Significant improvement of TiO2 photocatalytic hydrogen generation by photothermic synergistic action and underlying mechanism

This article reported an extremely easy method of optical radiation-assisted thermal excitation to dramatically increase photocatalytic hydrogen generation ability of water splitting with P25 as a model compound. This method compensated for the time waste, high cost and operational complexity of traditional catalytic material modification methods, and largely improved the photocatalytic hydrogen production ability of photocatalytic materials. The hydrogen generation rates at room temperature is 1090 μmol/g/h. At 50 °C, the rate increase to 10670 μmol/g/h. The quantum rates at room temperature and 50 °C are 6.5 and 63.3, respectively. It is clear that appropriate low-temperature heating could largely accelerate the hydrogen generation rate of P25. This work presents the detailed mechanism how this method largely enhances photocatalytic hydrogen generation of P25 as well as the laws. The new method offers some evidences and reference for research on how the photothermic synergistic action facilitates the photocatalytic hydrogen generation of catalytic materials.