Unusual Photoactive Water Oxidation Activity of Pt/PtOx Cocatalyst Decorated Crystalline α‐Fe2O3 Nanostructures: Exposed Facets Dependent Reactivity

Abstract

AbstractA key challenge remains the preparation of an active and robust water oxidation photocatalyst with abundant earth materials. As a useful to improve photocatalytic efficiency, the development of α‐Fe2O3 nanocrystals with different exposed facets and interfaces has attracted enormous attention. But literature survey shows that α‐Fe2O3 nanomaterials were mainly used in photoelectrochemical cell for water splitting as anode materials. In this work, highly efficient Pt/PtOx cocatalyst decorated α‐Fe2O3 shaped‐photocatalysts were derived as photocatalyst for white light‐induced O2 generation from water without any electric potential. The maximum apparent quantum efficiency of photooxidation reaction was reached 55.33 % by Pt/PtOx decorated bitruncated‐dodecahedron shaped α‐Fe2O3 and around 30.5, 2.3, 1.28 times better than the Pt/PtOx decorated nanocuboid, nanorod and bitruncated‐octahedron shape respectively. The Pt/PtOx decorated bitruncated‐dodecahedron shaped α‐Fe2O3 display an unusual photooxidation activity with a high TOF (1.96×10−2 s−1) due to presence of destabilized and unsaturated Fe centre containing high energy {104} and {100} facets. The present findings clearly demonstrate that the selective O2 evolution from water can possible without any sacrificial agent.