Hydrogen-Bond Network Promotes Water Splitting on the TiO2 Surface

UV/X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The density functional theory calculation reveals that the water splitting becomes an exothermic process through hole oxidation with the assistance of the hydrogen-bond network. In addition to the widely concerned exotic activity from photocatalysts, our study demonstrates the internal hydrogen-bond network, which is ubiquitous at practical aqueous/catalyst interfaces, is also indispensable for water splitting.