Photocatalytic production of hydrogen from methanol and saccharides using carbon nanotube-TiO2 catalysts

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015

Authors

Claúdia G. Silva (Author) FEUP; Maria J. Sampaio (Author) FEUP; Rita R. N. Marques (Author) FEUP; Liliana A. Ferreira (Author) Other; Pedro B. Tavares (Author) Other; Adrián M. T. Silva (Author) FEUP; Joaquim L. Faria (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

Vol. 178 No. SI

Pages: 82-90

ISSN: 0926-3373

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 41 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 57 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Chemical engineering

Associated Projects

LSRE-LCM - Laboratório de Processos de Separação e Reação - Laboratório de Catálise e Materiais

LA 20 - PROJECTO ESTRATÉGICO - LA 20 - 2013-2014

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00G-E1C

DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2014.10.032

Abstract (EN): Carbon nanotube-titanium dioxide composite materials were produced by two routes: hydration-dehydration and one-pot oxidation. Au, Pt, Ir and Pd were loaded on TiO2-based materials by an incipient wetness method. The resulting materials were calcined and afterwards reduced at two distinct temperatures, 473 and 673 K. Characterization was carried out by temperature programmed desorption, infrared and UV-Vis spectroscopy, N-2 adsorption, SEM and TEM. Compared with reference TiO2, composite catalysts presented increased activity for photocatalytic production of H-2 from methanol solutions. The highest activity was obtained for the Pt-loaded composite produced by the one-pot synthesis method, with 485 mu mol of H-2 being generated after two hours of irradiation, contrasting with 205 mu mol of H-2 obtained using Pt/TiO2. This synergic effect was discussed in terms of the action of carbon nanotubes as dispersing media for TiO2 particles as well as their action as photosensitizers. The relative efficiency of the catalysts was related to the work function of each metal and the sizes of the metal nanoparticles. H-2 generation from photocatalytic reforming of saccharides, namely arabinose, glucose, fructose and cellobiose was performed using TiO2 and CNT-TiO2 based catalysts. The relative efficiency of H-2 production from these biomass-derived compounds has been discussed based on their structural arrangement, H:C ratio and availability of alpha-hydrogens.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9