Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis synthesis of Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite photocatalysts for simultaneous H2 production and CO2 reduction

Simultaneous photocatalytic hydrogen production and CO₂ reduction (to form CO and CH₄) from water using methanol as a hole scavenger were investigated using silver-modified TiO₂ (Ag/TiO₂) nanocomposite catalysts. A simple ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (SP) method was used to prepare mesoporous Ag/TiO₂ composite particles using TiO₂ (P25) and AgNO₃ as the precursors. The material properties and photocatalytic activities were compared with those prepared by a conventional wet-impregnation (WI) method. It was found that the samples prepared by the SP method had a larger specific surface area and a better dispersion of Ag nanoparticles on TiO₂ than those prepared by the WI method, and as a result, the SP samples showed much higher photocatalytic activities toward H₂ production and CO₂ reduction. The optimal Ag concentration on TiO₂ was found to be 2 wt%. The H₂ production rate of the 2% Ag/TiO₂–SP sample exhibited a six-fold enhancement compared with the 2% Ag/TiO₂–WI sample and a sixty-fold enhancement compared with bare TiO₂. The molar ratio of H₂ and CO in the final products can be tuned in the range from 2 to 10 by varying the reaction gas composition, suggesting a viable way of producing syngas (a mixture of H₂ and CO) from CO₂ and water using the prepared Ag/TiO₂ catalysts with energy input from the sun.