Al/Nb Co‐Doped La ₂ Ti ₂ O ₇ as an Efficient Photocatalyst for H ₂ Production

The development of efficient photocatalysts for water splitting is crucial for clean and sustainable energy production. In this study, Al/Nb co‐doped La 2 Ti 2 O 7 photocatalysts were synthesized via a sol‐gel route, and their crystal structures and physicochemical properties were systematically characterized. The results demonstrate that the introduction of Al/Nb effectively suppresses crystal growth, leading to increased BET surface area and narrowed bandgap, both of which contribute to enhanced photocatalytic performance. Among these samples, La 2 Al 0.2 Nb 0.2 Ti 1.6 O 7 (x = 0.2) demonstrated the highest photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity under irradiation from a 300 W Xe lamp (320 ≤ λ ≤ 780 nm), achieving a H 2 yield of 95.9 µmol g −1 in 2.5 h, which is more than twice that of pristine La 2 Ti 2 O 7 (38.5 µmol g −1 ). Photoelectrochemical measurements further reveal that the sample of x = 0.2 possesses lower charge migration resistance and more efficient charge separation than La 2 Ti 2 O 7 , which significantly contributes to the enhanced H 2 yield. These results highlight the potential of Al/Nb co‐doped La 2 Ti 2 O 7 as a promising photocatalyst for water splitting.