Hydrogenated anatase: Strong photocatalytic H2 evolution without the use of a co-catalyst

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that high-pressure hydrogenation of anatase TiO2 creates a highly effective, stable photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution without co-catalysts, due to defect centers formed during treatment.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hydrogenation method to activate anatase TiO2 for photocatalytic H2 production without co-catalysts, unlike rutile.

Findings

Hydrogenation enhances anatase's photocatalytic activity.

No activation observed for rutile TiO2.

Synergistic effects in anatase/rutile mixtures.

Abstract

In the present work we show, how a high pressure hydrogenation of commercial anatase or anatase/rutile powder can create a photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution that is highly effective and stable without the need of any additional co-catalyst. This activation effect can not be observed for rutile. For anatase/rutile mixtures, however, a strong synergistic effect is found (similar to findings commonly observed for noble metal decorated TiO2). ESR measurements indicate the intrinsic co-catalytic activation of anatase TiO2 to be due to specific defect centers formed during hydrogenation.