Photocatalytic splitting of seawater effected by (Ni-ZnO)@C nanoreactors

T-C Yang; F-C Chang; H Paul Wang; Y-L Wei; C-J Jou

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.02.011

Photocatalytic splitting of seawater effected by (Ni-ZnO)@C nanoreactors

Mar Pollut Bull. 2014 Aug 30;85(2):696-9. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.02.011. Epub 2014 Mar 14.

Authors

T-C Yang¹, F-C Chang², H Paul Wang³, Y-L Wei⁴, C-J Jou⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
² Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan; The Experimental Forest, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Nan-Tou 557, Taiwan.
³ Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan. Electronic address: wanghp@mail.ncku.edu.tw.
⁴ Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan.

PMID: 24636237
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.02.011

Abstract

Novel photocatalysts i.e., metallic nickel and zinc oxide nanoparticles embedded in the carbon-shell ((Ni-ZnO)@C) have been used for photocatalytic splitting of seawater to generate H2. The (Ni-ZnO)@C core-shell nanoparticles having the Zn/Ni ratios of 0-3 were prepared by carbonization of Ni(2+)- and Zn(2+)-β-cyclodextrin at 673 K for 2 h. To increase the collision frequency of water and photoactive sites within the carbon-shell, Ni and ZnO are partially etched from the (Ni-ZnO)@C core-shell to form yolk-shell nanoparticles with a H2SO4 solution (2N). By X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, mainly Ni and ZnO crystallites are observed in the core- and yolk-shell nanoparticles. The sizes of the Ni and ZnO in the (Ni-ZnO)@C nanoreactors are between 7 and 23 nm in diameters determined by TEM and small angel scattering spectroscopy. Under a 5-h UV-Vis light irradiation, 5.01 μmol/hgcat of H2 are yielded from photocatalytic splitting of seawater effected by (Ni-ZnO)@C nanoreactors.

Keywords: Core–shell; H(2) fuel; Nanoreactors; Photocatalysis; Seawater; Yolk–shell.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Catalysis
Catalytic Domain
Hydrogen / chemistry
Light
Nanoparticles / chemistry
Nanotechnology / methods*
Nickel / chemistry*
Photochemistry
Scattering, Radiation
Seawater*
Spectrophotometry
Ultraviolet Rays
Water / chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
X-Ray Diffraction
Zinc Oxide / chemistry*
beta-Cyclodextrins / chemistry

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
beta-Cyclodextrins
Water
Nickel
Hydrogen
betadex
Zinc Oxide