The hydrothermal and solvothermal synthesis of LiTaO3 photocatalyst: Suppressing the deterioration of the water splitting activity without using a cocatalyst

• LiTaO3 photocatalysts were synthesized using hydrothermal and solvothermal methods.
• LiTaO3 obtained solvothermally without cocatalyst showed high H2 generation rate.
• The H2 generation rates did not change for 30 d.
• The catalytic turnover number was 510.

LiTaO3 photocatalysts having high water splitting activity in the absence of cocatalyst were synthesized using hydrothermal and solvothermal methods. The particle size of the hydrothermally synthesized LiTaO3 was 500–3000 nm, and the H2 generation rate under ultraviolet irradiation without cocatalyst was as low as 8 μmol/h. Conversely, LiTaO3 synthesized by the solvothermal method using acetone as the solvent showed high H2 generation rate of over 600 μmol/h. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of the solvothermally synthesized LiTaO3 was 23.7 m2/g, and the particle size was 10–30 nm. In the long-term water splitting experiment on the LiTaO3 synthesized by the solvothermal method, the H2 generation rates did not change for 30 d, and the catalytic turnover number was 510.