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Carbon dots as electron mediators in TiO₂-based ternary composites for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

ملخص البحث

Designing efficient TiO2-based composites for photocatalytic H2 production from H2O is a forward-looking aim in research; however, the lack of sufficient active sites still necessitates the addition of noble-metal cocatalyst. Herein, we report a protocol for synthesizing a ternary photocatalyst based on TiO₂, carbon dots (CDs), and either carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO), denoted as CDs/TiO₂/CNTs and CDs/TiO₂/rGO, and their application in photocatalytic H₂ generation. After optimizing the contents of CDs, CNTs, and rGO in the composites, the CDs/TiO₂/CNTs and CDs/TiO₂/rGO photocatalysts achieved H₂ generation rates of 9082 and 2398 µmol•g−1•h−1, representing 44-fold and 12-fold enhancements compared with bare TiO₂, respectively. Interestingly, the synthesized ternary photocatalysts demonstrated significantly higher photocatalytic activity compared to their binary photocatalysts, TiO2/CNTs, TiO2@CDs, and TiO₂/rGO. Additionally, The CDs/TiO₂/CNTs composites showed excellent structural and catalytic photostability. The incorporation effect of carbon dots (CDs) was further explored through optical and photoelectrochemical measurements, which revealed that CDs act as electron mediators, facilitating charge transfer and transport. These findings highlight the potential of carbon dots in improving the performance of TiO₂-based composites for sustainable hydrogen production and provide insights into the design of advanced composites for photocatalytic applications.

مؤلف البحث
Yasmin M Bakier, Mahmoud R Saleh, Haitham M El-Bery
تاريخ البحث
قسم البحث
صفحات البحث
119883
الناشر
Elsevier
تصنيف البحث
Q1
عدد البحث
Volume 13, Issue 6, December 2025
موقع البحث
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343725045804
سنة البحث
2025