One-dimenSional Z-scheme TiO2/WO3/Pt heterostructures for enhanced hydrogen generation

One-dimensional Z-scheme TiO2/WO3/Pt heterostructures were fabricated by integrating a facile electrospinning technique and subsequent annealing in air. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, were used to characterize the as-fabricated samples. The results showed that the H-2-generation of the as-fabricated one-dimensional Z-scheme TiO2/WO3/Pt heterostructures (S2) was greatly enhanced compared with pure TiO2 nanofibers (SO) and TiO2/WO3 nanofibers (S1). The enhanced photocatalyst activities were mainly attributed to the solid-state Z-scheme photosynthetic heterojunction system with Pt nanoparticle as an electron collector and WO3 as a hole collector, leading to effective charge separation on these semiconductors, which were evidenced by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and photocurrent analysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.