Üstünel T, Ide Y, Kaya S, Doustkhah E. Single-Atom Sn-Loaded Exfoliated Layered Titanate Revealing Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity in Hydrogen Generation.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2023;
11:3306-3315. [PMID:
36874193 PMCID:
PMC9976351 DOI:
10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c06181]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Green H2 generation through layered materials plays a significant role among a wide variety of materials owing to their high theoretical surface area and distinctive features in (photo)catalysis. Layered titanates (LTs) are a class of these materials, but they suffer from large bandgaps and a layers' stacked form. We first address the successful exfoliation of bulk LT to exfoliated few-layer sheets via long-term dilute HCl treatment at room temperature without any organic exfoliating agents. Then, we demonstrate a substantial photocatalytic activity enhancement through the loading of Sn single atoms on exfoliated LTs (K0.8Ti1.73Li0.27O4). Comprehensive analysis, including time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy, revealed the modification of electronic and physical properties of the exfoliated layered titanate for better solar photocatalysis. Upon treating the exfoliated titanate in SnCl2 solution, a Sn single atom was successfully loaded on the exfoliated titanate, which was characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, including aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. The exfoliated titanate with an optimal Sn loading exhibited a good photocatalytic H2 evolution from water containing methanol and from ammonia borane (AB) dehydrogenation, which was not only enhanced from the pristine LT, but higher than conventional TiO2-based photocatalysts like Au-loaded P25.
Collapse