Electrospun Donor/Acceptor Nanofibers for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Xiaoyu Lin; Yuanying Liang; Zhicheng Hu; Xi Zhang; Youcai Liang; Zhengwei Hu; Fei Huang; Yong Cao

doi:10.3390/nano12091535

Nanomaterials (May 2022)

Electrospun Donor/Acceptor Nanofibers for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Xiaoyu Lin,
Yuanying Liang,
Zhicheng Hu,
Xi Zhang,
Youcai Liang,
Zhengwei Hu,
Fei Huang,
Yong Cao

Affiliations

Xiaoyu Lin: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Yuanying Liang: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Zhicheng Hu: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xi Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Youcai Liang: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Zhengwei Hu: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Fei Huang: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
Yong Cao: State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12091535
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 9
p. 1535

Abstract

Read online

We prepared a series of one-dimensional conjugated-material-based nanofibers with different morphologies and donor/acceptor (D/A) compositions by electrospinning for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. It was found that homogeneous D/A heterojunction nanofibers can be obtained by electrospinning, and the donor/acceptor ratio can be easily controlled. Compared with the single-component-based nanofibers, the D/A-based nanofibers showed a 34-fold increase in photocatalytic efficiency, attributed to the enhanced exciton dissociation in the nanofibrillar body. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of these nanofibers can be easily optimized by modulating the diameter. The results show that the diameter of the nanofibers can be conveniently controlled by the electrospinning feed rate, and the photocatalytic effect increases with decreasing fiber diameter. Consequently, the nanofibers with the smallest diameter exhibit the most efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, with the highest release rate of 24.38 mmol/(gh). This work provides preliminary evidence of the advantages of the electrospinning strategy in the construction of D/A nanofibers with controlled morphology and donor/acceptor composition, enabling efficient hydrogen evolution.

Published in Nanomaterials

ISSN: 2079-4991 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords