title: A Brown Mesoporous TiO2-x /MCF Composite with an Extremely High Quantum Yield of Solar Energy Photocatalysis for H2 Evolution.
abstract: A brown mesoporous TiO2-x /MCF composite with a high fluorine dopant concentration (8.01 at%) is synthesized by a vacuum activation method. It exhibits an excellent solar absorption and a record-breaking quantum yield (Φ = 46%) and a high photon-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency (η = 34%,) for solar photocatalytic H2 production, which are all higher than that of the black hydrogen-doped TiO2 (Φ = 35%, η = 24%). The MCFs serve to improve the adsorption of F atoms onto the TiO2 /MCF composite surface, which after the formation of oxygen vacancies by vacuum activation, facilitate the abundant substitution of these vacancies with F atoms. The decrease of recombination sites induced by high-concentration F doping and the synergistic effect between lattice Ti(3+)-F and surface Ti(3+)-F are responsible for the enhanced lifetime of electrons, the observed excellent absorption of solar light, and the photocatalytic production of H2 for these catalysts. The as-prepared F-doped composite is an ideal solar light-driven photocatalyst with great potential for applications ranging from the remediation of environmental pollution to the harnessing of solar energy for H2 production.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mingyang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Jinlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bocheng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Baozhu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anpo
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Che
keywords: H2 production; TiO2/MCF; fluorine doping; mesoporous structures; photocatalysis; quantum yield; solar energy