Design of a dual-function photocatalyst for cracking water to produce hydrogen and degradation of o-phenylphenol

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely studied because of its stable chemical properties, low cost and non-toxicity. But some of its shortcomings also limit its development, such as a large band gap and weak catalytic ability under visible light. The photocatalytic performance of titanium dioxide has been improved by doping nonmetal boron (B) and noble metal rhodium (Rh) in the current study. In general, a metal's electron-deficient state can be regarded as the active sites in a hydrogen evolution reaction. The electron-deficient state of Rhδ+ contributes to its high ability to grab electrons. The light absorption range of Rh nanoparticles (NPs) can reach the visible light band. TiO2 with special morphology is synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method, and B-doped titanium dioxide with an oxygen vacancy is obtained by adding a B source into the precursor solution. The influence of nonmetal ion doping on oxygen vacancy is studied. The Rh/B–TiO2-550 photocatalyst is synthesized by depositing Rh NPs onto B–TiO2, and the bifunctional photocatalyst with a visible light response is successfully prepared. The Rh/B–TiO2-550 catalyst shows good performance in the degradation of hydrogen and pollutants produced in the photocatalytic decomposition process. Under the irradiation of a 300 W xenon lamp, the hydrogen production reaches 108.67 μmol in 3 h, and the degradation effect of OPP reaches 99.48%.