A Patterned-TiO₂/SnO₂ Bilayer Type Photocatalyst

A major challenge in heterogeneous photocatalysis is the need to increase charge separation efficiency of a photocatalyst, under illumination, without any applied electrical potential. Regularly patterned TiO₂ films were formed on a SnO₂-film coated soda lime glass substrate by using an organically modified sol−gel method. This bilayer-type photocatalyst exhibited a very high photocatalytic activity for gas-phase reactions. Efficient interfacial electron transfer from the TiO₂ overlayer to the SnO₂ underlayer was demonstrated by labeling and visualizing the reduction sites with Ag particles.