GaN:ZnO Solid Solution as a Photocatalyst for Visible-Light-Driven Overall Water Splitting

Photocatalytic overall water splitting has been studied extensively from the viewpoint of solar energy conversion. Despite numerous attempts, none have yielded satisfactory results for the development of photocatalysts, which work under visible light irradiation to efficiently utilize solar energy....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Chemical Society 2005-06, Vol.127 (23), p.8286-8287
Main Authors: Maeda, Kazuhiko, Takata, Tsuyoshi, Hara, Michikazu, Saito, Nobuo, Inoue, Yasunobu, Kobayashi, Hisayoshi, Domen, Kazunari
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Natural energy
Photovoltaic conversion
Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells
Solar energy
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Summary:Photocatalytic overall water splitting has been studied extensively from the viewpoint of solar energy conversion. Despite numerous attempts, none have yielded satisfactory results for the development of photocatalysts, which work under visible light irradiation to efficiently utilize solar energy. We report here the first example of visible-light-driven overall water splitting on a novel oxynitride photocatalyst, a solid solution of GaN and ZnO with a band gap of 2.58−2.76 eV, modified with RuO2 nanoparticles. In contrast to the conventional non-oxide photocatalysts, such as CdS, the solid solution is stable during the overall water splitting reaction. This is the first example of achieving overall water splitting by a photocatalyst with a band gap in the visible light region, which opens the possibility of new non-oxide-type photocatalysts for energy conversion.
ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/ja0518777