Properties and H2 production ability of Pt photodeposited on the anatase phase transition of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide

The effect of calcination temperature on the properties and H2 production ability of nitrogen-doped (N-doped) titanium dioxide (TiO2) photodeposited with 0.2 wt% Pt (platinum) was studied. The increase in crystallinity of pre-calcinated N-doped TiO2 initiated at temperatures higher than 131 °C transformed the morphology from anomalous nanostructure to texture composed of nanoparticles and enhanced the specific surface areas. At 200–400 °C, the anatase peaks gradually became sharper and the visible light absorption region decreased due to the growth of crystallites and the decrease of N-doping content, respectively. Maximum H2 production was reached when N-doped TiO2 was calcined at 200 °C followed by Pt photodeposition. The maximum condition is brought about by the formation of textures consisting of nanoparticles and a broad absorption region, thus creating superior active sites for photocatalytic H2 production.

► N-doped content decreases with increasing calcination temperature.
► Structure transformation from anomalous to texture enables growth of SBET.
► Pt/N-doped TiO2 has high SBET and excellent visible light absorption ability.