Chemical Communications 2011-02-14

A visible-light-sensitive water splitting photocatalyst composed of Rh3+ in a 4d6 electronic configuration, Rh3+-doped ZnGa2O4.

Naoya Kumagai, Lei Ni, Hiroshi Irie

Index: Chem. Commun. (Camb.) 47(6) , 1884-6, (2011)

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Abstract

Using the Rh(3+) ion (Rh d(6)) in a regular octahedral coordination, which forms fully occupied t(2g)(6) and empty e(g)(0) as a result of ligand-field splitting, we demonstrated that Rh-doped ZnGa(2)O(4) had midgap states created by t(2g)(6) and e(g)(0) that had suitable potentials to produce either hydrogen or oxygen in the presence of sacrificial agents under visible-light irradiation.