Photocatalytic Water Splitting into H2 and O2 over Titanate Pyrochlores Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln = Lanthanoid: Eu–Lu)

Abstract

Abstract A series of titanate pyrochlore Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln = Eu–Lu) was prepared by a polymerized complex method and evaluated as a photocatalyst for water splitting reaction. All the Ln2Ti2O7, except for Tb2Ti2O7, demonstrated evolution of H2 and O2 in a stoichiometric ratio from pure water under UV-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of the Ln2Ti2O7 were significantly enhanced by the addition of excess Ln (5%) in the preparation procedure. As for the Ln2Ti2O7 containing small Ln3+ (Ln = Dy–Lu), the enhanced photocatalytic activity can be explained by the suppression of impurity phase formation, rutile titanium oxide (TiO2), which formed in the stoichiometric preparation at high temperature. It was also found that the addition of excess Ln increased the surface area of these materials, which certainly contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic activity. In the case of Gd2Ti2O7, the photocatalytic activity was remarkably improved by the addition of excess Gd, in spite of the fact that no impurity phase formed even in the stoichiometric preparation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and pore size distribution analysis revealed that the addition of excess amount of Gd made the Gd2Ti2O7 material porous, which is undoubtedly one of the major factors enhancing the photocatalytic activity.