A p-n heterojunction of CuI/TiO2 with enhanced photoelectrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation. (10th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sun, Mingjuan; Hu, Jiayue; Zhai, Chunyang; Zhu, Mingshan; Pan, Jianguo
• Is Part Of: Electrochimica acta. Volume 245(2017)
• Page Start: 863
• Page End: 871
• Publication Date: 2017-08-10
• Subjects: p-n heterojunction -- CuI -- TiO2 -- methanol oxidation -- photoelectrocatalyst; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry, Industrial -- Periodicals; 541.37
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.06.035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-4686

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: A p-n heterojunction of CuI/TiO2 is constructed. CuI/TiO2 is used as the support for depositing Pt nanoparticles. Enhanced catalytic activity of MOR by using Pt-CuI/TiO2 under light irradiation. Improved charger separation contributes to enhanced photoelectrocatalytic activity. Abstract: In this paper, a p-n heterojunction including p-type CuI and n-type TiO2 is first time constructed to be the support for the deposition of Pt. The as-prepared Pt-CuI/TiO2 modified electrode is studied for the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol both in dark and under light illumination. Compare to traditional electrocatalytic oxidation, the electrocatalytic activity of Pt-CuI/TiO2 for methanol oxidation is improved with 4.0 times upon light illumination. Moreover, compare to bare CuI and TiO2 upon light illumination, the heterostructure of CuI/TiO2 displays 4.3 and 9.1 times enhanced electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation, respectively. The synergistic effects of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis as well as the effective charge transport in the p-n heterojunction of Pt-CuI/TiO2 contribute such big enhancement. The present studies indicate that the constructing of p-n heterojunction provides more insights in the fields of photoelectrochemical and photo–assisted fuel cell system.