Issue 38, 2021

A 20-core copper(i) nanocluster as electron–hole recombination inhibitor on TiO2 nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic H2 evolution

Abstract

For the design of atom-precise copper nanoclusters, besides the exploration of their aesthetic cage-like architectures, their structural modulation and potential applications are being extensively explored. Herein, an atom-precise 20-core copper(I)-alkynyl nanocluster (UJN-Cu20) protected by ethinyloestradiol ligands issynthesized. By virtue of outer-shell hydroxyl groups, UJN-Cu20 could be uniformly modified on the surface of TiO2 nanosheets via hydrogen bonding interactions, thus forming an efficient nanocomposite photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. By constructing a Z-scheme heterojunction, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of the nanocomposite (13 mmol g−1 h−1) significantly improved as compared to that of TiO2 nanosheets (0.4 mmol g−1 h−1). As a narrow bandgap cocatalyst, UJN-Cu20 is confirmed to effectively inhibit the electron–hole recombination on the surface of the TiO2 nanosheet, which provides a new concept for the design of copper cluster-assisted effective photocatalysts.

Graphical abstract: A 20-core copper(i) nanocluster as electron–hole recombination inhibitor on TiO2 nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic H2 evolution

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Jul 2021
Accepted
07 Sep 2021
First published
08 Sep 2021

Nanoscale, 2021,13, 16182-16188

A 20-core copper(I) nanocluster as electron–hole recombination inhibitor on TiO2 nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic H2 evolution

Y. Cao, H. Hao, H. Liu, D. Yin, M. Wang, G. Gao, L. Fan and H. Liu, Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 16182 DOI: 10.1039/D1NR04683G

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