Abstract
Supported plasmonic Au nanoclusters (NCs) consisting of a few tens of atoms can potentially offer great advantages for the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we report on the synthesis of well-dispersed and stable plasmonic Au NCs of 0.5-1.0 nm size on nitrogen-doped high surface area graphene (N-Gr)viafreeze-drying and pyrolyzing in argon. The Au NCs/N-Gr photocatalyst exhibits under visible-light an impressive HER achievement (3.16 μmol mgcat−1h−1) compared to Au single atoms/N-Gr (2.06 μmol mgcat−1h−1) and Au nanoparticles (20 nm size)/N-Gr (0.92 μmol mgcat−1h−1), with a maximum apparent quantum yield of 14.30%. These performances are synergistically attributed to two effects: (a) the strong surface plasmon resonance stimulated by light absorption and transferred near the surface of Au NCs, where the N-Gr conductive support can prolong the plasmon-produced hot electrons and direct the light-to-hydrogen conversion; (b) a high catalytic efficiency of Au NCs/N-Gr nanocomposites.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 22810-22819 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Materials Chemistry A |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 40 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 Oct 28 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- General Materials Science