Preparation of highly uniform Ag/TiO2 and Au/TiO2 supported nanoparticle catalysts by photodeposition

Photodeposition of Ag nanoparticles on commercial TiO2 particles and nanoparticles was performed in order to provide direct visualization of the spatial distribution of photoactive sites on sub-micrometer-scale and nanoscale TiO2 particle surfaces and to create materials for potential catalytic applications. HRTEM (high-resolution transmission electron microscopy) and HAADF-STEM (high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy) were used to characterize these materials. The size and spatial distributions of the Ag nanoparticles on the commercial TiO2 were not uniform; the concentration of Ag was higher on grain boundaries and at the edges of these submicrometer particles. In the case of TiO2 nanoparticles, the size distribution of the Ag nanoparticles deposited was relatively uniform and independent of irradiation time and photon energy. The amount of Ag deposited on TiO2 nanoparticles was at least 6 times higher than that on the commercial samples for comparable irradiation conditions. Compared to the case of Ag photodeposition, the difference in the amount of Au photodeposited on TiO2 particles and nanoparticles was even greater, especially at low precursor concentrations. Photodeposition on TiO2 nanoparticles is suggested as a potential method for the preparation of Au/TiO2 catalysts, as loadings in excess of 10 wt % of uniform 1 nm metal particles were achieved in this work.     

Photoinduced dissolution and redeposition of Au nanoparticles supported on TiO2

Au particles (mean size ca. 3 nm) supported on TiO(2) particles were irradiated by UV light (>300 nm) in aqueous solutions at 278 K. Photo-induced dissolution of Au nanoparticles followed by redeposition occurred in aqueous solutions containing halogen ions. The dissolution of Au nanoparticles yielded a Au(III) complex with a halogen ion; subsequent reduction of the Au(III) complex caused precipitation of larger Au particles on TiO(2).     

Gold nanoparticles located at the interface of anatase/rutile TiO2 particles as active plasmonic photocatalysts for aerobic oxidation

Visible-light irradiation (λ > 450 nm) of gold nanoparticles loaded on a mixture of anatase/rutile TiO(2) particles (Degussa, P25) promotes efficient aerobic oxidation at room temperature. The photocatalytic activity critically depends on the catalyst architecture: Au particles with <5 nm diameter located at the interface of anatase/rutile TiO(2) particles behave as the active sites for reaction. This photocatalysis is promoted via plasmon activation of the Au particles by visible light followed by consecutive electron transfer in the Au/rutile/anatase contact site. The activated Au particles transfer their conduction electrons to rutile and then to adjacent anatase TiO(2). This catalyzes the oxidation of substrates by the positively charged Au particles along with reduction of O(2) by the conduction band electrons on the surface of anatase TiO(2). This plasmonic photocatalysis is successfully promoted by sunlight exposure and enables efficient and selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols at ambient temperature.     

Gold-Titanium(IV) Oxide Plasmonic Photocatalysts Prepared by a Colloid-Photodeposition Method: Correlation Between Physical Properties and Photocatalytic Activities

Colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles were prepared and successfully loaded on titanium(IV) oxide (TiO(2)) without change in the original particle size using a method of colloid photodeposition operated in the presence of a hole scavenger (CPH). The prepared Au nanoparticles supported on TiO(2) showed strong photoabsorption at around 550 nm due to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Au and exhibited a photocatalytic activity in mineralization of formic acid in aqueous suspensions under irradiation of visible light (>ca. 520 nm). A linear correlation between photocatalytic activity and the amount of Au loaded, that is, the number of Au nanoparticles, was observed, indicating that the activity of Au/TiO(2) plasmonic photocatalysts can be controlled simply by the amount of Au loading using the CPH method and that the external surface area of Au nanoparticles is a decisive factor in mineralization of formic acid under visible light irradiation. Very high reaction rates were obtained in samples with 5 wt % Au or more, although the rate tended to be saturated. The CPH method can be widely applied for loading of Au nanoparticles on various TiO(2) supports without change in the original size independent of the TiO(2) phase. The rate of CO(2) formation also increased linearly with increase in the external surface area of Au. Interestingly, the TiO(2) supports showed different slopes of the plots. The slope is important for selection of TiO(2) as a material supporting colloidal Au nanoparticles.     

