AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Synthesis of Ag-Ce Co-modified TiO2 Nanocomposites for Syngas Production Under Solar Irradiation
Daniel Pitts, Cunyu Zhao, Huilei Zhao, Lianjun Liu, YING LI, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Abstract Number: 241 Working Group: Nanoparticles and Materials Synthesis
Abstract Silver and cerium co-modified titanium dioxide (Ag-Ce/TiO2) composite nanoparticles have been synthesized through an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method. Pure phase anatase TiO2 and mixed-phase anatase-brookite TiO2 nanoparticles were first prepared through a hydrothermal method and then used as the precursor for USP. The materials were characterized by XRD, UV-vis diffuse reflectance, SEM and TEM for crystal phase, particle size and morphology, and optical behavior. The Ag-Ce/TiO2 nanoparticles were tested as photocatalysts for syngas (H2 + CO) production from CO2 and water via two reaction routes: (1) hydrogen production from water splitting and (2) CO2 reduction for CO production. A 150 W Solar Simulator was used as the light sources. A Gas Chromatograph (GC) equipped with TCD/FID detectors was used to identify the products and measure the yields of solar fuels. The activities of catalysts with different Ag-Ce compositions and different TiO2 crystal phases were investigated. The H2/CO ratio of the produced syngas was correlated with the nanomaterial properties.