Construction of TiO2–MnO2 0D–2D nanostructured heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Guojing Wang; Tao Chen; Shuo Liu; Fengqi Wang; Mingyang Li; Mingzheng Xie; Jing Wang; Yunjie Xiang; Weihua Han

doi:10.1039/D1DT01233A

Construction of TiO₂–MnO₂ 0D–2D nanostructured heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production†

Guojing Wang,

*^a Tao Chen,^a Shuo Liu,^a Fengqi Wang,^a Mingyang Li,‡^b Mingzheng Xie,

^c Jing Wang,^d Yunjie Xiang^e and Weihua Han

*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
E-mail: wanggj@lzu.edu.cn, hanwh@lzu.edu.cn

^b Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

^c Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

^d Department of Electronic Materials Science and Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

^e School of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 404100, China

Abstract

The low transfer efficiency and high recombination loss of photo-induced carriers in TiO₂ are significant issues that hinder its photocatalytic activity. Herein, TiO₂ nanoparticles (∼5 nm) were loaded on MnO₂ nanosheets (40–60 nm) to form TiO₂–MnO₂ nanostructured heterojunction (0D–2D nanostructure unit), possessing a high specific surface area. The separation/transfer efficiency of photocarriers and the solar absorptivity of TiO₂–MnO₂ were improved, thus enhancing solar energy conversion efficiency. The enhanced transfer efficiency of carriers is associated with the 2D network of MnO₂ and abundant oxygen vacancies serving as media for electron transport. The enhanced visible absorption and reduced recombination should be attributed to the narrowed bandgap and modified energy band structure. The photocurrent of TiO₂–MnO₂ increased obviously and the H₂ production rate increased to 0.38 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, compared with that of pure TiO₂ (0.25 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). The enhanced photocatalytic properties are also associated with the excellent water oxidation kinetics caused by MnO₂ nanosheets.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/D1DT01233A

Article type

Paper

Submitted

14 Apr 2021

Accepted

25 May 2021

First published

25 May 2021

Download Citation

Dalton Trans., 2021,50, 8711-8717

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Construction of TiO₂–MnO₂ 0D–2D nanostructured heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

G. Wang, T. Chen, S. Liu, F. Wang, M. Li, M. Xie, J. Wang, Y. Xiang and W. Han, Dalton Trans., 2021, 50, 8711 DOI: 10.1039/D1DT01233A

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