METHODS OF REDUCING THE BANDGAP ENERGY OF A METAL OXIDE

摘要

Disclosed are methods of reducing the bandgap of a metal oxide by alloying a binary oxide with a Group VI element that is isovalent with oxygen. The Group VI element substitutes for at least a portion of the oxygen in the binary oxide to form the alloyed, ternary oxide. Such ternary oxide electrodes are useful as photoelectrodes in photoelectrochemical cells that spontaneously, as a result of solar power, cleave (split) water molecules to produce hydrogen gas. Exemplary ternary metal oxide alloys useful in the present embodiments include W[(VI)xO1-x]3and Ti[(VI)xO1-x]2, and the Group VI element may be S, Se, and Te, and combinations thereof.