Accelerating photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation by coupling organic co-catalysts with TiO2

Accelerating the separation efficiency of photoexcited electron-hole pairs with the help of highly active co-catalysts has proven to be a promising approach for improving photocatalytic activity. Thus far, the most developed co-catalysts for semiconductor-based photocatalysis are inorganic materials; the employment of a specific organic molecule as a co-catalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant photodegradation is rare and still remains a challenging task. Herein, we report on the use of an organic molecule, oxamide (OA), as a novel co-catalyst to enhance electron-hole separation, photocatalytic H2 evolution, and dye degradation over TiO2 nanosheets. OA-modified TiO2 samples were prepared by a wet chemical route and demonstrated improved light absorption in the visible-light region and more efficient charge transport. The photocatalytic performance of H2 evolution from water splitting and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation for an optimal OA-modified TiO2 photocatalyst reached 2.37 mmol g-1 h-1 and 1.43 × 10−2 min−1, respectively, which were 2.4 and 3.8 times higher than those of pristine TiO2, respectively. A possible mechanism is proposed, in which the specific π-conjugated structure of OA is suggested to play a key role in the enhancement of the charge transfer and catalytic capability of TiO2. This work may provide advanced insight into the development of a variety of metal-free organic molecules as functional co-catalysts for improved solar-to-fuel conversion and environmental remediation.