ALTHOUGH the possibility of water photolysis has been investigated by many workers, a useful method has only now been developed. Because water is transparent to visible light it cannot be decomposed directly, but only by radiation with wavelengths shorter than 190 nm (ref. 1).

Electrochemical Photolysis of Water at a Semiconductor Electrode

Although gold is the subject of one of the most ancient themes of investigation in science, its renaissance now leads to an exponentially increasing number of publications, especially in the context of emerging nanoscience and nanotechnology with nanoparticles and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). We will limit the present review to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), also called gold colloids. AuNPs are the most stable metal nanoparticles, and they present fascinating aspects such as their assembly of multiple types involving materials science, the behavior of the individual particles, size-related electronic, magnetic and optical properties (quantum size effect), and their applications to catalysis and biology. Their promises are in these fields as well as in the bottom-up approach of nanotechnology, and they will be key materials and building block in the 21st century. Whereas the extraction of gold started in the 5th millennium B.C. near Varna (Bulgaria) and reached 10 tons per year in Egypt around 1200-1300 B.C. when the marvelous statue of Touthankamon was constructed, it is probable that “soluble” gold appeared around the 5th or 4th century B.C. in Egypt and China. In antiquity, materials were used in an ecological sense for both aesthetic and curative purposes. Colloidal gold was used to make ruby glass 293 Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 293−346

Gold nanoparticles: assembly, supramolecular chemistry, quantum-size-related properties, and applications toward biology, catalysis, and nanotechnology.

To use solar irradiation or interior lighting efficiently, we sought a photocatalyst with high reactivity under visible light. Films and powders of TiO 2- x N x have revealed an improvement over titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) under visible light (wavelength 2 has proven to be indispensable for band-gap narrowing and photocatalytic activity, as assessed by first-principles calculations and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy.

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Visible-Light Photocatalysis in Nitrogen-Doped Titanium Oxides

Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties, Modifications, and Applications

The surface science of titanium dioxide

Photo-induced reverse valence tautomerism in a metastable Co compound

Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 with High Current Density in a CO2-Methanol Medium

The photocatalytic reaction of kraft lignin at titanium dioxide photocatalyst was investigated. Kraft lignin was completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water through dehydrodimers of phenol derivatives constituting kraft lignin, methanol and organic acids such as oxalic and formic acids. Aromatic compounds such as vanillin could not be recovered due to their tendency to dehydrodimerization and the strong oxidizing power of the photo-generated holes by the action of which the dehydrodimers were completely decomposed into carbon dioxide and water. The production of methane, ethane, and ethylene was much smaller than that in the decomposition with hydroxyl radicals in homogeneous solution.

Photodecomposition of Kraft Lignin Catalyzed by Titanium Dioxide

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide on hydrogenstoring materials. Part 1. The effect of hydrogen absorption on the electrochemical behavior on palladium electrodes

The oxidation of nitrite at boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was investigated by use of anodic voltammetry. The voltammetric curves exhibit well-defined anodic peaks, with response that is superior to that obtained with glassy carbon electrodes. The influence of pH, nitrite concentration, and potential sweep rate on the electrode response was thoroughly investigated. The results show that the measurement of the oxidation peak current can be used as the basis for a simple, accurate, rapid method for the determination of within a concentration range of 0.002-1 mM. Flow injection analysis with amperometric detection was also examined and improved sensitivity was observed, with analytical useful signals being obtained at 50 nM. The possibility of using anodic voltammetry for the determination of nitrogen oxides (NO and was also assessed. It is shown that BDD is a very promising electrode material for the detection of nitrogen oxides in gases and the determination of NO in aqueous solution. © 2001 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

Akira Fujishima

Papers

Photo-induced reverse valence tautomerism in a metastable Co compound

Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 with High Current Density in a CO2-Methanol Medium

Photodecomposition of Kraft Lignin Catalyzed by Titanium Dioxide

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide on hydrogenstoring materials. Part 1. The effect of hydrogen absorption on the electrochemical behavior on palladium electrodes

Determination of Nitrite and Nitrogen Oxides by Anodic Voltammetry at Conductive Diamond Electrodes