Abstract:
Photocatalytic hydrogen production is a sustainable and
greenhouse-gas-free method that requires an efficient and abundant photocatalyst,
which minimizes energy consumption. Currently, interests in transition
metal chalcogenide materials have been utilized in different applications due to
their quantum confinement effect and low band gaps. In this study, different wt
% of NiS2-embedded TiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile
hydrothermal method and utilized for photocatalytic hydrogen production
under extended solar irradiation. Among the materials studied, the highest
amount (4.185 mmol g−1) of hydrogen production was observed with 15 wt %
of the NiS2/TiO2 nanocomposite. The highest photocatalytic activity may be
due to the well separation of photoinduced charge carriers on the catalyst,
which was confirmed by the electrochemical studies. Thus, we believe that
these photocatalysts are promising candidates for future applications.
