Pt Single Atoms on TiO 2 Can Catalyze Water Oxidation in Photoelectrochemical Experiments

作者：Si‐Ming Wu, Wu Lu, Nikita Denisov, Zdeňěk Baďura, Giorgio Zoppellaro, Xiaoyu Yang, Patrik Schmuki · 发表于：Journal of the American Chemical Society · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1021/jacs.4c03319 · 被引用次数：87 · 研究领域：Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques、Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion、Copper-based nanomaterials and applications

Photoelectrochemical water splitting on n-type semiconductors is highly dependent on catalysis of the rate-determining reaction of O 2 evolution. Conventionally, in electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry O 2 evolution is catalyzed by metal oxide catalysts like IrO 2 and RuO 2, whereas noble metals such as Pt are considered unsuitable for this purpose. However, our study finds that Pt, in its single-atom form, exhibits exceptional cocatalytic properties for photoelectrochemical water oxidation on a TiO 2 photoanode, in contrast to Pt in a nanoparticle form. The decoration of Pt single atoms onto TiO 2 yields a remarkable current density of 5.89 mA cm –2 at 1.23 V RHE, surpassing bare TiO 2 (or Pt nanoparticle decorated TiO 2 ) by 2.52 times. Notably, this enhancement remains consistent over a wide pH range. By accompanying theoretical work, we assign this significant enhancement to an improved charge transfer and separation efficiency along with accelerated kinetics in the oxygen evolution reaction facilitated by the presence of Pt single atoms on the TiO 2 surface.