Synergetic PVA degradation and H₂ evolution in photocatalytic fuel cells using Ag@Fe₂O₃ cathode

Abstract

In a dual-chamber photocatalytic fuel cell device, polyvinyl alcohol degradation and H₂ evolution were concurrently achieved. The setup involved commercial P25 as the photoanode and Ag@Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles as the cathode. Additionally, the feasibility of a Fenton-like reaction in the cathode, utilizing Fe²⁺ ions and pumped O₂, was demonstrated. Different cathode materials, polyvinyl alcohol types, and pH values’ effects were assessed on device performance. Quenching tests highlighted photoinduced holes (h⁺) and OH· radicals as pivotal contributions to polyvinyl alcohol degradation. Long-term stability of the device was established through cycling experiments.

Key words： photocatalytic fuel cell; PVA; Ag@Fe₂O₃; cathode materials; Fenton-like reaction

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51402161, 21606140, 21776147, and 52002198), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Grant No. ZR2021YQ32), the Taishan Scholar Project of Shandong Province (Grant No. tsqn201909117), and Hefei advanced computing center. L. F. Dong also thanks financial support from the Malmstrom Endowed Fund at Hamline University.

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