In this form, they attract photogenerated electrons, allowing for an efficient charge separation and an enhanced
photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation from water.
There they will measure
the photocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution and hydrogen evolution reactions, as occur when light energy is successfully used to break water down into useable fuel.
Zou's group started with an oxide of indium - tantalum, a material that had been shown to have
some photocatalytic activity but was inefficient under visible light because its band gap isn't sufficient.