TY - JOUR
T1 - Hydrogen production from aqueous methanol solutions using Ti–Zr mixed oxides as photocatalysts under UV irradiation
AU - Pérez-Larios, Alejandro
AU - Rico, Jose L.
AU - Anaya-Esparza, Luis M.
AU - Vargas, O. A.González
AU - González-Silva, Napoleón
AU - Gómez, Ricardo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2019/11
Y1 - 2019/11
N2 - The synthesis and characterisation of Ti–Zr mixed oxides containing 1 to 10 wt.% of Zr is herein reported. In addition, the samples were tested as photocatalysts in the generation of hydrogen from aqueous methanol solutions. The solids were prepared by sol-gel and then characterised by X-ray diffraction, high resolution electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, physisorption of nitrogen, scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis and Raman spectroscopies. The results show the presence of anatase as a predominant structure and the oxides present larger specific surface areas than that of pure titania. A maximum value of 168 m2/g was determined for the sample with 5 wt.% of zirconium. The calculated band gap energies varied from 3.05 to 3.15 eV. It was observed that the greater the zirconium content in the solid, the higher the generation rate of hydrogen when testing the Ti–Zr solids as photocatalysts. Under our experimental conditions, the best catalyst, Ti–Zr oxide with 10 wt. % Zr, showed a production rate of 2100 μmol of H2/h which was about tenfold higher than that observed for pure titania.
AB - The synthesis and characterisation of Ti–Zr mixed oxides containing 1 to 10 wt.% of Zr is herein reported. In addition, the samples were tested as photocatalysts in the generation of hydrogen from aqueous methanol solutions. The solids were prepared by sol-gel and then characterised by X-ray diffraction, high resolution electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, physisorption of nitrogen, scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis and Raman spectroscopies. The results show the presence of anatase as a predominant structure and the oxides present larger specific surface areas than that of pure titania. A maximum value of 168 m2/g was determined for the sample with 5 wt.% of zirconium. The calculated band gap energies varied from 3.05 to 3.15 eV. It was observed that the greater the zirconium content in the solid, the higher the generation rate of hydrogen when testing the Ti–Zr solids as photocatalysts. Under our experimental conditions, the best catalyst, Ti–Zr oxide with 10 wt. % Zr, showed a production rate of 2100 μmol of H2/h which was about tenfold higher than that observed for pure titania.
KW - Hydrogen production
KW - Mixed oxide
KW - Nanocomposite
KW - Photocatalysis
KW - Photocatalysts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074729725&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/catal9110938
DO - 10.3390/catal9110938
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:85074729725
SN - 2073-4344
VL - 9
JO - Catalysts
JF - Catalysts
IS - 11
M1 - 938
ER -