Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026
12:47
Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO2-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition
Published on: May 2, 2014
Topotactic Nitridation Enabled Core-Shell La4Ti3(O,N)12@LaTiO2N for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Jeongsuk Seo1, Yoonji Seo1, Ohmin Kwon2
1Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|July 11, 2026
Summary
Layered perovskite oxynitrides show promise for water splitting. This study reveals a gradual nitridation mechanism, enabling core-shell heterostructures with enhanced photoelectrochemical activity.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photocatalysis
- Inorganic Chemistry
Background:
- Layered perovskite oxynitrides are promising semiconductors for photocatalytic water splitting due to their electronic and structural properties.
- Challenges in synthesis, including structural collapse during nitridation, hinder the development of efficient materials and obscure reaction mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the nitridation mechanism of layered perovskites.
- To understand how nitridation influences the formation of heterostructures for enhanced photocatalysis.
- To provide insights into the synthesis of efficient perovskite oxynitrides for solar water splitting.
Main Methods:
- Neutron diffraction and electron microscopy were employed to study the nitridation process.
- Systematic investigation of the nitridation of La4Ti3O12.
- Fabrication and characterization of core-shell heterostructures (La4Ti3(O,N)12@LaTiO2N).
Main Results:
- Nitridation proceeds topotactically, gradually and heterogeneously, preserving the layered framework.
- N-substituted layered perovskite oxynitride forms before complete conversion to 3D perovskite.
- A layered/3D core-shell heterostructure (La4Ti3(O,N)12@LaTiO2N) was successfully synthesized.
- The core-shell structure exhibits improved charge carrier dynamics and enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting activity.
Conclusions:
- Layered oxynitrides are crucial for heterojunction formation and band alignment in photocatalysts.
- The study elucidates the nitridation mechanism of layered perovskites, revealing a pathway for creating core-shell structures.
- The synthesized core-shell photoanode demonstrates significantly improved water splitting performance, offering a viable route for efficient perovskite oxynitrides.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview
Electrocyclic reactions are reversible reactions. They involve an intramolecular cyclization or ring-opening of a conjugated polyene. Shown below are two examples of electrocyclic reactions. In the first reaction, the formation of the cyclic product is favored. In contrast, in the second reaction, ring-opening is favored due to the high ring strain associated with cyclobutene formation.
01:26Oxygenic Photosynthesis
Oxygenic photosynthesis is a fundamental process in which light energy is harnessed to drive the oxidation of water, leading to the production of molecular oxygen (O₂), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). This process is essential for sustaining aerobic life on Earth and is primarily carried out by cyanobacteria, algae, and plants. The core of oxygenic photosynthesis lies in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments facilitate light...
01:34The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis
The light reactions of photosynthesis assume a linear flow of electrons from water to NADP+. During this process, light energy drives the splitting of water molecules to produce oxygen. However, oxidation of water molecules is a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction and requires a strong oxidizing agent. This is accomplished by the first product of light reactions: oxidized P680 (or P680+), the most powerful oxidizing agent known in biology. The oxidized P680 that acquires an electron from the...
01:26Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
The absorption of UV–visible light by conjugated systems causes the promotion of an electron from the ground state to the excited state. Consequently, photochemical electrocyclic reactions proceed via the excited-state HOMO rather than the ground-state HOMO. Since the ground- and excited-state HOMOs have different symmetries, the stereochemical outcome of electrocyclic reactions depends on the mode of activation; i.e., thermal or photochemical.
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
02:47Voltaic/Galvanic Cells
Spontaneous Chemical Reactions
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...