Selective loading of platinum or silver cocatalyst onto a hydrogen-evolution photocatalyst in a silver-mediated all solid-state Z-scheme system for enhanced overall water splitting.

We selectively loaded a hydrogen (H)-evolution cocatalyst, either platinum (Pt) or silver (Ag), onto a H-evolution photocatalyst, zinc rhodium oxide (ZnRhO), in a Ag-inserted ZnRhO and bismuth vanadium oxide (BiVO) hetero-junction photocatalyst (ZnRhO/Ag/BiVO) by a photo-deposition method. The selective loading of Pt or Ag was achieved by taking advantage of the band-gap difference between ZnRhO (1.2 eV) and BiVO (1.7 eV) and increased the overall water-splitting activity of the photocatalyst.