Subphthalocyanine-sensitized TiO2 photocatalyst for photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

A series of SubPcs comprising a carboxylic acid anchoring group at the peripheral (SubPcs 1, 2) or axial position (SubPc 3) were synthesized and used as sensitizers for photocatalytic H₂ production, for the first time. SubPc 3/TiO₂ shows the best photocatalytic activity with a hydrogen evolution rate of 1396 μmol h⁻¹, which is much higher than that of SubPcs 1 and 2 (771 and 658 μmol g⁻¹, respectively). This work clearly shows that considering their optical and redox properties, SubPcs are promising candidates for light-driven water splitting systems.