Chemical and Materials Engineering(CEASE PUBLICATION) Vol. 4(1), pp. 1 - 7
DOI: 10.13189/cme.2016.040101
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Enhancement of UV Photo-catalytic Activity in Greenly Modified Nano-TiO₂

Fabio G. Santomauro ¹, Sareh Ahmadi ², Håkan Rensmo ², Daniel L. A. Fernandes ³, Jacinto Sá ^3,4,*
1 Laboratory of Ultrafast Spectroscopy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland
² Department of Physics and Astronomy, Molecular and Condensed Matter Physics, Angstrom Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden
³ Department of Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Angstrom Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden
⁴ Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

ABSTRACT

Converting light into chemical bonds is a central motif in energy production. This approach has the advantages of energy production and storage without greenhouse gas emission plus energy produced can be retrieved at anytime. Photosynthesis is nature's way of converting light, water, and CO₂ into sugars and oxygen. In optimum conditions, energy-conversion efficiencies up to 7% can be reached, and 1% over agricultural crops entire lifecycle. The associated man-made processes are called artificial photosynthesis, and the most notorious process is water splitting, in which water is converted into H₂ and O₂. We report a green and facile manner to improve TiO₂ photo-catalytic activity via nitrogen doping. The method involves soaking TiO₂ nano-particles in ammonia solution followed by a heat-treatment. The green credentials stand from the fact that virtually all the adsorbed NH₃ is inserted into the structure leading to a close to 100% atom efficiency. The resultant materials have higher photo-catalytic activity in methanol gas-phase reforming aimed at the production of hydrogen. Nitrogen doping treatment affects moderately the optical properties of TiO₂ but the attained activity enhancement was related to a surface modification not optical properties alteration.

KEYWORDS
Green-synthesis Procedure, Photocatalysis, Hydrogen Production, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Fabio G. Santomauro , Sareh Ahmadi , Håkan Rensmo , Daniel L. A. Fernandes , Jacinto Sá , "Enhancement of UV Photo-catalytic Activity in Greenly Modified Nano-TiO₂," Chemical and Materials Engineering(CEASE PUBLICATION), Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1 - 7, 2016. DOI: 10.13189/cme.2016.040101.

(b). APA Format:
Fabio G. Santomauro , Sareh Ahmadi , Håkan Rensmo , Daniel L. A. Fernandes , Jacinto Sá (2016). Enhancement of UV Photo-catalytic Activity in Greenly Modified Nano-TiO₂. Chemical and Materials Engineering(CEASE PUBLICATION), 4(1), 1 - 7. DOI: 10.13189/cme.2016.040101.