Exceptional piezocatalytic H2 production of nitrogen-doped TiO2@carbon nanosheets induced by engineered piezoelectricity

Xiaojing Zhao; Xiaoxiao Lu; Wen-Jie Chen; Min-Quan Yang; Xiaoyang Pan; Zhenfeng Bian

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.12.101

Exceptional piezocatalytic H₂ production of nitrogen-doped TiO₂@carbon nanosheets induced by engineered piezoelectricity

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Apr:659:11-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.12.101. Epub 2023 Dec 22.

Authors

Xiaojing Zhao¹, Xiaoxiao Lu², Wen-Jie Chen¹, Min-Quan Yang³, Xiaoyang Pan⁴, Zhenfeng Bian⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China.
² College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China.
³ College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China. Electronic address: yangmq@fjnu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Chemical Engineering and Materials, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China; College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, College of Carbon Neutral Modern Industry, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China. Electronic address: xypan@qztc.edu.cn.
⁵ Education Ministry Key and International Joint Lab of Resource Chemistry and Shanghai Key Lab of Rare Earth Functional Materials, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China. Electronic address: bianzhenfeng@shnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38157722
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.12.101

Abstract

Piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution is a promising strategy to generate sustainable energy. In this report, nitrogen-doped (N-doped) TiO₂@ carbon nanosheets (N-TiO₂@C NSs) was successfully synthesized using C₃N₄ as a multifunctional template. During the synthesis, the two-dimensional (2D) architecture of C₃N₄ nanosheets directed the synthesis of TiO₂ nanosheets. In addition, nitrogens of C₃N₄ were doped into the TiO₂ lattice. Simultaneously, C₃N₄ was transformed into N-doped carbon nanosheets. N doping broke the crystal symmetry of TiO₂, which endowed TiO₂ with promising piezoelectric properties. The N-doped carbon nanosheets derived from C₃N₄ improved charge carrier separation efficiency and served as a flexible support to inhibit structural damage under sonication. Therefore, the N-TiO₂@C NSs exhibited highly efficient activity for piezocatalytic H₂ production (6.4 mmol·g^-1·h^-1) in the presence of methanol, much higher than those of the previously reported piezocatalysts. Our method is hoped to provide a new strategy for designing highly efficient piezocatalysts.

Keywords: Hydrogen evolution; Nanocomposite; Nitrogen doping; Piezocatalyst; TiO(2) nanosheets.