TiO2 hollow spheres with separated Au and RuO2 co-catalysts for efficient photocatalytic water splitting

Hollow mesoporous TiO2 photocatalysts with dual co-catalysts, located at specific positions, were prepared using Polystyrene (PS) as sacrificial templates. Au nanoparticles (NPs) were in situ loaded on the surface of PS spheres and the resulting nanocomposites were coated with TiO2 shell using sol-gel reaction. The outer surface of core-shell spheres was impregnated with Ru and the subsequent calcination produced hollow anatase spheres with Au and RuO2 dual co-catalysts. The hollow mesoporous spheres of Au@TiO2@RuO2 were proved by various techniques such as TEM, EDX, and SEM images. Photocatalysts were applied for hydrogen generation from water splitting and that with dual co-catalysts showed efficient catalytic activity under simulated solar light. The catalytic activity of photocatalysts with both oxidation and reduction co-catalysts (Au@TiO2@RuO2) showed hydrogen evolution (3165 mu mol g(-1)) almost two times more than that Au@TiO2 and TiO2@RuO2 with single co-catalysts. And the hydrogen evolved is more than three times as compared to TiO2 (935 mu mol g(-1)) without any co-catalyst. Hollow mesoporous morphology with different co-catalysts on inner and outer surfaces is believed to enhance photo catalytic activity which is due to better separation of photo-generated charges. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC.