Titania photocatalyst produces hydrogen and generates photocurrents under visible light
09-Oct-2012
- Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
Combining a cheap polymer resin with titania produces a photocatalyst that can produce hydrogen and generate photocurrents under visible light, say scientists in the Republic of Korea.
Titania is commonly used as a base material for solar energy conversion. But it has a wide band gap so doesn’t absorb visible light protons. Scientists have tried various ways to attain visible light activity with titania, including doping, but it can often reduce the photocatalytic efficiency.
Here, the team has grafted a cheap phenolic resin (PR) onto titania simply by dispersing PR and TiO2 powders in acetone. The complexed PR layer sensitises TiO2 under visible light through the ligand-to-metal charge transfer mechanism.
Other news from the department science
