Influence of Critical Reaction Parameters of Titania on Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution in Particulate and Thin‐Film Modes under Solar and Ultraviolet Irradiation

Photocatalysis is emerging as a sustainable technique for green hydrogen production, where optimization of reaction parameters along with material engineering plays a crucial role. Herein, a systematic study on the role of various reaction parameters affecting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution has been explored using Degussa P25 as the model catalyst under both particulate and thin film mode. The effect of various reaction parameters, such as catalyst loading, scavenger loading, co‐catalyst loading, and temperature on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is studied under different modes, such as stirring, sonication, and thin film. The studies reveal that the optimization of the above reaction parameters can improve the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance significantly in all the irradiation conditions and reaction modes. Sonication‐assisted photocatalytic hydrogen evolution could enhance the optimal catalyst loading, co‐catalyst loading, leading to superior hydrogen evolution. Further, the optimized thin‐film configuration could achieve a hydrogen evolution rate of 0.19 mol g ⁻¹ h ⁻¹ , over 4 h at 40 °C under solar irradiation which is nearly 3 times over the reported value of Degussa P25 in particulate mode and 2.5 times improvement in thin film mode over optimized particulate mode. These findings highlight the critical role of reaction parameter optimization in achieving enhanced hydrogen evolution efficiency.