Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Biochars from Olive Stones as Carbonaceous Support in Pt/TiO2-Carbon Photocatalysts and Application in Hydrogen Production from Aqueous Glycerol Photoreforming

“…The use of a support for semiconductors can contribute to an increase in stability, reusability, or surface area, while the efficient participation of such a support in optoelectrochemical properties is still challenging [9]. Numerous studies have shown that carbon materials can serve as excellent supports and conductive materials for coupling with semiconductors to form hybrid systems for the photocatalytic production of H 2 [10]. In particular, the formation of composites of titania with carbonaceous materials can result in (i) an increase in the active surface of the semiconductor, (ii) an enhancement in the semiconductor adsorption properties [11], (iii) a photosensitizing effect that decreases the value of the semiconductor bandgap, (iv) an alteration in the defective sites of the heterostructures, and (v) a reduction in the recombination of the generated charges, if the carbons present adequate electronic properties [12,13].…”

“…However, using carbon as a support in photocatalytic experiments could have strong light absorption and cause shielding effects, leading to inefficient light absorption by semiconductors [10]. Furthermore, Tolosana-Moranchel et al presented a study of the optical properties (extinction, absorption, and dispersion coefficients) of different commercial TiO 2 particulate solids in the photodegradation process of phenol in suspension, showing that these properties depend, to a large extent, on the hydrodynamic particle size (hydrated/solvated particle) and significantly affect the photocatalytic performance of the reaction [14].…”