AI Article Synopsis
- This paper examines how the texture, structure, and interfaces of Au/TiO(2) nanocomposites impact their ability to photocatalytically split water.
- Different TiO(2) morphologies and various cocatalysts were tested, with Au/TiO(2) displaying the highest activity at a 1 wt% gold loading under visible light.
- Key findings suggest that factors like TiO(2) grain morphology, gold particle dispersion, and metal/oxide interfaces enhance the photocatalytic process, particularly with methanol as a sacrificial agent.
Article Abstract
This paper deals with the textural, microstructural and interfacial properties of Au/TiO(2) nanocomposites, in relation to their photocatalytic activity for splitting of water. TiO(2) samples of two different morphologies were employed for dispersing different cocatalysts, such as: Au, Pt, Ag or Cu, for the sake of comparison. The samples were characterized using powder XRD, XPS, UV-visible, thermoluminescence, SEM, HRTEM and SAED techniques. Compared to other metal/TiO(2) photocatalysts, Au/TiO(2) with an optimum gold loading of 1 wt% was found to exhibit considerably higher activity for visible light induced production of H(2) from splitting water in the presence of methanol. Further, the sol-gel prepared TiO(2) (s.TiO(2)), having spherical grains of 10-15 nm size, displayed better photoactivity than a Degussa P25 catalyst. The electron microscopy investigations on s.TiO(2) revealed significant heterogeneity in grain morphology of individual TiO(2) particles, exposure of the lattice planes, metal dispersion, and the interfacial metal/TiO(2) contacts. The gold particles were found to be in a better dispersed state. O(2) TPD experiments revealed that the gold nanoparticles and Au/TiO(2) interfaces may serve as distinct binding sites for adsorbate molecules. At the same time, our thermoluminescence measurements provide an insight into Au-induced new defect states that may facilitate the semiconductor-to-metal charge transfer transition. In conclusion, the superior photocatalytic activity of Au/TiO(2) may relate to the grain morphology of TiO(2), dispersion of gold particles, and the peculiar architecture of metal/oxide heterojunctions; giving rise in turn to augmented adsorption of reactant molecules and their interaction with the photo-generated e(-)/h(+) pair. The role played by methanol as a sacrificial reagent in photocatalytic splitting of water is discussed.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c1cp21194c | DOI Listing |
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