Electrochemical Detection of Catechol on Boron‐doped Diamond Electrode Modified with Au/TiO2 Nanorod Composite

Au/TiO₂ nanorod composites with different ratios of [TiO₂]:[Au] have been prepared by chemically reducing AuCl₄^‐ on the positively charged TiO₂ nanorods surface and used to modify boron‐doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. The electrochemical behaviors of catechol on the bare and different Au/TiO₂ nanorod composites‐modified BDD electrodes are studied. The cyclic voltammetric results indicate that these different Au/TiO₂ nanorod composites‐modified BDD electrodes can enhance the electrocatalytic activity toward catechol detection, as compared with the bare BDD electrode. Among these different conditions, the Au/TiO₂‐BDD3 electrode (the ratio of [TiO₂]:[Au] is 27:1) is the most choice for catechol detection. The electrochemical response dependences of the Au/TiO₂‐BDD3 electrode on pH of solution and the applied potential are studied. The detection limit of catechol is found to be about 1.4 × 10^‐6 M in a linear range from 5 × 10^‐6 M to 200 × 10^‐6 M on the Au/TiO₂‐BDD3 electrode.     

Low temperature CO oxidation on Au/TiO2 sol-gel catalysts

A comparative study on Au/TiO₂catalysts prepared by impregnation with HAuCl₄of commercial TiO₂ or by impregnation of sol-gel derived TiO₂has been carried out during CO oxidation. Specific surface areas and mean Au particle of 49 and 74 m²/g and 35 and 25 Å were obtained for impregnated commercial TiO₂ and sol-gel preparations, respectively. XRD patterns shown that in sol-gel derived TiO₂ only anatase phase was identified, while in commercial TiO₂ anatase and rutile phases co-exist. Titania support effect on Au activity for the oxidation of CO has been observed. The light-off during the reaction on Au/TiO₂initiates at 50°C, whereas for commercial impregnated TiO₂ catalyst the light-off initiates at 200°C.     

Gold particles supported on self-organized nanotubular TiO2 matrix as highly active catalysts for electrochemical oxidation of glucose

Au/TiO₂/Ti electrode was prepared by a two-step process of anodic oxidation of titanium followed by cathodic electrodeposition of gold on resulted TiO₂. The morphology and surface analysis of Au/TiO₂/Ti electrodes was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and EDAX, respectively. The results indicated that gold particles were homogeneously deposited on the surface of TiO₂ nanotubes. The nanotubular TiO₂ layers consist of individual tubes of about 60–90 nm in diameter, and the electrode surface was covered by gold particles with a diameter of about 100–200 nm which are distributed evenly on the titanium dioxide nanotubes. This nanotubular TiO₂ support provides a high surface area and therefore enhances the electrocatalytic activity of Au/TiO₂/Ti electrode. The electrocatalytic behavior of Au/TiO₂/Ti electrodes in the glucose electro-oxidation was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The results showed that Au/TiO₂/Ti electrodes exhibit a considerably higher electrocatalytic activity toward the glucose oxidation than that of gold electrode.     

Surface structure for Au on (0 0 1) SrTiO3

First-principle calculations are performed to study the crystal structure, formation energies, and electronic structures of (0 0 1) SrTiO₃ surfaces with/without Au covered. The initiative Au additive layer is crystallized in a fcc structure with (0 0 1) face on SrO-terminated surface. The bimodal growth trend of Au on TiO₂-terminated surface is qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations. The defect structure of Au occupying the oxygen (O) vacancies of TiO₂-terminated surface is energetically favorable under oxygen-poor conditions, and a feature corresponding to gap states appear and the occupied Ti 3d states disappear.     

