High-purity hydrogen generation by ultraviolet illumination with the membrane composed of titanium dioxide nanotube array and Pd layer

High-purity hydrogen generation was observed by using a membrane composed of a bilayer of an anodized titanium dioxide nanotube array (TNA) and a hydrogen permeable metal. This membrane was fabricated by transferring a TNA embedded in a titanium foil onto a sputtered 10-m-thick palladium film. Alcohols are reformed photocatalytically and concurrently generated hydrogen is purified through the Pd layer. H₂ with a purity of more than 99 was obtained from liquid alcohols under ultraviolet illumination onto the membrane. Thus, we demonstrated the integration of photocatalytic hydrogen production and purification within a single membrane.