The three-dimensionally ordered microporous CaTiO3 coupling Zn0.3Cd0.7S quantum dots for simultaneously enhanced photocatalytic H2 production and glucose conversion

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science 2023-05, Vol.638, p.173-183
• Main Authors: Bai, Fang-Yuan, Han, Jing-Ru, Chen, Jun, Yuan, Yue, Wei, Ke, Shen, Yuan-Sheng, Huang, Yi-Fu, Zhao, Heng, Liu, Jing, Hu, Zhi-Yi, Li, Yu, Su, Bao-Lian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3DOM CaTiO3; Glucose conversion; Heterojunction; Photocatalytic H2 production; Zn0.3Cd0.7S QDs
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.01.123

[Display omitted] •Glucose conversion assisted photocatalytic water splitting technology avoid the use of sacrificial agents while realizing co-product of H2 and high value-added chemicals.•Both hierarchical 3DOM structure and type Ⅱ heterojunction are conducive to the absorption and utilization of light and the separation and transmission of carriers.•The 3DOM CTO-ZCS photocatalyst simultaneously has high photocatalytic H2 production performance (2.81 mmol g-1h−1) and high glucose conversion (85.57 %).•The conversion of glucose to lactic acid is a two-step reaction and the control reaction step is gluconic acid to lactic acid. Glucose conversion assisted photocatalytic water splitting technology to simultaneously produce H2 and high value-added chemicals is a promising method for alleviating the energy shortage and environmental crisis. In this work, we constructing type II heterojunction by in-situ coupling Zn0.3Cd0.7S quantum dots (ZCS QDs) on three-dimensionally ordered microporous CaTiO3 (3DOM CTO) for photocatalytic H2 production and glucose conversion. The DFT calculations demonstrate that substitution of Zn on the Cd site improves the separation and transmission of photogenerated carriers. Therefore, 3DOM CTO-ZCS composite exhibits best H2 production performance (2.81 mmol g-1h−1) and highest apparent quantum efficiency (AQY) (5.56 %) at 365 nm, which are about 47 and 18 times that of CTO nanoparticles (NPs). The improved catalytic performance ascribed to not only good mass diffusion and exchange, highly efficient light harvesting of 3DOM structure, but also the efficient charges separation of type Ⅱ heterojunction. The investigation on photocatalytic mechanism indicates that the glucose is mainly converted to gluconic acid and lactic acid, and the control reaction step is gluconic acid to lactic acid. The selectivity for gluconic acid on 3DOM CTO-ZCS is 85.65 %. Our work here proposes a green sustainable method to achieve highly efficient H2 production and selective conversion of glucose to gluconic acid.