Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity by Pt Confined within N-Doped Carbon on TiO2 Inner Surface

The semiconductor structure has a great effect on the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen energy. Herein, the hollow TiO2 composite with an N-doped carbon (NC) layer and evenly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (NC/Pt@TiO2) on its inner surface was prepared through the synchronous precarburization of N-containing polymers and in situ reduction of Pt precursor. Benefiting from all of the well-distributed and Pt nanoparticles that contain both Pt-0 and Pt2+, high conductivity of NC layers, high surface area, big bore diameter, and the optimized charge transfer between Pt and NC, the photocatalytic H-2 production by NC/Pt@TiO2-900 reaches up to 23.8 mmol.h(-1).g(-1). Moreover, due to the strong combination of Pt and NC layers through Pt-N bonds, NC/Pt@TiO2-900 still presents good photocatalytic stability. Given all this, this study highlights the greater potential of the thin NC layers in the development of novel photocatalysts with excellent performance.