Kinetic and mechanistic investigations of the light induced formation of gold nanoparticles on the surface of TiO2

The kinetics of the formation of gold nanoparticles on the surface of pre-illuminated TiO(2) have been investigated using stopped-flow technique and steady state UV/Vis spectroscopy. Excess electrons were loaded on the employed nanosized titanium dioxide particles by UV-A photolysis in the presence of methanol serving as hole scavenger, stored on them in the absence of oxygen and subsequently used for the reduction of Au(III) ions. The formation of gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 5 nm was confirmed after mixing of the TiO(2) nanoparticles loaded with electrons with aqueous solution of tetrachloroaureate (HAuCl(4)) by their surface plasmon absorbance band at 530 nm, as well as by XRD and HRTEM measurements. The rate of formation of the gold nanoparticles was found to be a function of the concentration of the gold ions and the concentration of the stored electrons, respectively. The effect of PVA as a stabilizer of the gold nanoclusters was also studied. The observed kinetic behavior suggests that the formation of the gold nanoparticles on the TiO(2) surface is an autocatalytic process comprising of two main steps: 1) Reduction of the gold ions by the stored electrons on TiO(2) forming gold atoms that turn into gold nuclei. 2) Growth of the metal nuclei on the surface of TiO(2) forming the gold particles. Interestingly, at higher TiO(2) electron loading the excess electrons are subsequently transferred to the deposited gold metal particles resulting in "bleaching" of their surface plasmon band. This bleaching in the surface plasmon band is explained by the Fermi level equilibration of the Au/TiO(2) nanocomposites. Finally, the reduction of water resulting in the evolution of molecular hydrogen initiated by the excess electrons that have been transferred to the previously formed gold particles has also been observed. The mechanism of the underlying multistep electron-transfer process has been discussed in detail.     

Rapid one-step synthesis, characterization and functionalization of silica coated gold nanoparticles

This paper describes a rapid, simple and one-step method for preparing silica coated gold (Au@SiO₂) nanoparticles with fine tunable silica shell thickness and surface functionalization of the prepared particles with different groups. Monodispersed Au nanoparticles with a mean particle size of 16 nm were prepared by citrate reduction method. Silica coating was carried out by mixing the as prepared Au solution, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and ammonia followed by microwave (MW) irradiation. Although there are several ways of coating Au nanoparticles with silica in the literature, each of these needs pre-coating step as well as long reaction duration. The present method is especially useful for giving the opportunity to cover the colloidal Au particles with uniform silica shell within very short time and forgoes the use of a silane coupling agent or pre-coating step before silica coating. Au@SiO₂ nanoparticles with wide range of silica shell thickness (5-105 nm) were prepared within 5 min of MW irradiation by changing the concentration of TEOS only. The size uniformity and monodispersity were found to be better compared to the particles prepared by conventional methods, which were confirmed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopic techniques. The prepared Au@SiO₂ nanoparticles were further functionalized with amino, carboxylate, alkyl groups to facilitate the rapid translation of the nanoparticles to a wide range of end applications. The functional groups were identified by XPS, and zeta potential measurements.     

Role of micro-structure and interfacial properties in the higher photocatalytic activity of TiO2-supported nanogold for methanol-assisted visible-light-induced splitting of water

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.     

Bioinspired Au/TiO2 photocatalyst derived from butterfly wing (Papilio Paris)

The reticular hierarchical structure of butterfly wings (Papilio Paris) is introduced as template for Au/TiO(2) photocatalyst by depositing the Au nanoparticles on TiO(2) matrix, which is carried out by a water-ethanol sol-gel procedure combined with subsequent calcination. The obtained Au/TiO(2) nanocomposites present the reticular hierarchical structure of butterfly wings, and Au nanoparticles with an average size of 7 nm are homogeneously dispersed in TiO(2) substrate. Benefiting from such unique reticular hierarchical structure and composition, the biomorphic Au/TiO(2) exhibits high-harvesting capability and presents superior photocatalytic activity. Especially, the biomorphic Au/TiO(2) at the nominal content of gold to titanium of 8 wt% shows the highest photocatalytic activity and can completely decompose methyl orange within 80 min, which is obviously higher than that of commercial Degussa P25 powders.     

Ultrafast photosynthetic reduction of elemental sulfur by Au nanoparticle-loaded TiO2

Nanometer-sized gold particles with varying mean size from 3.2 to 12.2 nm were loaded on the surfaces of TiO2 particles in a highly dispersed state with the loading amount maintained constant (0.46 +/- 0.02 mass %) using the deposition-precipitation method. Light irradiation (lambda(ex) > 300 nm) to a deaerated ethanol TiO2 particle suspension containing elemental sulfur (S8) led to the energetically uphill reduction of S8 to H2S. It has been found that this reaction is dramatically enhanced with such a low level of Au loading on TiO2 and that the zero-order rate constant of reaction increases with decreasing mean size of Au nanoparticles (d). The effects of reaction parameters (substrate concentration, light intensity, temperature) on the rate of reaction were studied to infer the essential reaction mechanism. Further, a kinetic analysis has led to a conclusion that the increase in the rate of reaction with decreasing d results from the improvement of the charge separation efficiency.     

Ultrastable Au nanocatalyst supported on surface-modified TiO2 nanocrystals

The surfaces of TiO2 nanocrystals were modified with amorphous aluminum-oxide layers using a surface sol-gel process to control the interaction between supports and metal particles. Ultrastable Au nanocatalysts were prepared by the deposition of Au nanoparticles on the surface-modified TiO2 nanocrystals using a deposition-precipitation (DP) method. The TEM analysis showed that the Au nanoparticles on the surface-modified nanocrystal supports were highly stable with a sinter-resistant capability during high-temperature calcination. The HRTEM analysis revealed that the surface of the TiO2 nanocrystals was covered by an amorphous aluminum-oxide layer and the Au nanoparticles were primarily anchored to this amorphous layer. This amorphous aluminum-oxide layer played an extremely important role in the stabilization of the supported Au nanoparticles without affecting catalytic activities. The surface modification of nanocrystal supports highlights new opportunities in tailoring the stability and activity of supported nanocatalyst systems.     

Preparation of Au/Ag multilayers via layer-by-layer self-assembly in spherical polyelectrolyte brushes and their catalytic activity

Spherical polyelectrolyte brushes(SPBs) consisting of polystyrene(PS) core and poly(2-aminoethyl methacrylate hydrochloride)(PAEMH) shell were prepared by photo-emulsion polymerization. Au nanoparticles(Au-NPs) with controlled size and size distribution were synthesized in situ using SPBs as nanoreactors. Via layer-by-layer deposition technique on the surface of SPBs, nano-composite particles with Au/Ag-NPs bilayer and Au/Ag/Au-NPs trilayer were prepared. The structures of the as-prepared Au/Ag multilayer SPBs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, TEM, ICP-AES and DLS. The charge reversal of the nano-composite particles observed by zeta potential confirmed the success of layer-by-layer assembly. The Au/Ag-NPs bilayer nano-composite particles showed high catalytic efficiency with an apparent activation energy of about 41.2 k J/mol in the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the existence of sodium borohydride monitored. The catalytic activity of Au/Ag-NPs multilayer SPBs close to that of Au-NPs SPBs and much higher than that of Ag-NPs SPBs reveals its potential applications in cost-effective catalysts with high-performance.     

Influence of surface conductivity on the apparent zeta potential of TiO2 nanoparticles

Zeta potential is a physico-chemical parameter of particular importance in describing ion adsorption and electrostatic interactions between charged particles. Nevertheless, this fundamental parameter is ill-constrained, because its experimental interpretation is complex, particularly for very small and charged TiO(2) nanoparticles. The excess of electrical charge at the interface is responsible for surface conductance, which can significantly lower the electrophoretic measurements, and hence the apparent zeta potential. Consequently, the intrinsic zeta potential can have a larger amplitude, even in the case of simple 1:1 electrolytes like NaCl and KCl. Surface conductance of TiO(2) nanoparticles immersed in a NaCl solution is estimated using a surface complexation model, and this parameter and particle size are incorporated into Henry's model in order to determine a constrained value of the zeta potential from electrophoresis. Interior conductivity of the agglomerates is calculated using a differential self-consistent model. The amplitude of estimated zeta potential is greater than that derived from the von Smoluchowski equation and corresponds to the electric potential at the outer Helmholtz plane calculated by our surface complexation model. Consequently, the shear plane may be located close to the OHP, contradicting the assumption of the presence of a stagnant diffuse layer at the TiO(2)/water interface.     

