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Omnidirectional Hydrogen Generation Based on a Flexible Black Gold Nanotube Array.

Zijun YongLim Wei YapQianqian ShiAnthony S R ChesmanEmily ChenRunfang FuWenlong Cheng
Published in: ACS nano (2022)
Solar-driven hydrogen generation is emerging as an economical and sustainable means of producing renewable energy. However, current photocatalysts for hydrogen generation are mostly powder-based or rigid-substrate-supported, which suffer from limitations, such as difficulties in catalyst regeneration or poor omnidirectional light-harvesting. Here, we report a two-dimensional (2D) flexible photocatalyst based on elastomer-supported black gold nanotube (GNT) arrays with conformal CdS coating and Pt decoration. The highly porous GNT arrays display a strong light-trapping effect, leading to near-complete absorption over almost the entire range of the solar spectrum. In addition, they offer high surface-to-volume ratios promoting efficient photocatalytic reactions. These structural features result in high H 2 generation efficiencies. Importantly, our elastomer-supported photocatalyst displays comparable photocatalytic activity even when being mechanically deformed, including bending, stretching, and twisting. We further designed a three-dimensional (3D) tree-like flexible photocatalytic system to mimic Nature's photosynthesis, which demonstrated omnidirectional H 2 generation. We believe our strategy represents a promising route in designing next-generation solar-to-fuel systems that rival natural plants.
Keyphrases
  • visible light
  • highly efficient
  • stem cells
  • reduced graphene oxide
  • high density
  • high resolution
  • high throughput
  • gold nanoparticles
  • energy transfer