Photocatalytic ethanol to H2 and 1,1-diethoxyethane by Co(II) diphenylphosphinate/TiO2 composite

Through a facile solvothermal method, the novel composites of cobalt(II) diphenylphosphinate/TiO 2 have been synthesized and used for photocatalytic hydrogen production in ethanol solution. The chemical composition and surface morphology were analyzed by XPS, XRD, ICP-OES, EA, IR and SEM. The composite CoTi10 showed high photocatalytic activity in H 2 evolution that the quantity is ca. 1155.86 μmol/g for 3 h in ethanol solution under the illumination of UV–visible light source, which is 12 times higher than the commercial P25. The composites also exhibited unique selectivity for converting ethanol to 1,1-diethoxyethane in the photocatalytic process. Moreover, their good stabilities were revealed in the recycling test. It is thus clear that the composite can effectively inhibit the recombination of electron-hole pairs in photocatalytic reactions and lead to the enhanced hydrogen production rate.