Magnéli Phases Doped with Pt for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Defined TiOx suboxides (Magnéli phases) have rarely been investigated in photocatalysis. In the current work we describe a one-step synthesis of Magnéli-containing mixed phase nanoparticles that carry directly integrated minute amounts with a few hundred ppm of Pt. Nanoparticles can act as highly effective photocatalysts, e.g., mixed phase particles of 32% anatase, 11% rutile, and 57% Magnéli phases loaded with 290 ppm of Pt which provide a 50-100 times higher H2 evolution than plain anatase loaded with a similar amount of Pt. This high photocatalytic efficiency is ascribed to a multijunction of various Magnéli titania species and Pt.