Zr-doped Pt-SrTiO3 Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Production via Photodegradation of Formic Acid

Abstract

The effects of Zr addition, synthesis procedure, wt.% Pt loading, and reaction conditions on the photocatalytic activity of Pt-loaded Zr-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst for hydrogen production from photodegradation of formic acid under visible light irradiation have been investigated. All studied photocatalysts were synthesized by so-gel method with surfactant template. Photochemical deposition method is used for Pt loading. Physical properties of photocatalysts are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption/desorption apparatus using BET method, UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), and photoluminescence spectrometer (PL). The results pointed out that photocatalyst synthesized by the two-gel method exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than that of synthesized by single-gel method. This is because the two-gel method provided the photocatalyst with higher crystallinity as compared to single-gel. The addition of 1 wt.% of Zr into SrTiO3 can enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the pristine SrTiO3. The existing of Pt on Zr-doped SrTiO3 photocatalyst surface significantly enhanced its photocatalytic activity. The 0.2 wt.% Pt-loaded, 1 wt.% Zr-doped SrTiO3 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity in hydrogen production with a production rate of 310 µmol h-1 gcat-1 under the most suitable conditions: 2.5 v/v% of formic acid aqueous solution, 2.5 mg/L of photocatalysts dosage, and 44 °C.

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