Photocatalytic Generation of H2 Gas from Neat Ethanol over Pt/TiO2 Nanotube Catalysts

TiO2 nanotubes promoted with Pt metal were prepared and tested to be the photocatalytic dehydrogenation catalyst in neat ethanol for producing H2 gas (C2H5OH→→→C3CHO +H2). It was found that the ability to produce H2, the liquid phase product distribution and the catlyst stability of these promoted nano catalysts all depended on the Pt loading and catalyst preparation procedure. These Pt/TiO2 catalysts with TiO2 nanotubes washed with diluted H2SO4 solution produced 1, 2-diethoxy ethane (acetal) as the major liquid phase product, while over those washed with diluted HCl solution or H2O, acetaldehyde was the major liquid phase product.