Photocatalytic activity of tin-substituted TiO2 in visible light

Ultrafine powders of (Ti1-xSnx)O2, 0<x≤1, prepared by the hydrothermal method under pressure, are pale-yellow in color. They show photocatalytic activity (after platinization) in the visible light region (420-550 nm) for H2 production from aqueous solutions containing sacrificial donors such as hypophosphite. The spectral sensitization is shown to be due to peroxotitanium species present in the lattice.