Invited Paper SE1-MoM1
Development of Highly Functional Visible Light-responsive TiO₂ Thin Film Photocatalyst Materials by a RF Magnetron Sputtering Method and their Applications for our better Environment and Production of Clean Energies using Sunlight

Monday, November 9, 2009, 8:20 am, Room B1

Titanium oxide-based catalysts have attracted a great deal of attention for their application in photocatalytic materials with high reactivity, thermal stability and nontoxic properties¹⁾. However, unlike natural photosynthesis in green plants, they can make use of only 3-4% of solar light, necessitating the use of a UV light source. Recently, we have successfully applied a RF magnetron sputtering deposition method to design unique and efficient titanium oxide photocatal ysts which enable the absorption of visible light of longer than 550 nm. These newly developed titanium oxide catalysts were found to work as environmentally-friendly photocatalyst, leading to the efficient use of solar energy for the production of clean H₂ and O₂ from water with a separate evolution and other significant reactions^2-4).

In the present lecture, the results obtained for the photocatalytic decomposition of H₂O with the separate evolution of H₂ and O₂ under sunlight irradiation of the visible light-responsive titanium oxide thin film photocatalysts will be presented.

1) M. Anpo, et al., in “Annu Rev. Mater. Res.”, Eds. J. M. Thomas and P. L. Gai, 35, 1 (2005).

2) M. Kitano, M. Takeuchi, M. Matsuoka, M. Anpo, et al., Catal. Today, 120, 133 (2007).

3) M. Kitano, M. Matsuoka, J. M. Thomas, M. Anpo, et al., Top. Catal., 49, 24 (2008).