Publication date: 28th August 2024
Photocatalytic hydrogen production via solar-driven water splitting is an emerging technology offering a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Organic semiconductors (OSCs) have emerged as promising materials and bulk heterojunction nanoparticles (BHJ NPs) can be easily formed with two or more OSCs using the miniemulsion method.[1], [2] The size of the resulting BHJ NPs is believed to be a crucial parameter for photocatalytic performance,[3] however, a convincing method to afford size control of BHJ NPs has not been reported yet in the literature. Indeed, control of the size of BHJ NPs synthesized via a miniemulsion method requires a better understanding of the NP formation pathway. Here, we present evidence suggesting that the NPs formation mechanism deviates from the pathway commonly reported in the literature for the miniemulsion method. By varying key preparation parameters we gain insight into the critical factors that control particle size, and identifying an alternate formation mechanism that explains the lack of size control in the literature. This work highlights the need for a reassessment in the understanding of the formation pathway in order to improve the photocatalytic performance of the BHJ NPs for solar-driven H2 production.
This work was supported by NCCR Catalysis, a National Centre of Competence in Research funded by the SNSF.
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