CHARACTERIZATION OF TITANIUM-BORON BINARY OXIDES AND THEIR PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY FOR STOICHIOMETRIC DECOMPOSITION OF WATER

A titanium-boron binary oxide has been prepared by sol-gel method and used as a photocatalyst for the decomposition of water. The structure of titanium oxide species in the Ti/B binary oxide was amorphous befor e and crystal after calcination in O-2, while the boron oxide species maintained its amorphous state. With increasing calcination temperatur e, the crystalline structure of titanium oxides changed from an anatas e phase to a rutile phase. Pt-loaded Ti/B photocatalysts decomposed wa ter stoichiometrically in aqueous suspension system. Their photocataly tic activity decreased markedly with increase in the calcination tempe rature, indicating that the photocatalytic activity of the Ti/B binary oxide was strongly dependent on the crystal phase of the titanium oxi de in the Ti/B binary oxide. A remarkable yield in the reaction of wat er decomposition was obtained when Na2CO3 was added in the Pt-loaded T i/B binary oxide suspension. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.