PHOTOCATALYTIC HYDROGEN EVOLUTION FROM WATER SPLITTING UNDER VISIBLE LIGHT IRRADIATION ON NOVEL PHOTOCATALYST FULLENES-PVP-ZN0.999NI0.001S

摘要

Fullerenes (C60/C70) linked up to Ni-doped ZnS through the medium of an amphalic polymer polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) to form a new kind of photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution from aqueous Na2S/Na2SO3 solution under visible light irradiation, the photocatalytic activities of this novel photocatalyst C60/C70-PVP-Zn0.999Ni0.001S are 3-5 fold higher compared with that of precurse catalyst Zn0.999Ni0.001S. This result could be attributed to Schottky barrier layer built between C60/C70 and Zn0.999Ni0.001S due to the electro-negativity of C60 and characteristic of being used as a multiple electron acceptor. C60 or C60/C70, its moiety, with its low energy first excited singlet state, is a good energy acceptor and in addition readily accepts multiple electrons, making it a potential electron accumulate as we know, which could protect the separation between electrons and holes against combination. This is an important reason for the marked increase of amount of H2 evolution during the photocatalytic process for the composite system C60/C70-PVP-Zn0.999Ni0.001S.