Eu3+: Y2Ti2O7 nanomaterials as efficient photocatalysts used for hydrogen and biogas production toward a sustainable environment

摘要: The main focus of this research is on energy production by clean photocatalytic technology. By using the sol–gel process, yttrium titanate nano‐photocatalysts modified with europium (x mol. Eu3+:Y2Ti2O7) have been created and used to produce photocatalytic biogas and hydrogen using acetic acid. X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) confirms the formation of cubic Y2Ti2O7 phase. Microscopic study has indicated that Eu doping improved the shape, size, and dispersity of Y2Ti2O7 photocatalyst. Different crystal defects, including oxygen vacancies (OVs) and Ti3+ species, are demonstrated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. Compared with pure Y2Ti2O7, 0.03 mol. Eu3+:Y2Ti2O7 has the highest proportion of lattice defects. The band gap energies have increased as a result of doping on Y2Ti2O7 size. Urbach energy calculations confirm that Eu3+:Y2Ti2O7 nano‐photocatalyst has the highest …