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Plasmon‐Assisted Water Splitting Using Two Sides of the Same SrTiO 3 Single‐Crystal Substrate: Conversion of Visible Light to Chemical Energy
Author(s) -
Zhong Yuqing,
Ueno Kosei,
Mori Yuko,
Shi Xu,
Oshikiri Tomoya,
Murakoshi Kei,
Inoue Haruo,
Misawa Hiroaki
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201404926
Subject(s) - water splitting , plasmon , surface plasmon resonance , strontium titanate , substrate (aquarium) , single crystal , hydrogen , surface plasmon , materials science , artificial photosynthesis , visible spectrum , stoichiometry , crystal (programming language) , chemistry , nanotechnology , photocatalysis , catalysis , optoelectronics , crystallography , thin film , nanoparticle , biochemistry , oceanography , organic chemistry , geology , computer science , programming language
A plasmon‐induced water splitting system that operates under irradiation by visible light was successfully developed; the system is based on the use of both sides of the same strontium titanate (SrTiO 3 ) single‐crystal substrate. The water splitting system contains two solution chambers to separate hydrogen (H 2 ) and oxygen (O 2 ). To promote water splitting, a chemical bias was applied by regulating the pH values of the chambers. The quantity of H 2 evolved from the surface of platinum, which was used as a reduction co‐catalyst, was twice the quantity of O 2 evolved from an Au‐nanostructured surface. Thus, the stoichiometric evolution of H 2 and O 2 was clearly demonstrated. The hydrogen‐evolution action spectrum closely corresponds to the plasmon resonance spectrum, indicating that the plasmon‐induced charge separation at the Au/SrTiO 3 interface promotes water oxidation and the subsequent reduction of a proton on the backside of the SrTiO 3 substrate. The chemical bias is significantly reduced by plasmonic effects, which indicates the possibility of constructing an artificial photosynthesis system with low energy consumption.