Bimetallic Au-Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts active under UV-A and simulated sunlight for H2 production from ethanol

A new class of bimetallic Au-Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts were developed and employed in H-2 photoassisted production using ethanol as a sacrificial reagent both under UV-A and simulated sunlight irradiation. Remarkably, preliminary experiments show promising hydrogen evolution under visible light using Au0.5-Pt0.5/TiO2 with methanol. The presence of bimetallic Au-Pt nanoparticles and the TiO2 visible light absorption, induced by the presence of oxygen vacancies and/or Ti3+, are the two parameters accounting for the difference in activity.