Improving hydrogen production via water splitting over Pt/TiO2/activated carbon nanocomposite

• Mesoporous Pt/TiO2/activated carbon nanocomposite was synthesized.
• The effect of activated carbon was investigated.
• Pt/TiO2/AC photocatalyst has high activity for hydrogen production.

Mesoporous TiO2/AC, Pt/TiO2 and Pt/TiO2/AC (AC = activated carbon) nanocomposites were synthesized by functionalizing the activated carbon using acid treatment and sol–gel method. Photochemical deposition method was used for Pt loading. The nano-photocatalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, DRS, BET, FTIR, XPS, CHN and ICP methods. The hydrogen production, under UV light irradiation in an aqueous suspension containing methanol has been studied. The effect of Pt, methanol and activated carbon were investigated. The results show that the activated carbon and Pt together improve the hydrogen production via water splitting. Also methanol acts as a good hole scavenger. Mesoporous Pt/TiO2/AC nanocomposite is the most efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen production compared to TiO2/AC, Pt/TiO2 and the commercial photocatalyst P25 under the same photoreaction conditions. Using Pt/TiO2/AC, the rate of hydrogen production is 7490 μmol (h g catal.)−1 that is about 75 times higher than that of the P25 photocatalyst.