Nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) as versatile carriers of TiO2 nanoparticles (TNPs) for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Abstract

Nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC), an abundant natural biomacromolecule, can have many applications, such as support/carrier for nanoparticles, due to its unique properties. Herein, NFC is used as a versatile carrier of TiO₂ nanoparticles (TNPs) to enhance their performance during the photocatalytic hydrogen generation process for the first time. The NFC–TNPs composite exhibited an enhanced hydrogen generation capacity compared to the control TNPs samples. The NFC–TNPs composite was characterized by TEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR, and Raman spectra techniques. The results showed that TNPs were uniformly loaded on the surface of NFC. A photocatalytic activity study showed that the NFC–TNPs composite had a 2–5 times higher photocatalytic hydrogen generation rate in comparison with the control TNPs sample. This facile and effective process will broaden the application of nanocellulose in the photocatalysis field.