Photocatalytic hydrogen production with aid of simultaneous metal deposition using titanium dioxide from aqueous glucose solution

The photocatalytic hydrogen production with aid of simultaneous metal deposition using TiO₂ was investigated in biomass glucose solution. Because the hydrogen production was very trace with pure TiO₂, the simultaneous metal deposition was applied into the glucose solution. The photocatalytic H₂ production activity with TiO₂ was significantly enhanced by simultaneous metal deposition for Au and Pd. The experimental factors such as glucose concentration, metal ion concentration and reaction temperature were investigated. The photocatalytic hydrogen production increased with increasing the concentration of glucose, and it followed Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. Under the optimal conditions, the photocatalytic hydrogen generations from aqueous glucose solution with in-situ Au and Pd deposited TiO₂ were about 203 and 362 times larger compared with those observed with pure TiO₂. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be explained in terms of reduced electron hole recombination via electron transfer from conductance band of TiO₂ to metal.