Nanostructured electroless Ni deposited SnO₂ for solar hydrogen production

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Hydrogen is a promising clean fuel for the future.
• Developing efficient photocatalysts is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production.
• Tin oxide (SnO2) is a semiconductor material with potential for photocatalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize nickel-decorated tin oxide (Ni@SnO2) nanostructures.
• To evaluate the photocatalytic performance of Ni@SnO2 for hydrogen evolution.
• To investigate the effect of nickel decoration on the properties of SnO2.

Main Methods:

• Electroless deposition was used to synthesize Ni@SnO2 nanostructures.
• X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Field Emission Transmission Electron Microscopy (FETEM) were used for structural and morphological characterization.
• Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) were employed for elemental and chemical analysis.
• Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was used to study optical properties and band gap analysis.

Main Results:

• Ni@SnO2 nanostructures with SnO2 nanoparticles decorated with Ni nanoparticles and films were successfully synthesized.
• Characterization confirmed the formation of rutile SnO2 and the deposition of Ni.
• Ni@SnO2 exhibited a slight red shift in band gap (3.53-3.65 eV) compared to pristine SnO2 (3.72 eV) and reduced defect peak intensity in PL spectra.
• The 0.3 wt% Ni@SnO2 photocatalyst showed a significantly enhanced hydrogen evolution rate of ~50 μmol g-1 h-1 under visible light, compared to pristine SnO2 (8.5 μmol g-1 h-1).

Conclusions:

• Ni@SnO2 nanostructures are effective photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution.
• The enhanced performance is attributed to an increased density of active sites and improved charge separation.
• Ni@SnO2 demonstrates superior hydrogen evolution compared to previously reported Pt-doped SnO2 materials, highlighting its potential for future hydrogen fuel applications.