Hydrogenated TiO2 nanobelts as highly efficient photocatalytic organic dye degradation and hydrogen evolution photocatalyst.

TiO2 nanobelts have gained increasing interest because of its outstanding properties and promising applications in a wide range of fields. Here we report the facile synthesis of hydrogenated TiO2 (H-TiO2) nanobelts, which exhibit excellent UV and visible photocatalytic decomposing of methyl orange (MO) and water splitting for hydrogen production. The improved photocatalytic property can be attributed to the Ti(3+) ions and oxygen vacancies in TiO2 nanobelts created by hydrogenation. Ti(3+) ions and oxygen vacancies can enhance visible light absorption, promote charge carrier trapping, and hinder the photogenerated electron-hole recombination. This work offers a simple strategy for the fabrication of a wide solar spectrum of active photocatalysts, which possesses significant potential for more efficient photodegradation, photocatalytic water splitting, and enhanced solar cells using sunlight as light source.