Enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting over CaTaO2N via engineering the surface of a platinum cocatalyst.

Cocatalyst loading is of critical importance in efficient photocatalytic water splitting over perovskite oxynitrides. Perovskite CaTaO2N was synthesized for enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via decoration of a Pt cocatalyst by impregnation–reduction and photodeposition methods. The Pt-loaded CaTaO2N photocatalyst evolves 6.4 μmol H2 per hour, with an apparent quantum yield as high as 0.67% at a wavelength of 420 nm. Decorating the cocatalyst with uniform dispersion and intimate contact onto the surface of narrow-bandgap perovskite oxynitrides is an efficient method to upgrade photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]