One-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nanostructured MgBi(2)O(6)/TiO(2) Composites for Enhanced Hydrogen Production

A highly efficient MgBi2O(6) (MBO)/TiO(2) heterostructured photocatalyst for the evolution of H(2) was successfully prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method. The phase structure, microstructure and optical properties of the MBO/TiO(2) composites were investigated by various experimental techniques. A series of H(2) production experiments were performed under visible light. The measured results indicated that the nanostructured MBO/TiO(2) composite, with a stoichiometric molar ratio of MBO:TiO(2) = 0.2%, displayed the best H(2) production rate of 3413 μmol h(−1) g(−1). The excellent photocatalytic performance of the obtained composite material was due to the heterojunction formed between MBO and TiO(2), which reduced the charge transfer resistance and accelerated the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The reaction mechanism was also discussed in detail.