Preparation, photocatalytic activities, and dye-sensitized solar-cell performance of submicron-scale TiO2 hollow spheres

We prepared submicron-scale spherical hollow particles of anatase TiO2 by using a polystyrene-bead template. The obtained particles were very uniform in size, with a diameter of 490 nm and a shell thickness of 30 nm. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements revealed a large value of 70 m2/g. The photocatalytic property was investigated by the complete decomposition of gaseous isopropyl alcohol under UV irradiation. It was indicated that the activity of the hollow spheres was 1.8 times higher than that of the conventional P25 TiO2 nanoparticles with a diameter of 30 nm. Furthermore, we fabricated a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) using an electrode of the TiO2 hollow spheres, and examined the photovoltaic performance under simulated sunlight. Although the per-area efficiency was rather low (1.26%) because of a low area density of TiO2 on the electrode, the per-weight efficiency was 2.5 times higher than those of the conventional DSCs of TiO2.     

种子乳胶粒表面修饰法制备核壳结构PSt/TiO_2复合微球

首先采用无皂乳液聚合法合成了表面带负电荷、粒径为360 nm的单分散聚苯乙烯(PSt)乳液,并利用聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)在25℃下对PSt乳胶粒表面进行修饰,得到了表面带有正电荷的PSt种子乳液;然后以乙醇和水的混合物为反应介质,采用种子乳液加入法,使钛酸正丁酯(TBT)在修饰后的乳胶粒表面进行水解与缩合,制备出了核壳结构PSt/TiO2复合微球,利用电镜对复合微球的结构形态进行了表征.结果表明,PSt乳液改性时体系的zeta电位随着PEI用量的增加而升高,当PEI用量为PSt聚合物重量的15%时,体系的zeta电位从原来的-40.3 mV升高到了38.3 mV,达到对PSt乳胶粒表面改性的最佳值;在制备PSt/TiO2复合微球时,TiO2包覆量随着反应时间的延长而增加,反应7 h时达到90.2%的最大值;随介质中水含量的增加,吸附到复合微球表面上的TiO2纳米颗粒逐渐减少,复合微球表面逐渐变得光滑,当EtOH/H2O质量比为100/6.0时,得到结构均一、壳层厚度为29 nm的核壳结构PSt/TiO2复合微球.     

Preparation of Au/TiO2 nanocomposites and their catalytic activity for DPPH radical scavenging reaction

Au/TiO2 nanocomposites have been prepared by UV photolysis or chemical reduction of a Au(III) complex formed on a spherical or a rodlike TiO2 support, and their catalytic activity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging reaction was investigated. The chemical reduction with dimethylamine borane (DMAB) provided smaller gold nanoparticles than those synthesized by UV photolysis. Type of the TiO2 also affected the size of gold particles; smaller gold particles were deposited on the spherical TiO2 support than on rodlike one. For the radical scavenging reaction, the Au/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by chemical reduction exhibited a higher catalytic activity than those photochemically prepared, and rodlike TiO2 provided a higher activity than spherical one. The effects of preparation methods and type of TiO2 supports on the catalytic activity are discussed.     

Electrochemical methods for the preparation of gold-coated TiO2 nanoparticles with variable coverages

We report here the first electrochemical methods to prepare elemental Au0-coated TiO2 nanoparticles with controllable coverages. First, Au substrates were cycled in a deoxygenated aqueous solution containing 0.1 N HCl and 1 mM TiO2 nanoparticles from -0.28 to +1.22 V versus Ag/AgCl at 500 mV/s with different numbers of scans. The durations at the cathodic and anodic vertexes were 10 and 5 s, respectively. After this process, positively charged Au-coated TiO2 nanoparticles were formed in the solutions. Then a cathodic overpotential of 0.6 V from the open circuit potential of ca. 0.82 V versus Ag/AgCl was applied under sonication to synthesize elemental Au0-coated TiO2 nanoparticles. The coverage of Au shells in the elemental Au-coated TiO2 nanoparticles is varied from 10% to 95% by increasing the number of scans from 10 to 50 in preparing the positively charged Au-coated TiO2 nanoparticles. The extremely high coverage of 95% in this study is notable, as compared with other methods to prepare Au-coated TiO2 nanoparticles.     

