Evaluation of in-situ formed La2O3–TiO2–La2O2CO3 nanocomposite photocatalyst for H2 production

The photocatalytic evolution of H2 over La2O3 decorated TiO2 catalyst was examined under solar light. It was observed that during the course of the reaction, the transformation of La2O3/TiO2 into La2O3–TiO2–La2O2CO3 occurred and these species effectively suppressed electron-hole pair recombination by forming electron trapping centres on the surface, resulting in an increased visible light absorption and improved H2 yield. The 2 wt%La2O3/TiO2 nanocomposite demonstrated better H2 yield (∼8.76 mmol (gcat)−1) than the bare TiO2 (∼1.1 mmol (gcat)−1). The catalyst was stable even after several consecutive recycles with no substantial loss of hydrogen production rate. The H2 rates were correlated with the physicochemical characteristics of the catalysts examined by BET–SA, H2-TPR, XRD, UV-DRS, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, HRTEM, EPR and PL spectroscopy.