@article {46792, title = {Can half-a-monolayer of pt simulate activity like that of bulk pt? solar hydrogen activity demonstration with quasi-artificial leaf device}, journal = {ACS Applied Materials \& Interfaces}, volume = {12}, year = {2020}, month = {JUL }, pages = {30420-30430}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Pt is the best cocatalyst for hydrogen production. It is also well-known that the surface atomic layer is critical for catalysis. To minimize the Pt content as cocatalyst, herein we report on half-a-monolayer of Pt (0.5 theta(Pt)) decorated on earth-abundant Ni-Cu cocatalyst, which is integrated with a quasiartificial leaf (QuAL) device (TiO2/ZnS/CdS) and demonstrated for efficient solar hydrogen production. For the QuAL, TiO2 is sensitized with ZnS and CdS quantum dots by the SILAR method. The 0.5 theta(Pt)-decorated Ni-Cu shows an onset potential of 0.05 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode for the hydrogen evolution reaction, which is almost similar to that of commercial Pt/C. Photoactivity of the present QuAL device with either bulk Pt or 0.5 theta(Pt)-coated Ni-Cu cocatalyst is, surprisingly, equal. Our findings underscore that a fraction of a monolayer of Pt can enhance the activity of the cocatalyst, and it is worth exploring further for the high activity associated with atomic Pt and other noble metals.

}, keywords = {artificial leaf, nickel-copper, Photocatalysis, platinum, Solar hydrogen}, issn = {1944-8244}, doi = {10.1021/acsami.0c07431}, author = {Bajpai, Himanshu and Patra, Kshirodra Kumar and Ranjan, Ravi and Nalajala, Naresh and Reddy, Kasala Prabhakar and Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.} }