Synergistic Plasmonic and Upconversion Effect of the (Yb,Er)NYF-TiO₂/Au Composite for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

Abstract

This article deals with the synthesis of broad band absorption material which extends absorption response up to the infrared region by using plasmonic metal nanoparticles and upconverting host. The synergistic effect of surface plasmon resonance of the Au nanoparticle and upconversion property of (Yb,Er)NYF significantly enhances broad band absorption and photogenerated charge generation and transfer. Au as a plasmonic nanoparticle on (Yb,Er)NYF-TiO2 plays multiple role of harvesting solar energy and exhibiting excellent catalytic activity. The synthesized heterostructure (Yb,Er)NYF-TiO2/Au tested for donor-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen generation shows a steady and remarkably high hydrogen generation rate of 350 μmol h–1 under solar AM 1.5 which is approximately 3.1 times higher than Au/TiO2 (Degussa P-25). Moreover, a simple synthesis procedure has been rationally designed (Yb,Er)NYF-TiO2/Au which shall provide a pathway for futuristic design of plasmon-enhanced broad band absorption material.