Unravelling the interfacial water structure at the photocatalyst strontium titanate by sum frequency generation spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT: The direct conversion of solar energy to hydrogen is considered as a possible method to produce carbon neutral hydrogen fuel. The mechanism of photocatalytic water splitting involves the chemical breakdown of water and re-assembly into hydrogen and oxygen at the interface of a photocatalyst. The selection rules of a suitable material are well established, but the fundamental understanding of the mechanisms, occurring at the interface between the catalyst and the water, remains missing. Using surface specific sum frequency generation spectroscopy, we present here characterisation of the interface between water and the photocatalyst strontium titanate (SrTiO₃). We monitor the OH-stretching vibrations present at the interface. Their variations of intensities and frequencies as func

SUBMITTER: Buessler M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10664186 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature