Photocatalysts for hydrogen production from water based on oxide nanopowders synthesized by laser evaporation of a ceramic target

Abstract This paper deals with the problem of designing photocatalysts for green technologies of hydrogen production from water. Such technologies are treated as an alternative to fossil energy sources. Promising technologies are based on the dissociation of water molecules on the surface of rutile TiO 2 and other oxides. Dissociation occurs under sunlight and requires no energy costs. Commercial applications of known photocatalysts are not feasible because of their low efficiency. To solve this problem, this work offers a new approach based on using oxide nanopowders synthesized by the technique of laser evaporation of a ceramic target. Some of these materials are semiconductors, possessing properties favorable for photocatalysis: they have small bandgaps and high concentrations of oxygen vacancies in the nanoparticles’ surface layers. We have studied the properties of a YSZ10 oxide nanopowder synthesized by the laser technique. The objective of the investigation was to measure the thickness of ОН − and H 2 O layers on the oxide surface that form upon its interaction with humid air. To determine the layer thickness, a technique of nuclear reactions was employed. Humidity, temperature, and air pressure were typical for laboratory environments. YSZ10 was established to be a superhydrophilic material. The OH − layer thickness characterizing the dissociation rate of H 2 O molecules was one monolayer, which is a theoretical limit for this parameter. The results of the study imply that YSZ10 oxide nanopowders are a promising material for photocatalysts in green technologies for hydrogen production from water.