Abstract
The light reaction in natural photosynthesis is generally recognized as one of the most efficient mechanisms for converting solar energy into other energy sources. We report herein on a novel strategy for generating H(2) fuel via an artificial Z-scheme mechanism by mimicking the natural photosynthesis that occurs in green plants. Designing a desirable photocatalyst by mimicking the Z-scheme mechanism leads to a conduction band that is sufficiently high to reduce protons, thus decreasing the probability of charge recombination. We combined two visible light sensitive photocatalysts, CdS and carbon-doped TiO(2), with different band structures. The used of this combination, that is, CdS/Au/TiO(1.96)C(0.04), resulted in the successful transfer of photogenerated electrons to a higher energy level in the form of the letter 'Z'. The system produced about a 4 times higher amount of H(2) under irradiation by visible light than CdS/Au/TiO(2). The findings reported herein describe an innovative route to harvesting energy by mimicking natural photosynthesis, and is independent of fossil fuels.
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