Premium
A Novel CoO 1.6 C 0.7 Nanocomposite with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Stability for Hydrogen Evolution Achieved by Carbon Dots
Author(s) -
Zhao Juan,
Liu Chang'an,
Wang Huibo,
Huang Hui,
Liu Yang,
Kang Zhenhui
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistryselect
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 34
ISSN - 2365-6549
DOI - 10.1002/slct.201702644
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , triethanolamine , nanocomposite , materials science , reagent , visible spectrum , hydrogen production , chemical engineering , photochemistry , hydrogen , nanotechnology , catalysis , chemistry , optoelectronics , analytical chemistry (journal) , organic chemistry , engineering
Utilizing semiconductor photocatalysts and solar energy for hydrogen evolution is an ideal way to solve the energy shortage and environmental pollution problem in the future. The CoO as photocatalyst with high solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency has attracted wide attention, but its stability is low. Herein, we designed a disordered CoO 1.6 C 0.7 nanocomposite as photocatalyst, which exhibits improved photocatalytic activity and stability for hydrogen evolution without sacrificial reagent compared with that of CoO 1.2 . By adding carbon dots (CDs) during the synthesis process, the obtained CoO 1.6 C 0.7 nanocomposite as photocatalyst could acquire the H 2 evolution rate about 2.6 μmol h −1 under visible light (λ> 420 nm), while the H 2 evolution rate increased to 18.0 μmol h −1 when used triethanolamine (TEOA) as sacrificial reagent. Moreover, the disordered CoO 1.6 C 0.7 photocatalyst displays excellent stability with more than 10 cycles. The improved photocatalytic activity and favorable stability of the disordered CoO 1.6 C 0.7 can be attributed to the addition of CDs, which enhanced the light absorption and accelerated electron transfer.