Highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production by platinum modified ferroelectric SrBi4Ti4O15

Combining metal with ferroelectrics is one of the reliable strategies to enhance the photocatalytic water splitting of ferroelectrics dramatically. However, the metal loading ratio is directly related to the synergistic effect of catalysts. In order to find the appropriate loading of Pt, we fabricated SrBi4Ti4O15 (SBTO) nanosheets (NSs) and deposited different amounts of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) to form heterojunction. The optoelectronic characterizations verified that the Pt-modified SBTO NSs have broadened absorption of visible light; produce more long-lived charge carriers. The photocatalytic hydrogen production can reach 11700 μmol g−1 under continuous illumination for 3 h from the sample containing 6 wt% Pt, showing a much higher hydrogen evolution rate than other ferroelectric materials under similar reaction systems. Our work provides a valuable and feasible solution to produce hydrogen from water.