Laser induced generation of hydrogen by using NdAlO3 nanocrystals as photocatalysts in alcohols

Laser Induced White Emission (LIWE) using focused infrared laser beam can emit hot electrons and, for this reason, has been described as capable of generating H2. NdAlO3 is described as a photocatalyst for H2 production in several alcohols using a focused 808 nm excitation; the process generated a low concentration of CH4 and no presence of carbon dots in the final solution, improving previous results using graphene foam. The proposed mechanism involves the ejection of hot electrons from the material and their subsequent absorption by the alcohol, ultimately leading to dehydrogenation. Besides that, relative permittivity was correlated with the amount of electrons emitted, which was demonstrated by a superb correlation between H2 production and relative permittivity of the media used. Higher relative permittivity media was able to emit more hot electrons, which ultimately produced more H2.