Electrochemical Designing of Au/Pt Core Shell Nanoparticles as Nanostructured Catalyst with Tunable Activity for Oxygen Reduction

Au/Pt core shell nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared via a layer‐by‐layer growth of Pt layers on Au NPs using underpotential deposition (UPD) redox replacement technique. A single UPD Cu monolayer replacement with Pt(II) yielded a uniform Pt film on Au NPs, and the shell thickness can be tuned by controlling the number of UPD redox replacement cycles. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in air‐saturated 0.1 M H₂SO₄ was used to investigate the electrocatalytic behavior of the as‐prepared core shell NPs. Cyclic voltammograms of ORR show that the peak potentials shift positively from 0.32 V to 0.48 V with the number of Pt layers increasing from one to five, suggesting the electrocatalytic activity increases with increasing the thickness of Pt shell. The increase in electrocatalytic activity may originate mostly from the large decrease of electronic influence of Au cores on surface Pt atoms. Rotating ring‐disk electrode voltammetry and rotating disk electrode voltammetry demonstrate that ORR is mainly a four‐electron reduction on the as‐prepared modified electrode with 5 Pt layers and first charge transfer is the rate‐determining step.     

Effect of oxygen mobility in the lattice of Au/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on formaldehyde oxidation

Two Au catalysts supported on TiO₂ were prepared by impregnation method followed by sodium borohydride reduction or calcination in air (Au/TiO₂-R and Au/TiO₂-C, respectively). The 1 wt % Au/TiO₂-R sample was found to be highly efficient for the oxidation of low concentrated formaldehyde at room temperature. A HCHO conversion of 98.5% was achieved with this catalyst, whereas the Au/TiO₂-C sample showed almost no activity under the same conditions. Highly dispersed metallic Au nanoparticles with small size (∼3.5 nm) were identified in the 1 wt % Au/TiO₂-R catalyst. A significant negative shift of Au4f peak in XPS spectra with respect to bulk metallic Au was observed for the 1 wt % Au/TiO₂-R but no similar phenomena was found for the heat-treated catalyst. More Au nanoparticles and higher content of surface active oxygen were identified on the surface of the Au/TiO₂-R in comparison with the Au/TiO₂-C, suggesting that the Au/TiO₂-R catalyst can enhance the amount of active sites and species involved in for HCHO oxidation. The reduction treatment by sodium borohydride promotes the formation of dispersed metallic Au nanoparticles with small size because it facilitates the electron transfer and increases the content of surface Au nanoparticles and activated oxygen. All these factors are responsible for a high activity of this catalyst in the oxidation of HCHO.     

Polyaniline‐Modified Silver and Binary Silver‐Cobalt Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Novel dendrite‐like silver particles were electrodeposited on Ti substrates from a supporting electrolyte‐free 30 mmol L^?1 Ag(NH₃)₂⁺ solution, to synthesize the den‐Ag/Ti electrode. Binary Ag_xCo_y/Ti electrodes with different Ag:Co atomic ratios were further obtained by electrodeposition of Co particles on the den‐Ag/Ti electrode. Polyaniline (PANI) modified den‐Ag/Ti and Ag_xCo_y/Ti electrodes, PANI(n)‐den‐Ag/Ti and PANI(n)‐Ag_xCo_y/Ti, were also obtained by cyclic voltammetry at different numbers of cycles (n) in acidic and alkaline solutions containing aniline, respectively. All these electrodes exhibit high electroactivity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution and their electroactivities follow the order: PANI(15)‐Ag₃₁Co₆₉/Ti>Ag₃₁Co₆₉/Ti>PANI(20)‐den‐Ag/Ti>den‐Ag/Ti. Among them, PANI(15)‐Ag₃₁Co₆₉/Ti displays the highest electrocatalytic activity for ORR with a much positive onset potential of 0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and a high ORR current density of 1.2 mA cm^?2 at ?0.12 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The electrocatalysts are electrochemically insensitive to methanol and ethanol oxidation, and, as cathode electrocatalysts of direct alcohol fuel cells, can resist poisoning by the possible alcohol crossover from the anode.     

