Highly efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen generation prepared by a cold plasma method

A glow discharge plasma treatment was used to modify the impregnation method to prepare Pt / TiO 2 photocatalysts with the following steps: impregnation, cold plasma treatment, calcination, and reduction. The activity and properties of the catalysts were studied in comparison with those prepared with traditional impregnation method. The activities for hydrogen generation from water/alcohols mixtures were significantly promoted. The properties including the metal dispersion, near-UV absorption, and metal stability were also enhanced. The enhanced metal dispersion and optical absorption partly promoted the activity but the effect was limited. It was speculated that the plasma method produced an enhanced metal–support interaction. According to high-resolution TEM observation, a greatly distorted metal–support interface was formed on the plasma prepared catalyst. This interface allowed a close contact between the metal atoms and support lattices, which supported the existence of the enhanced interaction. This interface was expected to facilitate the electron transfer during photocatalytic reaction and be the major reason for the high activity of the plasma prepared photocatalysts.