H-doped TiO2-x prepared with MgH2 for highly efficient solar-driven hydrogen production

Efficient utilization of visible light with high stability remains a critical challenge for solar-driven photochemical generation of hydrogen (H-2) using particulate photocatalysts. Black TiO2 was introduced with remarkable enhancement of visible light absorption, but its efficiency in the visible light has not reached the desired level for real-world applications. Here we report a gold-colored H-doped TiO2-x (H:TiO2-x) nanoparticles prepared by controlled reduction via simultaneous presence of [Mg] and [H], which are obtained from the decomposition of MgH2. The H-doped TiO2-x, exhibits a significant activity (16.1 mmolg(-1)h(-1)) and remarkable stability after Pt deposition for solar-driven H-2 generation from methanol-water. The excellent photoactivity of H-doped TiO2 can be attributed to oxygen vacancies and H doping at the reduced TiO2-x, surface generated by [Mg] and [H]. The H-doped TiO2 is also producing H-2 from methanol-seawater with a rate of 6.1 mmolg(-1)h(-1) under simulated sunlight.