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Published on: August 23, 2012
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H-Glass Supported Hybrid Gold Nano-Islands for Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution.
Indrajeet Mandal1, Jagannath Gangareddy1, Abimannan Sethurajaperumal2
1CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, 196 Raja S C Mullick Road, Kolkata, 700 032, India.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|April 2, 2024
Summary
Hybrid gold nano-islands on active glass boost solar-to-hydrogen efficiency for sustainable hydrogen production. This advancement enhances light utilization and reduces charge recombination in photocatalytic reactors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photocatalysis
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Flat panel reactors with photocatalytic coatings offer sustainable, zero-carbon hydrogen (H2) production.
- Low solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency remains a challenge due to poor light utilization and charge recombination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop hybrid gold nano-islands (HGNIs) on a novel active glass support (H-glass) to enhance STH conversion efficiency.
- To investigate the role of HGNIs and H-glass in improving light-driven chemical reactions.
Main Methods:
- Plasmonic HGNIs were synthesized on H-glass using thermal dewetting at 550°C.
- Characterization of HGNIs, including various oxidation states (Au0, Au+, Au-) and interfaces.
- Evaluation of STH conversion efficiency via water dissociation without sacrificial agents.
Main Results:
- HGNIs exhibited multiple oxidation states and interfaces due to elemental diffusion from H-glass.
- Enhanced hot electron lifetime of approximately 2.94 ps was observed.
- Achieved a significant STH conversion efficiency of 0.6% using H-glass-supported HGNIs.
Conclusions:
- H-glass-supported HGNIs effectively improve STH conversion efficiency by enhancing light utilization and charge carrier dynamics.
- This approach offers a promising pathway for developing high-performance photocatalysts for large-scale commercial hydrogen production.
- The study highlights the potential of tailored plasmonic nanostructures integrated with active glass supports for advanced photocatalytic applications.
