Nanostructured N-doped TiO sub(2) marigold flowers for an efficient solar hydrogen production from H sub(2)S

Nitrogen-doped TiO sub(2) nanostructures in the form of marigold flowers have been synthesized for the first time using a facile solvothermal method. The structural analysis has shown that such an N-doped TiO sub(2) system crystallizes in the anatase structure. The optical absorption spectra have clearly shown the shift in the absorption edge towards the visible-light range, which indicates successful nitrogen doping. The nitrogen doping has been further confirmed by photoluminescence and photoemission spectroscopy. Microscopy studies have shown the thin nanosheets (petals) of N-TiO sub(2) with a thickness of similar to 2-3 nm, assembled in the form of the marigold flower with a high surface area (224 m super(2) g super(-1)). The N-TiO sub(2) nanostructure with marigold flowers is an efficient photocatalyst for the decomposition of H sub(2)S and production of hydrogen under solar light. The maximum hydrogen evolution obtained is higher than other known N-TiO sub(2) systems. It is noteworthy that photohydrogen production using the unique marigold flowers of N-TiO sub(2) from abundant H sub(2)S under solar light is hitherto unattempted. The proposed synthesis method can also be utilized to design other hierarchical nanostructured N-doped metal oxides.