1 research outputs found
Enhancing Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting Activity of SrTiO<sub>3</sub> Nanoparticles by a Synergetic Pt/CrOx Dual Cocatalyst System
Sunlight-driven photocatalytic overall
water splitting
(OWS) is
a promising approach for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However,
its realization with a single photocatalyst by one-step excitation
has been extremely limited due to the rapid recombination of photogenerated
charges, slow surface redox kinetics, and undesired reverse reactions.
Herein, we sought to enhance the OWS performance of SrTiO3 (STO) by exploring the synergistic effects of different kinds of
metal/oxide dual cocatalysts. The results show that the Pt/CrOx-STO
system had a superior activity, which achieved stoichiometric water
splitting with H2/O2 evolution of 1814.17/1020.47
μmol g–1 h–1 under simulated
sunlight, without using any sacrificial reagents. The enhanced efficiency
can be attributed to the improved interfacial transport of photogenerated
charges and the boosted surface kinetics. Importantly, the CrOx layer
served as a selective membrane that prevented the O2 diffusion
and facilitated H+ transport, while partially covering
the highly active site of Pt nanoparticles, thus significantly inhibiting
the reverse recombination reaction of H2 and O2. In particular, this dual catalyst system emphasized a low dependence
on the properties of the substrate material and is therefore widely
applicable and economical. This work demonstrated the potential of
the Pt/CrOx dual cocatalyst modification strategy for optimizing photocatalytic
OWS, providing a pathway toward selective and sustainable conversion
of H2O to H2 and O2