Photocatalytic Water Splitting over Pt−TiO₂ in the Presence of Sacrificial Reagents

Abstract

Hydrogen production by water splitting over a Pt−TiO2 catalyst has been studied. The main goal of the studies was to examine the influence of sacrificial reagents on the photocatalytic efficiency in water splitting reactions under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Various sacrificial reagents, such as methanol, Na2S, and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), as well as I- and IO3- ions, were used to obtain an effective water splitting to H and O atoms. It was revealed that, in the case of using methanol as the sacrificial reagent, hydrogen evolution is also a result of methanol conversion. Photocatalytic water splitting was obtained when EDTA and Na2S were used as the sacrificial reagents.