Fabrication of Au‐Nanoparticle/TiO2‐Nanotubes Electrodes Using Electrochemical Methods and Their Application for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Hydroquinone

Gold nanoparticle (Au‐NPs)‐Titanium oxide nanotube (TiO₂‐NTs) electrodes are prepared by using galvanic deposition of gold nanoparticles on TiO₂‐NTs electrodes as support. Scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy results indicate that nanotubular TiO₂ layers consist of individual tubes of about 60–90 nm diameters and gold nanoparticles are well‐dispersed on the surface of TiO₂‐NTs support. The electrooxidation of hydroquinone of Au‐NPs/TiO₂‐NTs electrodes is investigated by different electrochemical methods. Au‐NPs/TiO₂‐NTs electrode can be used repeatedly and exhibits stable electrocatalytic activity for the hydroquinone oxidation. Also, determination of hydroquinone in skin cream using this electrode was evaluated. Results were found to be satisfactory and no matrix effects are observed during the determination of hydroquinone content of the “skin cream” samples.     

Enhancement of ethanol electrooxidation on plasmonic Au/TiO2 nanotube arrays

Novel electrocatalysts Au/TiO₂ nanotube arrays (Au/TiO₂NTs) were prepared by loading low-content(1.9 at.%) of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto highly ordered TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TiO₂NTs). Ethanol electrooxidation indicates that visible-light (λ > 400 nm) irradiation can significantly enhance the activity as well as resistpoisoning of Au/TiO₂NTs electrocatalysts that are activated by plasmon resonance. Au/TiO₂NTs catalysts calcinated at 300 °C display the highest performance due to the strong synergistic interactions between TiO₂ and Au NPs. The combination of visible-light irradiation with a controllable potential offers a new strategyfor enhancing the performance of anodes in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC).     

Electrochemical Modification of Gold Electrodes with Azobenzene Derivatives by Diazonium Reduction

An electrochemical study of Au electrodes electrografted with azobenzene (AB), Fast Garnet GBC (GBC) and Fast Black K (FBK) diazonium compounds is presented. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance, ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy investigations reveal the formation of multilayer films. The elemental composition of the aryl layers is examined by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical measurements reveal a quasi‐reversible voltammogram of the Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? redox couple on bare Au and a sigmoidal shape for the GBC‐ and FBK‐modified Au electrodes, thus demonstrating that electron transfer is blocked due to the surface modification. The electrografted AB layer results in strongest inhibition of the Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? response compared with other aryl layers. The same tendencies are observed for oxygen reduction; however, the blocking effect is not as strong as in the Fe(CN)₆^3?/4? redox system. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements allowed the calculation of low charge‐transfer rates to the Fe(CN)₆^3? probe for the GBC‐ and FBK‐modified Au electrodes in relation to bare Au. From these measurements it can be concluded that the FBK film is less compact or presents more pinholes than the electrografted GBC layer.     

An innovative electrochemical approach for voltammetric determination of levodopa using gold nanoparticles doped on titanium dioxide nanotubes

Catalytic nanotubes made from titanium dioxide (TiO₂-NTs) and covered with gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) were prepared via galvanic deposition of the Au-NPs on the TiO₂-NTs. The morphology and surface characteristics of the resulting electrodes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results indicated that the Au-NPs were homogeneously deposited on the surface of TiO₂-NTs which consist of individual tubes of about 40?C80?nm in diameter. The AuNPs with a size of 80?C100?nm are well-dispersed on the surface of the TiO₂-NTs. The electro-catalytic activity of the electrodes towards the electro-oxidation of levodopa was studied by cyclic voltammetry, differential puls voltammetry. The results showed that the electrodes exhibit a considerably higher activity toward the oxidation of levodopa. The oxidation peak current linearly depends on the concentration of levodopa in the 10 to 70???M concentration range. Levodopa was determined by the method in pharmaceutical preparations, and results were found to be satisfactory.

