Perovskite Oxide Nanosheets with Tunable Band-Edge Potentials and High Photocatalytic Hydrogen-Evolution Activity

Perovskite nanosheets of HCa2-xSrxNb3O10 and HCa2Nb3-yTayO10 with controlled band-edge potentials were prepared. They worked as highly efficient heterogeneous photocatalysts for H-2 evolution from a water/methanol mixture under band-gap irradiation. The activity was found to depend on the composition. The highest activity was obtained with HCa2Nb2TaO10 nanosheets, recording an apparent quantum yield of approximately 80% at 300 nm, which is the highest value for a nanosheet-based photocatalyst reported to date.