Water splitting over new niobate photocatalysts with tungsten-bronze-type structure and effect of transition metal-doping.

Photophysical properties and photocatalytic activities for water splitting over KM(2)Nb(5)O(15) (M = Sr and Ba) and K(2)LnNb(5)O(15) (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, and Sm) with tungsten bronze-type structure were investigated. Single phases of KM(2)Nb(5)O(15) and K(2)LnNb(5)O(15) were successfully prepared by solid-state reaction (SSR) method and polymerizable complex (PC) method. The band gaps of these niobates were estimated to be 3.1-3.5 eV. These metal oxides loaded with an activated NiO(x) cocatalyst showed photocatalytic activities for water splitting into H(2) and O(2) under UV irradiation. When K(2)LaNb(5)O(15) was doped by Rh ions, a new visible-light absorption band was observed around 400-500 nm in addition to the band gap absorption band of the K(2)LaNb(5)O(15) host. K(2)LaNb(5)O(15):Rh showed photocatalytic activities for H(2) or O(2) evolution from an aqueous solution containing a sacrificial reagent under visible-light irradiation.