Antimony Doped Tin Oxide Nanoparticles Deposited onto Nb−TiO2 Nanotubes for Electrochemical Degradation of Bio‐refractory Pollutions

To improve the service life of SnO₂?Sb electrodes in degradation of refractory wastewater, we report anodic information of tin oxide antimony on top of Nb?TiO₂ nanotubes (Nb?Ti/Nb?TiO₂?NTs/ATONPs) prepared through screen‐printing. It was found that the Nb?Ti/Nb?TiO₂?NTs/ATONPs anodes presented a significantly enhanced in electro‐catalytic oxidation performance (in Acid Red 73) compared to titanium‐based tin antimony electrodes (Ti/ATONPs). Additionally, the electrochemical properties and the stability were further studied by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) measurements and accelerated life test, respectively. These results indicated that Nb?TiO₂?NTs/ATONPs anode possessed Nb?TiO₂ nanotubes which exhibited a higher oxygen evolution potential (2.24 V vs. Ag/AgCl), as well as a better wettability, a larger current at constant potential and 2.1 times longer lifetime than the conventional Ti/ATONPs anode.     

Highly Active Nickel Nanoparticles Supported on TiO2 Nanotube Electrodes for Methanol Electrooxidation

Nickel nanoparticles/TiO₂ nanotubes/Ti electrodes were prepared by galvanic deposition of nickel nanoparticles on the TiO₂ nanotubes layer on titanium substrates. Titanium oxide nanotubes were fabricated by anodizing titanium foil in a DMSO fluoride‐containing electrolyte. The morphology and surface characteristics of titanium dioxide nanotubes and Ni/TiO₂/Ti electrodes were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicated that nickel nanoparticles were homogeneously deposited on the surface of TiO₂ nanotubes. The electrocatalytic behaviour of nickel nanoparticles/TiO₂/Ti electrodes for the methanol electrooxidation was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods. The results showed that Ni/TiO₂/Ti electrodes exhibit a considerably higher electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol.     

The effect of ionic and electronic properties of titanium oxide on the electrochemical growth and redox behavior of polyaniline on titanium surfaces

Polyaniline (PANI) was electrodeposited directly from aniline (ANI)-containing sulfuric acid media on Ti|TiO₂ electrodes, which were prepared in ANI-free 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution by applying suitable anodization conditions in order to control the donor density (N _D) in the oxide layer of a fixed thickness. By using the suggested procedure, reproducible conditions for the cyclic voltammetric growth of PANI on Ti can be achieved, and most importantly, the properties of Ti|TiO₂|PANI electrodes can be modulated to meet the requirements for specific applications. The polymerization rate and the deposited amount of PANI were found to depend strongly on the N _D estimated by Mott-Schottky analysis. The redox behavior of the resulted Ti|TiO₂|PANI electrodes indicated differences in acid solutions as compared with the corresponding behavior of other PANI-modified metal surfaces. Analysis of the anodic and cathodic electrochemical response of the prepared Ti|TiO₂|PANI electrodes discloses the significant role of ionic and electronic properties of the intervening oxide between the metal support and PANI.     

DFT study of difference caused by catalyst supports in Pt and Pd catalysis of oxygen reduction reaction

Based on an experimental phenomenon that catalytic activity of Pt and Pd for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) changes with catalyst supports from C to TiO₂, density function theory (DFT) was used to elucidate the cause behind the difference in catalysis caused by catalyst supports. First, factors closely associated with the first electron transfer of the ORR were assessed in the light of quantum chemistry. Then intermediate (atomic oxygen, O) adsorption strength on the catalyst surface was calculated. The results show that, in terms of minimum energy difference, the best orbital symmetry match, and the maximum orbital overlap, TiO₂ does bring about a very positive effect on catalysts Pd/TiO₂ for the first electron transfer of the ORR. Especially, TiO₂ remarkably expands the space size of Pd/TiO₂ HOMO orbital and improves orbital overlap of Pd/TiO₂ HOMO and O₂ LUMO. The analysis of deformation density and partial density of state shows that the strong interaction between Pt and Ti leads to a strong adsorption of intermediate O on Pt/TiO₂, but the strong interaction between Pd and surface O causes positive net charge of Pd and a weak adsorption of intermediate O on Pd/TiO₂. Thus, the ORR can proceed more smoothly on Pd/TiO₂ than Pt/TiO₂ in every respect of maximum orbital overlap and rate delay by intermediate O. The research also discloses that several factors lead to less activity of TiO₂-supported Pt and Pd catalysts than the C-supported ones for the ORR. These factors include the poor dispersion of Pt and Pd particles on TiO₂, poor electric conduction of TiO₂ carrier itself, and bigger energy difference between HOMO of TiO₂-carried metallic catalysts and LUMO of O₂ molecule due to electrons deeply embedded in the semiconductor TiO₂ carrier. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20676156), the Chinese Ministry of Education (Grant No. 307021), the National 863 Program (Grant Nos. 2006AA11A141 and 2007AA05Z124), and the Chongqing Sci &Tech Key Project (Grant No. CSTC2007AB6012)     

