Enhancement of activity of LaNi0.7Cu0.3O3 for photocatalytic water splitting by reduction treatment at moderate temperature

To accrue the full environmental benefit of hydrogen as an energy carrier, we need to develop new visible-light-active photocatalyst. Here, the LaNi0.7Cu0.3O3, was used as a precursor and then treated at various temperatures (523–673 K) for 2 h under continuous H2 flow. Among all the resultant photocatalysts, the LaNi0.7Cu0.3O3 treated at 573 K, exhibited highest photocatalytic activity when exposed to visible-light irradiation. We characterized the samples by XRD, DRS, XPS and PL. It was found that a perovskite-related material with proper oxygen vacancies and Cu2+/Cu1+ redox couples facilitated the enhancement in photocatalytic activity.