Polyol Synthesis of Size-Controlled Rh Nanoparticles and Their Application to Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting under Visible Light

Abstract

A gradual size control of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-protected Rh nanoparticles (PVP-Rh NPs) was successfully achieved in the range of 1.7–7.7 nm by tuning the pH value and the reaction temperature of the ethylene glycol (EG) solution; smaller NPs were formed at higher pH and at higher temperature. This trend can be interpreted by the change in the nucleation rate caused by tuning the pH value and/or the temperature of the solution. When the size tuned PVP-Rh NPs were applied for use as cocatalysts in a photocatalyst (solid solution of GaN and ZnO (Ga1–xZnx)(N1–xOx)) for overall water splitting under visible light, it was demonstrated that smaller Rh cores gave higher activity than the larger ones.