TY - JOUR
T1 - Rational construction of plasmonic Z-scheme Ag-ZnO-CeO2 heterostructures for highly enhanced solar photocatalytic H2 evolution
AU - Hezam, Abdo
AU - Wang, Jingwei
AU - Drmosh, Q. A.
AU - Karthik, P.
AU - Abdullah Bajiri, Mohammed
AU - Namratha, K.
AU - Zare, Mina
AU - Lakshmeesha, T. R.
AU - Shivanna, Srikantaswamy
AU - Cheng, Chun
AU - Neppolian, Bernaurdshaw
AU - Byrappa, K.
N1 - KAUST Repository Item: Exported on 2021-11-21
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) for funding this work through project No# DF181021.
PY - 2020/11/17
Y1 - 2020/11/17
N2 - Rational design of photocatalyst with wide solar-spectrum absorption, negligible electron-hole recombination, and maximized redox potential is an essential prerequisite for achieving commercial-scale photocatalytic H2 production. This contribution combines surface plasmon resonance and Z-scheme charge transport in a single photocatalyst (Ag-ZnO-CeO2 heterostructure) aiming to improve its performance for photocatalytic H2 production. The Ag-ZnO-CeO2 heterostructure is fabricated via sunlight-driven combustion and deposition approaches. The successful construction is confirmed by several characterization techniques. The Z-scheme configuration is verified by in situ irradiated XPS and ESR analyses. Ag plays dual rules as an electron mediator to facilitate the Z-scheme charge transport and plasmonic material to maximize the light absorption in the visible region. The designed photocatalyst exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 production (18345 μmol h−1 g−1) under simulated sunlight irradiation. This work offers the opportunity of constructing efficient Z-scheme photocatalyst from wide bandgap semiconductors with full-visible light response, suppressed electron-hole recombination, and optimized redox potential.
AB - Rational design of photocatalyst with wide solar-spectrum absorption, negligible electron-hole recombination, and maximized redox potential is an essential prerequisite for achieving commercial-scale photocatalytic H2 production. This contribution combines surface plasmon resonance and Z-scheme charge transport in a single photocatalyst (Ag-ZnO-CeO2 heterostructure) aiming to improve its performance for photocatalytic H2 production. The Ag-ZnO-CeO2 heterostructure is fabricated via sunlight-driven combustion and deposition approaches. The successful construction is confirmed by several characterization techniques. The Z-scheme configuration is verified by in situ irradiated XPS and ESR analyses. Ag plays dual rules as an electron mediator to facilitate the Z-scheme charge transport and plasmonic material to maximize the light absorption in the visible region. The designed photocatalyst exhibits significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 production (18345 μmol h−1 g−1) under simulated sunlight irradiation. This work offers the opportunity of constructing efficient Z-scheme photocatalyst from wide bandgap semiconductors with full-visible light response, suppressed electron-hole recombination, and optimized redox potential.
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10754/666213
UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0169433220332141
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096522039&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.148457
DO - 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.148457
M3 - Article
SN - 0169-4332
VL - 541
SP - 148457
JO - Applied Surface Science
JF - Applied Surface Science
ER -