Stable Heteropolyoxotitanate Nanocluster for Full Solar Spectrum Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

We report a stable and semiconductive heteropolyoxotitanate of [Ti12Cr6O18(OOCC6H5)30] (denoted as POTi12Cr6), which exhibits a pronounced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate, photothermal effect, and photocurrent under full solar spectrum, including near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, moreover, with high stability in both acid and base aqueous solution. Crystallinity and photocatalytic activity of POTi12Cr6 remain unchanged under cycling photocatalysis tests. This work demonstrates an approach to overcome the common restriction of low stability and limited solar absorption capability in polyoxotitanate- and TiO2-based materials. The result will open up heteropolyoxotitanate as a novel type of semiconductor material for the full solar spectrum, especially NIR energy utilization including photothermal transformation, photocurrent response, and photocatalytic H2 evolution.