S, N Co-Doped Graphene Quantum Dot/TiO2 Composites for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

Abstract

Abstract S, N co-doped graphene quantum dots (S,N-GQDs) coupled with P25 (TiO2) (S,N-GQD/P25) have been prepared via simply hydrothermal method. The as-prepared S,N-GQD/P25 composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic hydrogen generation activities, with a significantly extended light absorption range and superior durability without loading any noble metal cocatalyst. The photocatalytic activity of this composite under visible light (λ = 400–800 nm) was greatly improved compared with that of pure P25. This remarkable improvement in photocatalytic activity of the S,N-GQD/P25 composites can be attributed to that S,N-GQDs play a key role to enhance visible light absorption and facilitate the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes. Generally, this work could provide new insights into the facile fabrication of photocatalytic composites as high performance photocatalysts.

Keywords

• Graphene quantum dots
• TiO2
• Elemental doping
• Photocatalysis
• Hydrogen evolution