Synthesis of Core@shell Structured CuFeS₂@TiO₂ Magnetic Nanomaterial and Its Application for Hydrogen Production by Methanol Aqueous Solution Photosplitting

摘要

A new magnetic semiconductor material was synthesized to enable separation after a liquid-type photocatalysis process. Core@shell-structured CuFeS2@TiO2 magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by a combination of solvothermal and wet-impregnation methods for photocatalysis applications. The materials obtained were characterized using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements, and cyclic voltammetry. This study confirmed that the light absorption of CuFeS2 was shifted significantly to the visible wavelength compared to pure TiO2. Moreover, the resulting hydrogen production from the photo-splitting methanol/water solution after 10 hours was more than 4 times on the core@shell structured CuFeS2@TiO2 nanocatalyst than on either pure TiO2 or CuFeS2.