Abstract:
To address the limited specific surface area, insufficient active sites, and rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in conventional TiO
2 particles, this study investigated the effects of different plant-fiber templates on the morphology, pore structure, oxygen vacancies, and photocatalytic H
2 evolution performance of TiO
2 microtubes, with the aim of elucidating the relationships among template characteristics, material structure, and charge-carrier behavior. Hare’s-tail grass, reed, cattail, and pampas grass fibers were used as sacrificial hard templates. Four TiO
2 microtube samples, denoted as TiO
2 Lo, TiO
2 Pa, TiO
2 Ct, and TiO
2 Cs, respectively, were prepared through impregnation, hydrolysis, hydrothermal treatment, and calcination at 550 °C. Their phase composition, morphology, pore structure, and oxygen vacancies were characterized by XRD, SEM, N
2 adsorption–desorption, EPR, and XPS. Charge-carrier behavior was investigated using UV–Vis spectroscopy, steady-state and time-resolved PL spectroscopy, EIS, and transient photocurrent measurements. Photocatalytic H
2 evolution activity and cycling stability were evaluated under simulated solar irradiation using an aqueous methanol solution as the sacrificial reagent and 1% Pt as the cocatalyst. The results showed that all four samples consisted of anatase TiO
2 and successfully inherited the tubular structures or surface textures of the corresponding plant fibers, forming TiO
2 microtubes with different mesoporous structures, specific surface areas, and oxygen-vacancy concentrations. The oxygen-vacancy concentration decreased in the order of TiO
2 Cs > TiO
2 Lo > TiO
2 Pa > TiO
2 Ct. TiO
2 Ct exhibited a relatively large specific surface area and a low oxygen-vacancy concentration, together with the lowest steady-state PL intensity, the longest average PL lifetime, lower electrochemical impedance, and a higher transient photocurrent response, indicating more efficient separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers. The H
2 evolution rates of TiO
2 Lo, TiO
2 Pa, TiO
2 Ct, and TiO
2 Cs were 2.10, 4.62, 7.26, and 5.81 mmol/(g·h), respectively. TiO
2 Ct exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity and maintained relatively stable H
2 evolution performance during a 15 h cycling test. By systematically comparing multiple natural plant-fiber templates using a unified synthesis route, this study provides a new strategy for designing TiO
2 photocatalysts through the synergistic regulation of morphology and defects.