Monophasic Titanate-Based Photocatalyst with Heteroatom Mixed Iso-Aliovalency Enabling Water Oxidation
Rhodium-doped SrTiO<sub>3</sub> perovskite as a monophasic titanate-based catalyst (SrTi<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>Rh<sub><i>x</i></sub>O<sub>3</sub>) showed photocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) from water under solar light irradiation with an instant induction period, although Rh<sup>4+</sup> in SrTiO<sub>3</sub> introduces deep trap states thereby diminishing the efficiency of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Despite its potential, the exact crystal structure of Rh:SrTiO<sub>3</sub> has not been yet completely investigated. Overcoming these challenges, here, we synthesized a monophasic SrTi<sub>0.95</sub>Rh<sub>0.05</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (RSTO) perovskite oxide with a precisely determined crystal structure and highlighted an unconsidered pivotal role of the Rh iso-aliovalency reversibility that enables excellent photocatalytic water oxidation. With structural, morphological, optical, and electronic insights from XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, and advanced XAS measurements in both total electron yield (TEY) and fluorescence yield (TFY), the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process is attributed to the redox dynamics of Rh<sup>4+</sup> ↔ Rh<sup>3+</sup> synergistic interplay.
Authors
- Camelia Nicoleta Borca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6798-2086)
- Gabriel Ababei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8767-9041)
- Nicoleta Lupu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2188-8187)
- George Stoian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5908-5999)
- H. Chiriac (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8864-9255)
- Dana Georgeta Popescu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9889-4417)
- Marius Adrian Huşanu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4510-6653)
- Adrian Iulian Borhan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1437-683X)
- Daniel Ghercă (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2128-9694)
Institutions
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (RO)
- Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
- National Institute of Materials Physics (RO)
- National Institute of Research and Development for Technical Physics (RO)
- Swiss Light Source
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Published
- 2025-05-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c03417
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73
Funders
- Ministerul Cercetării, Inovării şi Digitalizării
- Paul Scherrer Institut
- Unitatea Executiva pentru Finantarea Invatamantului Superior, a Cercetarii, Dezvoltarii si Inovarii