Heterojunction of CuMn2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites for promoted photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible light

Background: It is significant to design a photocatalyst with highly efficient H-2 evolution utilizing solar energy to be a renewable energy sources.Method: Heterojunction CuMn2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites were constructed by a facile sol-gel approach utilizing a nonionic surfactant. The H2 evolution of the heterojunction CuMn2O4/CeO2 photocatalysts compared with pure CeO2 NPs was addressed under visible light. Glycerol was employed as an electron donor, and Pt NPs were in-situ photo-reduced during the reaction onto the CuMn2O4/CeO2 surface.Significant Findings: The TEM and XRD results verified the build of CuMn2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites with cubic phases of CeO2 and CuMn2O4 and particles size of about 10 nm. The results indicated that the H-2 evolution of 15%CuMn2O4/CeO2 photocatalyst was determined at about 23,650 mu mol.g(-1) after being illuminated for 9 h, while that of pure CeO2 was 4774 mu mol.g(-1). The H2 evolution rate of 15%CuMn2O4/CeO2 photocatalyst was enhanced five times larger than pure CeO2. The enhanced H2 evolution rate over the synthesized CuMn2O4/CeO2 nanocomposites can be attributed to the effective electron transport ability, enhancement of the separation ef-ficiency of electrons-hole. The construction of CuMn2O4/CeO2 S-scheme heterojunction is advantages to mini-mize the recombination of electron-hole, boosting the carriers lifetime, and enhancing the photocatalytic ability. The mechanism of photocatalytic H-2 evolution over CuMn2O4/CeO2 photocatalyst is illustrated. This study provides an effective and simple procedure to perform a reasonably constructed photocatalyst for cost-effective, stabilized and efficient solar H2 evolution applications.

Automated summary

The researchers constructed CuMn2O4/CeO2 heterojunction nanocomposites using a facile sol-gel method and evaluated their photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance compared to pure CeO2 NPs under visible light. It was found that the H2 evolution rate of 15%CuMn2O4/CeO2 photocatalyst was five times higher than that of pure CeO2, attributed to its higher electron transport ability and electron-hole separation efficiency.