooxidation (PGE) results indicated that the 0.1% CdS(50-50)/TiO2 catalyst exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity, stability, and resistance than other catalysts both in the dark (5.21 mA/cm2) and under UV illumination (16.21 mA/cm2). The study offers a promising new type of photocatalyst for PFC applications.