Synthesis of characterization of ZnxTiyS and its photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production from methanol/water photo-splitting

In order to enhance the production of hydrogen, a new system based on a ZnxTiyS photocatalyst is investigated. ZnxTiyS (x = 1, 0.95, 0.9, 0.85, 0.8 mol and y = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 mol, respectively) is prepared using thiourea (H2NCSNH2). The formed ZnxTiyS particles are globular, ∼6 μm in diameter, and composed of small spherical particles about 600 nm in diameter. The ZnxTiyS particles absorb at wavelengths above 380 nm in the UV-region like TiO2. The evolution of H2 by methanol/water (1:1) photo-splitting over ZnxTiyS in a methanol/water system is dramatically enhanced versus pure ZnS. In particular, 4.0 mmol of H2 gas is produced in 10 h when 1.0 g of Zn0.9Ti0.1S was used, and its performance increases in KOH solutions. Based on cyclic voltammetry (CV) and UV–vis spectroscopy measurements, the high photo-activity of Zn0.9Ti0.1S is attributed to the existence of a band-gap that includes the redox potential of water.