One-pot synthesis of manganese porphyrin covalently functionalized graphene oxide for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In this paper, graphene oxide (GO) sheets covalently functionalized with (5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl) porphinato manganese(III) (MnTPP) has been successfully synthesized and tested as a photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution from water under UV-vis light irradiation. The obtained sample was systematically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the MnTPP moiety has been successfully grafted on the graphene oxide surface to form MnTPP modified GO (GO-MnTPP). The fluorescence quenching and photocurrent enhancement of GO-MnTPP confirm that the rapid electrons transfer from photoexcited the MnTPP moiety to the GO sheets. The platinized GO-MnTPP exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity for water reduction to produce hydrogen. Moreover, with the assistance of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), the photocatalytic activity is further improved because of aggregation prevention of the GO-MnTPP nanocomposite. This study provides a facile method to build porphyrin-graphene-based photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.

Coupling ZnxCd1−xS nanoparticles with graphene-like MoS2: superior interfacial contact, low overpotential and enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation

A novel nanocomposite composed of graphene-like MoS₂ sheets and Zn_xCd_1−xS nanoparticles was used for photocatalytic hydrogen generation under visible light irradiation.

Surfactant assistance in improvement of photocatalytic hydrogen production with the porphyrin noncovalently functionalized graphene nanocomposite

In this paper, a 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-(hydroxyl)phenyl) porphyrin (TPPH) noncovalently functionalized reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanohybrid has been facilely synthesized by immobilizing TPPH on RGO nanosheets. This nanohybrid was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis spectra, which demonstrated that the TPPH molecule was attached on the surface of the graphene nanosheet. The results of fluorescence quenching and photocurrent enhancement of TPPH-RGO exhibit that the fast electrons transfer from photoexcited TPPH molecules to RGO sheets. Compared with bare TPPH or RGO functional Pt nanoparticles, the TPPH-sensitized RGO loaded with Pt nanoparticles shows remarkable enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV-vis light irradiation. The superior electron-accepting and electron-transporting properties of graphene greatly accelerate the electron transfer from excited TPPH to Pt catalysts, which promote the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution. More importantly, with the assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant, the catalytic activity and stability is further improved owing to aggregation prevention of TPPH-RGO nanocomposites. Our investigation might not only initiate new opportunities for the development of a facile synthesis yet highly efficient photoinduced hydrogen evolution system (composed of organic dye functionalized graphene) but also pave a new avenue for constructing graphene-based matericals with enhanced catalytic performance and stability under surfactant assistance.