Critical review: The photoreaction of TiO2 and Au/TiO2 single crystal and powder surfaces with organic adsorbates. Emphasis on hydrogen production from renewables

In this critical review, Karen Connelly and Hicham Idriss from the University of Aberdeen, UK and SABIC T&I, Saudi Aradia, review the fundamental aspects behind the reactivity of TiO2 surfaces. 

The authors look at both rutile-TiO2and a gold/TiO2system and the various factors that affect their reactivity, before studying the photoreaction of ethanol in more detail.  Here, they show that the gold/TiO2system shows about two orders of magnitude high activity that rutile-TiO2and discuss the mechanisms of hydrogen production.  However, the authors highlight that further work is still needed in this field as only one third of the hydrogen is extracted from the ethanol.  They highlight that the challenge will be in designing photocatalysts for hydrogen production that are capable of breaking carbon-carbon bonds under ambient conditions.

This article is free to access until the 11th January 2012!  Click the link below to read more…

The photoreaction of TiO2and Au/TiO2single crystal and powder surfaces with organic adsorbates. Emphasis on hydrogen production from renewables, Karen A. Connelly and Hicham Idriss, Green Chem., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C1GC15992E

You may also be interested in this article, also free until the 11th January 2012:

Sustainable hydrogen production by the application of ambient temperature photocatalysis, Michael Bowker, Green Chem., 2011, 13, 2235-2246

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