Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of LaTiO2N using titanium oxide nanosheet/La3+ hybrids as a precursor

Abstract

LaTiO₂N, which has attracted attention as a promising candidate for photocatalytic water splitting, was synthesized through a method that utilized a titania nanosheet/La³⁺/La(OH)₃ hybrid system as a precursor. Through FE-SEM and HAADF-STEM measurements with atomic resolution, it has been revealed that LaTiO₂N possesses a nano-particle morphology characterized by highly crystalline particles in the size range of 5–20 nm, which aggregate to form larger nano-particles with sizes ranging from 50 to 100 nm. The BET surface area of the LaTiO₂N was 30.3 m² g⁻¹. Compared to the photocatalytic O₂ evolution activity in the presence of the sacrificial agent of LaTiO₂N synthesized from La₂Ti₂O₇, the LaTiO₂N synthesized from the titania nanosheet/La³⁺/La(OH)₃ hybrids exhibited three times higher O₂ evolution activity (AQY: 1.3%) under light irradiation with a wavelength of 420 nm.