Pt single-atoms supported on nitrogen-doped carbon dots for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation

DOI: 10.1039/D0TA04431H

Authors: Hui Luo (Imperial College London; Queen Mary University of London) , Ying Liu (Queen Mary University of London) , Stoichko D. Dimitrov (Queen Mary University of London; wansea University) , Ludmilla Steier (Imperial College London) , Shaohui Guo (Queen Mary University of London) , Xuanhua Li (Queen Mary University of London) , Jingyu Feng (Imperial College London) , Fei Xie (Imperial College London; Queen Mary University of London) , Yuanxing Fang (Fuzhou University) , Andrei Sapelkin (Queen Mary University of London) , Xinchen Wang (Fuzhou University) , Maria-magdalena Titirici (Imperial College London)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Journal Of Materials Chemistry A , VOL 48

State: Published (Approved)
Published: July 2020
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 22447 , 20116

Abstract: Single-atom catalysis has become the most active new frontier in energy conversion applications due to its remarkable catalytic activity and low material consumption. However, the issue of atom aggregation during the synthesis process or catalytic reaction must be overcome. In this work, we have developed a one-step photo-deposition process to fabricate Pt single-atom catalysts (SACs) on nitrogen doped carbon dots (NCDs). The Pt–NCDs were then hybridized with TiO2 to achieve high hydrogen generation activity and to understand the fundamentals at the Pt/NCD/TiO2 interface. The synergistic effect of Pt SAC and NCDs with maximized atomic efficiency of Pt and improved charge transfer capability provides a new strategy to rationally design a multi-scale photocatalyst structure to achieve high H2 evolution efficiency. The facile synthesis process also holds great potential for various applications such as electrocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis and drug delivery, providing a promising way to reduce the high cost of noble metals.

Subject Areas: Chemistry, Materials

Diamond Offline Facilities: Electron Physical Sciences Imaging Centre (ePSIC)
Instruments: B18-Core EXAFS , E01-JEM ARM 200CF , E02-JEM ARM 300CF