Enhanced Hydrogen Production by Photoreforming of Renewable Oxygenates Through Nanostructured Fe2O3 Polymorphs. (16th September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Carraro, Giorgio; Maccato, Chiara; Gasparotto, Alberto; Montini, Tiziano; Turner, Stuart; Lebedev, Oleg I.; Gombac, Valentina; Adami, Gianpiero; Van Tendeloo, Gustaaf; Barreca, Davide; Fornasiero, Paolo
• Is Part Of: Advanced functional materials. Volume 24:Number 3(2014)
• Page Start: 372
• Page End: 378
• Publication Date: 2013-09-16
• Subjects: Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201302043
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1616-301X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Sunlight‐driven hydrogen production via photoreforming of aqueous solutions containing renewable compounds is an attractive option for sustainable energy generation with reduced carbon footprint. Nevertheless, the absence of photocatalysts combining high efficiency and stability upon solar light activation has up to date strongly hindered the development of this technology. Herein, two scarcely investigated iron(III) oxide polymorphs, β‐ and ε‐Fe₂O₃, possessing a remarkable activity in sunlight‐activated H₂ generation from aqueous solutions of renewable oxygenates (i.e., ethanol, glycerol, glucose) are reported. For β‐Fe₂O₃ and ε‐Fe₂O₃, H₂ production rates up to 225 and 125 mmol h⁻¹ m⁻² are obtained, with significantly superior performances with respect to the commonly investigated α‐Fe₂O₃.</p> </abstract>