Controlled design of PtPd nanodendrite ornamented niobium oxynitride nanosheets for solar-driven water splitting

Developing efficient photocatalysts for the water splitting reaction is crucial in a fuel cell reaction. Herein, we present a facile road-map for one-pot fabrication of PtPd nanodendrite (ND) ornamented niobium oxynitride nanosheets (PtPd/NbON) for solar-driven water splitting. This was achieved by annealing Nb2O5 under NH3 to form NbON nanosheets which were subsequently used as starting seeds for the simultaneous growth and self-assembly of PtPd NDs with the assistance of Pluronic F127. The water oxidation performance of PtPd/NbON was substantially superior to those of NbON and Nb2O5. This is ascribed to the combination of NbON with its great visible-light-harvesting properties and narrow band gap and the unique catalytic merits of PtPd NDs. 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.This work was made possible by NPRP Grant no. NPRP 7-485-1-091 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Scopu