Fabrication of N-doped Ta₂O₅ catalysts and its performance for photocatalytic production of hydrogen

N-doped Ta₂O₅ catalyst with strong visible-light response was prepared by the temperature-programmed nitridation of tantalum pentoxide and characterized using XRD, UV-Vis, XRF, and SEM. The absorption edge of the catalyst is about 630 nm and the energy gap is about 2.0 eV. The activities of hydrogen production for the N-doped Ta₂O₅ catalysts were studied by water splitting in the aqueous ethanol or Na₂S-Na₂SO₃ solution under the visible light irradiation. The relationship between the amount of loading Ru and the rate of hydrogen evolution were investigated. The results show that the efficiency of hydrogen evolution can be greatly improved by photo-depositing Ru on the surface of N-doped Ta₂O₅ catalysts and the optimal amount of loading Ru is about 0.1 wt.%.