Photocatalytic properties of rutile TiO2 powder for overall water splitting

Abstract

The application of illuminated rutile TiO₂ powder modified with a metal cocatalyst to the overall water splitting into H₂ and O₂ was studied. Although unmodified rutile exhibited little activity, modification with a suitable amount of Pt nanoparticles resulted in observable H₂ and O₂ evolution from pure water under band-gap irradiation. Pt-loaded rutile TiO₂ exhibited stable and high photocatalytic activity in pure water. The photocatalytic performance is much lower under acidic and basic conditions, due to a photo-corrosion effect and inefficient water reduction process, respectively.