(242a) Hydrogen Production Using Non-Traditional Photocatalysts

Hydrogen production using photocatalytic water splitting in the presence of Titanium dioxide is well known. While TiO2 has several benefits, some of its major limitations is its limited ability to absorb solar radiation. Several attempts to improve the absorbance of TiO2 by using various techniques such as sensitization, doping, and/or coupling with other materials have only led to incremental improvements absorbance.

Unlike TiO2, pyrochlores are a family of compounds that demonstrate the option to tune optical absorbance. Multiple cations can be used as building blocks within the pyrochlore structure such that they demonstrate photoactivity. Photocatlytic waster treatment has been demonstrated by several pyrochlores. Its applications for water splitting to produce hydrogen has been less explored.

Here we present a method to synthesize nanoparticles of pyrochlore. A representative sample - bismuth titanate - is discussed as a case study. The nanoparticles are produced using a reverse micelle-based method. Characterization of the material using several tools is discussed. Finally the application of this material as a photocatalyst for water splitting and a comparison of its performance with commercial standard Degussa P25 TiO2 are also discussed.