Conduction band energy level control of titanium dioxide: toward an efficient visible-light-sensitive photocatalyst

Through the use of a strategy that involves narrowing the TiO(2) band gap by shifting its conduction band positively and utilizing the catalytic activity of photoproduced Cu(I) for oxygen reduction, a novel visible-light-sensitive TiO(2) photocatalyst, Cu(II)-grafted Ti(1-3x)W(x)Ga(2x)O(2), was designed and synthesized. The Cu(II)/Ti(1-3x)W(x)Ga(2x)O(2) photocatalyst produced high activity under visible-light irradiation. In fact, it decomposed 2-propanol to CO(2) via acetone under visible light (>400 nm) with a high quantum efficiency of 13%. The turnover number for this reaction exceeded 22, indicating that it functioned catalytically.