TiO2电极表面氰基吡啶吸附的电化学SERS光谱

采用基于核壳纳米粒子的壳层隔绝纳米粒子增强拉曼(SHINERS)以及Au纳米粒子增强技术, 对比研究了4-氰基吡啶(4-CNPy)在TiO2表面的吸附行为. 结果表明, 采用2种技术所获得的光谱存在明显的差别. 利用前者得到了4-CNPy在TiO2电极上随电极电位变化的吸附方式. 在电位为0时, 分子以吡啶环上的N垂直吸附; 随电位负移, 部分分子变为倾斜吸附, 且在电位为-1.0 V时倾斜角度变大. 在正电位区间, 分子始终以吡啶环上的N垂直吸附. 而采用Au纳米粒子滴加在TiO2电极上的方式, 则得到吸附在TiO2, Au及TiO2/Au复合结构上的总光谱信息.     

Au/TiO2催化剂制备条件对巴豆醛选择加氢的影响

采用沉积-沉淀法制备了纳米Au/TiO2催化剂, 以X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等手段对催化剂进行了系统的表征, 并考察了该催化剂在巴豆醛液相加氢制巴豆醇反应中的催化性能. 通过改变活化气氛、负载量和还原温度, 能够调节Au粒子的尺寸及金属与载体间的相互作用. 在673 K还原条件下制备Au质量分数为9.2%的Au/TiO2 催化剂上, Au粒子的平均粒径为2 nm, 初始加氢速率达到13.7×10-5 mol·s-1·g-1, 同时巴豆醇最高收率可达69.9%. 结合表征结果, 该催化剂良好的巴豆醛选择加氢性能归属为载体TiO2在还原条件下产生的氧缺陷位对Au纳米粒子的锚定作用及给电子作用.     

Ag／TiO2复合纳米催化剂的制备和表征及其光催化活性

 采用光还原沉积贵金属法，制备了Ag／TiO2复合纳米催化剂．通过调节溶液的pH值控制TiO2表面负载银的形貌，利用AAS，XRD，TEM和XPS等手段对样品进行了表征．以苯胺氧化为模型反应，考察了Ag／TiO2复合纳米催化剂样品的光催化活性以及银沉积量和沉积形貌对催化剂活性的影响．结果表明，通过调控光还原沉积条件，可在平均粒径为24nm左右的TiO2颗粒上获得3nm左右均匀分散的银粒子；在TiO2上沉积适量的具有较高分散度的金属Ag，能有效提高TiO2对苯胺氧化反应的光催化活性．     

On the morphology and stability of Au nanoparticles on TiO2(110) prepared from micelle-stabilized precursors

The morphology and stability of well-ordered, nanostructured Au/TiO2(110) surfaces, prepared by deposition of Au loaded micelles on TiO2(110) substrates and subsequent oxidative removal of the polymer shell in an oxygen plasma, was investigated by noncontact AFM, SEM and XPS. The resulting arrays of Au nanoparticles (particle sizes 1-5 nm) form a nearly hexagonal pattern with well-defined interparticle distances and a narrow particle size distribution. Particle size and particle separation can be controlled independently by varying the Au loading and the block-copolymers in the micelle shell. The oxygen plasma treatment does not affect the size and distance of the Au nanoparticles; the latter are fully metallic after subsequent UHV annealing (400 degrees C). The particles are stable under typical CO oxidation reaction conditions, up to at least 200 degrees C, making these surfaces ideally suited as defined model systems for catalytic studies. Significant changes in the height distributions of the Au nanoparticles are found upon 400 degrees C annealing in O2. For adlayers with small interparticle distances, this leads to a bimodal particle size distribution, which together with the preservation of the lateral order points to Ostwald ripening.