Significance of Hydrophilic Characters of Organic Dyes in Visible-Light Hydrogen Generation Based on TiO2

Abstract

A series of dyes were synthesized to examine the roles of the hydrophilic characteristics of R in sensitized hydrogen generation by dyegrafted Pt/TiO2 under visible light irradiation. The hydrogen-generation efficiencies and optimum amounts of the dyes grafted to Pt/TiO2 were affected substantially by the hydrophilic and steric effects of R; moderately hydrophilic DEO1 and DEO2 showed higher sensitization activity at a lower loading than hydrophobic D-H.