Facet Engineering of Pd Nanocrystals for Enhancing Photocatalytic Hydrogenation: Modulation of the Schottky Barrier Height and Enrichment of Surface Reactants

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c19260
• Publication Date: 2021-02-18T16:11:18Z
• Authors: Suwei Lu; Bo Weng; Aizhu Chen; Xinwei Li; Haowei Huang; Xiaoming Sun; Wenhui Feng; Yanhua Lei; Qingrong Qian; Min-Quan Yang
• Keywords: Facet (psychology)

Metal cocatalyst loading is one of the most widely explored strategies in promoting photocatalytic solar energy conversion. Engineering surface-active facets metal and exploring how they modulate reactivity crucial for further development advanced photocatalysts. In this work, through controlled hybridization two-dimensional (2D) TiO2 nanosheets with well-designed Pd nanocube (Pd NC) exposed {100} facet nano-octahedron (NO) {111} facet, we unravel distinct crystal effect selective hydrogenation nitroarenes to amines photocatalyst. The activity tests show that NO a more efficient than NC facet. prepared TiO2-Pd composite displays 900% enhancement rate comparison bare TiO2, while sample only shows 200% photoactivity enhancement. Microscopic mechanism study discloses distinctive improvement ascribed concurrent modulation Schottky barrier height enrichment surface reactants: (i) lower Fermi level could result steeper band bending (i.e., higher barrier) NC, which boosting interfacial separation inhibiting recombination photoexcited charge pairs; (ii) has adsorption ability especially stronger hydrogen capability, thus accelerating process contributing reaction rate. This work emphasizes rational control cocatalysts enhancing performance.