An unexplored tin oxide, Sn3O4, was synthesized for the first time via a hydrothermal route. The Sn3O4 material efficiently catalyzes hydrogen evolution from water under illumination of visible light (λ > 400 nm), whereas neither SnO nor SnO2 is active toward the reaction. Theoretical calculations have demonstrated that the co-existence of Sn2+ and Sn4+ cations in Sn3O4 leads to a desirable band structure for photocatalytic water splitting. Sn3O4 has great potential as an abundant, cheap and environmentally-benign catalyst for the production of solar fuels.
Researcher Information
JST PRESTO
Research Area: “New Materials Science and Element Strategy”
Research Theme:“Development of precious-metal-free intermetallic catalysts for exhaust purification”
Journal Information
Author: Maidhily Manikandan, Toyokazu Tanabe, Peng Li, Shigenori Ueda, Gubbala Ramesh, Rajesh Kodiyath, Junjie Wang, Toru Hara, Arivuoli Dakshanamoorthy, Shinsuke Ishihara, Katsuhiko Ariga, Jinhua Ye, Naoto Umezawa, Hideki Abe
Title: “Photocatalytic Water Splitting under Visible Light by Mixed-Valence Sn3O4”
Journal: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Published online: 10. Mar. 2014
doi: 10.1021/am500157u
Contact
[About Research]
Hideki ABE, Ph.D.
Principal Researcher, Catalytic Materials Group, Environmental Remediation Materials Unit, National Institute for Materials Science
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[About Program]
Masashi Furukawa
Green Innovation Group, Department of Innovation Research, JST
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