Facile transfer of surface plasmon electrons of Au-NPs to Zn 3 V 2 O 8 surfaces: a case study of sunlight driven H 2 generation from water splitting.

For future energy perspectives, an effective way to produce H 2 from water splitting is suggested using Zn 3 V 2 O 8 photocatalyst as a semiconductor support. Further, to enhance the catalytic efficiency and stability of the catalyst, gold metal was deposited over the Zn 3 V 2 O 8 surface by a chemical reduction method. For comparison, the Zn 3 V 2 O 8 and gold-fabricated catalysts ( i.e. , Au@Zn 3 V 2 O 8 ) were used for water splitting reactions. For structural and optical properties, various techniques, including XRD, UV-Vis DRS, FTIR, PL, Raman, SEM, EDX, XPS and EIS were used for the characterizations. The scanning electron microscope revealed the pebble-shaped morphology of the Zn 3 V 2 O 8 catalyst. The FTIR and EDX results confirmed the purity and structural and elemental composition of the catalysts. Overall, 7.05 mmol g -1 h -1 H 2 generation was observed over Au 1.0 @Zn 3 V 2 O 8 , which was ten times higher than bare Zn 3 V 2 O 8 . The results revealed that the higher H 2 activities could be attributed to the Schottky barriers and surface plasmon electrons (SPRs). Thus the Au@Zn 3 V 2 O 8 catalysts have potential to deliver higher hydrogen generation than Zn 3 V 2 O 8 by water splitting.