Abstract We report the remarkable production of H2 and H2O2 from pure water using porous brookite TiO2 nanoflutes decorated with Pt nanoparticles through two-electron photocatalytic intermediate water splitting (PIWS). The… Click to show full abstract
Abstract We report the remarkable production of H2 and H2O2 from pure water using porous brookite TiO2 nanoflutes decorated with Pt nanoparticles through two-electron photocatalytic intermediate water splitting (PIWS). The H2 production rate from deionized water (pH ~7.0) was 9.8 ± 0.6 μmol mg−1 h−1, more than 12-fold and 230-fold higher than the reported TiO2-based photocatalytic overall water splitting (POWS) and H2/H2O2 production systems, respectively. The apparent quantum yields (AQY) value can achieve 43.4%, which is the highest value compared with the reported TiO2-based POWS systems and the commercial value for PIWS is ~9-fold higher than that for POWS even ignoring the separation cost. The mechanism of the distinct performance was confirmed by DFT and experimental measurements. The present work provides a feasible strategy to significantly improve the process efficiency and value of photocatalytic water splitting in both pure water and seawater using natural sunlight.
               
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