Nanoparticulate Perovskites for Photocatalytic Water Reduction

SrTiO 3 and BaTiO 3 nanoparticles (NPs) were activated using H 2 O 2 or aqueous HNO 3 , and pristine and activated NPs were functionalized with a 2,2 ′ -bipyridine phosphonic acid anchoring ligand (1), followed by reaction with RuCl 3 . 3H 2 O and bpy, RhCl 3 . 3H 2 O and bpy, or RuCl 3 . 3H 2 O. The surface-bound metal complex functionalized NPs were used for the photogeneration of H 2 from water, and their activity was compared to related systems using TiO 2 NPs. The role of pH during surface complexation was found to be important. The NPs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and solid-state absorption spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis mass spectrometry (TGA-MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDIMS), and the dihydrogen generation was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Our findings indicate that extensively functionalized SrTiO 3 or BaTiO 3 NPs may perform better than TiO 2 NPs for water reduction