Volume 9 Issue 4 ( December 2022 )

Modifications of TiO₂ in photocatalytic hydrogen production have been widely studied to resolve its limitations in harnessing visible light and electron-hole recombination. Among them is by the combination of Graphene and Fe dopant. This study examines the effects of various concentrations of Fe on Fe-Graphene/TiO₂ and various polyalcohols as sacrificial agents for H₂ production. Graphene/TiO₂ and Fe-Graphene/TiO₂ were synthesized by a wet-impregnation method. Characterizations were applied on TiO₂ P25, Graphene/TiO₂, and Fe-Graphene/TiO₂, using XRD, SEM-EDX, UV-Vis DRS, and FTIR techniques to analyze the properties of the catalysts. H₂ production experiment was carried out for 5 h in a reactor that enables internal illumination, equipped with a 20W UV lamp, burette, and cooling water. GC analysis of gas sample on the burette confirmed the formation of hydrogen. The accumulation of H₂ products indicated that 0.2% Fe on Fe-Graphene/TiO₂ with a bandgap of 3.03 eV offers up to 80% higher H₂ production than TiO₂ P25. Photocatalytic H₂ production with Fe-Graphene/TiO₂ and 10% v/v alcohols as sacrificial agents were revealed to decrease in the following order: glycerol > ethylene glycol > methanol > propylene glycol > n-propanol. Correlations were obtained between H₂ yield and key alcohol properties, notably the number of α-H, polarity, and oxidation potential of the alcohols.

Keywords: Fe-Graphene/TiO₂; Hydrogen; Photocatalytic; Polyalcohol; Sacrificial Agent