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Photocatalysisusing semiconductors has attracted particular interests in the pastfour decades because of its ability in directly coverting the solar energy intochemical fuels.1 In recent years, manyefforts have been devoted to studing the photocatalytic properties of thepotassium niobate oxides, due to their unique crystal and band strucuture. In particular, K2Nb8O17 is well known as a potential photocatalystcandidate. However, K2Nb8O17, like other UV-light responsive semiconductorphotocatalysts, cannot exhibit any photocatalytic activity under visible lightirradiation, due to its relatively large bandgap. Thus, it is highly desirableto seak an effective method to reduce the bandgap of K2Nb8O17 from the viewpoint of solar lightusage. Among various methods that are used to reduce the bandgap of K2Nb8O17, doping is the most common onebecause it could induce intrinsic electronic and bandstructure changes. Herein,we developed a facile strategy for the preparation of yellow N-doped K2Nb8O17 microspheres. Thepresence of N in the sample extends the photoresponse of K4Nb6O17from the UV to the visible light region, which leads to enhancedvisible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the production of hydrogenfrom methanol aqueous solution.PRESENTER: Tierui Zhang

Photocatalysis, Water splitting; Hydrogen; Niobate; N-doped