Photocatalytic Activity of Cobalt Doped Titania for H<sub>2</sub> Evolution

Cobalt-doped titania(Co/TiO_2) photocatalysts were synthesized by the polymerized complex method(PCM).The materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry(TGA-DSC),Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),X-ray diffraction(XRD),nitrogen adsorption-desorption,ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV-Vis DRS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by hydrogen evolution.The results show that anatase type titania exists in the materials and cobalt is evenly dispersed. The activity of the cobalt doped titania was found to be superior to that of pure titania.The maximum activity obtained at 0.3%Co/Ti molar ratio was nearly 6 times as high as that of pure titania.The amount of hydrogen produced was up to 2499μmol.The doping mechanism of cobalt is discussed.