Influence of co-existing alcohol on charge transfer of H2 evolution under visible light with dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2

Abstract

The dye-sensitized nanocrystalline TiO2 colloidal suspension in aqueous systems has been applied for H2 evolution in the photocatalytic water splitting under visible irradiation. We have reported that the conversion efficiency is strongly influenced by the combination of dye-sensitizers and co-existing species in the suspension system. We herein analyze the fluorescence quenching of the dye-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles in the suspensions and photoelectrochemical properties of dye-sensitized nanoporous TiO2 films. The combination of dye-sensitizers and co-existing species dominates the charge recombination resulting in significant differences in the efficiencies of the proton reduction into H2.