Simultaneous production of hydrogen and chlorine through overall brine splitting with a particulate photocatalyst

Sunlight-driven photocatalytic water splitting shows promise for green H2 production. In an attempt to achieve seawater splitting, we constructed a new stoichiometric brine splitting system that produces H2 along with Cl2 instead of O2. Cl2-a more potent high-value-added oxidant than O2-was obtained with 100% selectivity over 10 h by adjusting the solution pH to acidic using a UV-light-driven Pt-loaded TiO2 photocatalyst. Our new photosynthesis system can permit economically feasible solar chemical production. Pt-loaded TiO2 was shown to split brine into H2 and Cl2 in a stoichiometric manner under UV irradiation in a flow-type reactor.