Construction of ternary RuP2/Ti4P6O23@TiO2 photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic biomass selective oxidation and water splitting

Abstract

High-efficiency visible-light-driven biomass conversion, coupled with water splitting, has attracted considerable attention, but the achievements have been rather limited. Herein, the ternary RuP₂/Ti₄P₆O₂₃@TiO₂-7 photocatalyst was successfully constructed for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and high selectivity biomass conversion simultaneously. A series of nanospheres were uniformly arranged on the surface of RuP₂/Ti₄P₆O₂₃@TiO₂-7, and it exhibited a fast photo-generated carrier rate and wide visible light absorption range due to the in situ incorporated RuP₂ and Ti₄P₆O₂₃ to form the heterojunction. The hydrogen evolution achieved 16.3 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ accompanied by lactic acid production that reached 2.41 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹. Moreover, the RuP₂/Ti₄P₆O₂₃@TiO₂-7 photocatalytic system is suitable for different biomass-derived monosaccharides and macromolecule xylan, in which the pentoses are more active than hexoses. For xylan, lactic acid production reached 0.63 g g_xylan⁻¹. Notably, this work shows an efficient utilization of water splitting and biomass conversion via RuP₂/Ti₄P₆O₂₃@TiO₂-7 photocatalysis and provides new insight into biomass reforming and water splitting.