Structure-performance relationship of SrTiO3/S@g-C3N4 nanocomposites for highly active hydrogen production via NaBH4 methanolysis
Fahad Abdulaziz, Asmaa I. El-Tantawy, Jamal R. Humaidi, Amjad Salamah Aljaloud, Arwa Azhary, Abdulaziz A. Alanazi, A. S. Abouhaswa, Taha Abdel Mohaymen Taha, Taha Abdel Mohaymen Taha
Abstract
The catalytic performance of SrTiO 3 /S@g-C 3 N 4 nanocomposite catalyst for hydrogen production from NaBH 4 methanolysis was investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed the structure of the nanocomposite catalyst. The XRD spectrum of SrTiO 3 /S@g-C 3 N 4 showed the presence of both SrTiO 3 and S@g-C 3 N 4 phases. ATR spectroscopy analysis proved the interaction between SrTiO 3 and g-C 3 N 4 that facilitates electron-hole separation and charge transfer. The SEM images demonstrated that the SrTiO 3 /S@g-C 3 N 4 sheets were broken up during growth. The surface area of SrTiO 3 /S@g-C 3 N 4 was 195 m 2 /g, which is higher than that of pristine S@g-C 3 N 4 (40 m 2 /g), while the BJH pore size of SrTiO 3 /S@g-C 3 N 4 (1.6 nm) was lower than that of S@g-C 3 N 4 (2.0 nm). The band gap of the nanocomposite catalyst was reduced from 2.71 to 2.67 eV after the incorporation of SrTiO 3 . The PL spectra showed a characteristic peak of S@g-C 3 N 4 at 457 nm, which red-shifted with the addition of SrTiO 3 . The catalyst SrTiO 3 /S@g-C 3 N 4 achieved a promising hydrogen production rate of 8537 mL/g.min and a reaction activation energy of 19.20 kJ/mol. These findings show promise for catalytic performance and high efficiency in hydrogen generation from NaBH 4 methanolysis.