Abstract
Photocatalytic activities for H2 evolution of rare earth titanium oxides, RE2Ti2O7 (RE = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb), were investigated. These compounds were synthesized by the solid state reaction or sol-gel method. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the particle size was observed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The band gap energy was estimated by the UV-VIS absorption spectra. Photocatalytic reactions were carried out in a closed gas cell system. Under 500 W Xe lamp light irradiation, H2 gas was clearly evolved in distilled water suspended La2Ti2O7 or Sm2Ti2O7.
