Engineering rGO nanosheets-adsorption layer supported Pt nanoparticles to enhance photo-thermal catalytic activity under light irradiation

Abstract

The direct conversion of renewable clean solar energy into heat to drive various catalytic reactions, e.g., oxidative degradation of volatile organic compounds, is highly desirable but remains challenging because of its low efficiency. In this work, a Pt-decorated-rGO nanosheet adsorption layer is rationally fabricated to achieve highly selective conversion of gaseous toluene to carbon dioxide under light irradiation. Specifically, its maximum photo-thermal conversion efficiency reaches 17.6% with a significant toluene conversion of 98% and CO₂ yield of 96% under 146 mW cm⁻² infrared light irradiation, together with excellent stability of nearly 45 h, much superior to that of the previous reported catalyst of Pt–rGO–TiO₂. The comparison characterizations evidence that this excellent performance is predominantly attributed to the synergistic effects of ultrabroadband strong IR light absorption, efficient light-to-heat conversion, well-dispersed active Pt nanoparticles and strong reactant adsorption capacity with light irradiation. This work highlights that rGO nanosheets-adsorption layer directs light harnessing, Pt nanoparticle dispersion and reactant adsorption, showing great promise for redox reactions through photo-thermal effect. It is anticipated that this study will provide insight into the design of more energy-efficient catalysts with significant utilization of solar energy.