Salt templated synthesis of NiO/TiO2 supported carbon nanosheets for photocatalytic hydrogen production

NiO-TiO 2-x /C composites for photo-catalytic hydrogen production have been prepared by a molten salt template-assisted pyrolysis of Ni/Ti-oleylamine precursors at different temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that it is brookite structure, and X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) determines the chemical state of the elements. Carbon nanosheets improve the dispersion and stability of TiO 2 , making the later fully close to each other. NiO facilitates the separation of photo-generated carriers and enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of TiO 2 . Due to the efficient synergy of carbon nanosheets, NiO, and TiO 2 , the optimized (1 wt%)NiO-TiO 2-x /C-T650 nanocomposites show enhanced activity toward photocatalytic hydrogen production from water, outperforming 18-fold in activity higher than pristine TiO 2 /C. Moreover, the (1 wt%)NiO-TiO 2-x /C-T650 catalyst exhibits good stability without obvious decrease in activity under continuous cycling. This work will lead to the optimization of carbon-supported multi-component catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production.