Hydrogen production by photocatalytic water splitting

 The photocatalytic water splitting using photon and a semiconductor is a new method for hydrogen production. In this research, photocatalytic hydrogen production using Pt(0.75wt)/TiO2 photocatalyst has been studied. This nanoparticle was synthesized using sol-gel method. Photochemical deposition method was used for Pt loading. The effect of Pt as a co-catalyst and methanol as a sacrificial agent were investigated. This nanophotocatalyst was characterized using XRD, DRS, BET and ICP methods. The results show that Pt and methanol have positive effect on hydrogen production. Using this nano photocatalyst , the rate of hydrogen production is 87 mL (h g catal.)-1 in the first 3h of irradiation that is about 43 times more than that of the P25 photocatalyst.