低温吸附制备Au-TiO2复合薄膜及其光电化学性质

在低温条件下将预先合成的Au溶胶吸附到TiO₂薄膜上以制备纳米Au-TiO₂复合薄膜,以超高分辨率场发射扫描电镜(FESEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)及X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表征Au-TiO₂膜,并在UV辐照下测定了Au-TiO₂薄膜电极的光电化学性质。纳米Au呈金属态,平均粒径为(4.3±1.2) nm,负载量高,均匀地沉积于TiO₂薄膜表面。光电化学测试表明,沉积纳米Au后,TiO₂电极的光生电流提高近5倍,光生电压明显向负值增大,说明纳米Au可增强光生载流子的分离效率,促进电荷在电极与溶液界面间的转移。Au-TiO₂电极的电荷传递法拉第阻抗(R_ct)是TiO₂电极的一半,说明负载的纳米Au粒抑制了光生电子-空穴的复合,提高了电极中载流子浓度。     

Correlation of the Catalytic Activity for Oxidation Taking Place on Various TiO2 Surfaces with Surface OH Groups and Surface Oxygen Vacancies

Three catalytic oxidation reactions have been studied: The ultraviolet (UV) light induced photocatalytic decomposition of the synthetic dye sulforhodamine B (SRB) in the presence of TiO₂ nanostructures in water, together with two reactions employing Au/TiO₂ nanostructure catalysts, namely, CO oxidation in air and the decomposition of formaldehyde under visible light irradiation. Four kinds of TiO₂ nanotubes and nanorods with different phases and compositions were prepared for this study, and gold nanoparticle (Au‐NP) catalysts were supported on some of these TiO₂ nanostructures (to form Au/TiO₂ catalysts). FTIR emission spectroscopy (IES) measurements provided evidence that the order of the surface OH regeneration ability of the four types of TiO₂ nanostructures studied gave the same trend as the catalytic activities of the TiO₂ nanostructures or their respective Au/TiO₂ catalysts for the three oxidation reactions. Both IES and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved that anatase TiO₂ had the strongest OH regeneration ability among the four types of TiO₂ phases or compositions. Based on these results, a model for the surface OH group generation, absorption, and activation of molecular oxygen has been proposed: The oxygen vacancies at the bridging O^2? sites on TiO₂ surfaces dissociatively absorb water molecules to form OH groups that facilitate adsorption and activation of O₂ molecules in nearby oxygen vacancies by lowering the absorption energy of molecular O₂. A new mechanism for the photocatalytic formaldehyde decomposition with the Au/TiO₂ catalysts is also proposed, based on the photocatalytic activity of the Au‐NPs under visible light. The Au‐NPs absorb the light owing to the surface plasmon resonance effect and mediate the electron transfers that the reaction needs.     

高热稳定性纳米Au/TiO2催化剂的制备与表征

 采用三嵌段共聚物聚乙醚-聚丙醚-聚乙醚EO20PO70EO20 (P123)为有机模板剂合成了介孔TiO2载体,用沉积-沉淀法制得Au/TiO2催化剂. 运用N2 吸附-脱附、 X射线衍射、 X射线光电子能谱和高分辨电镜技术对催化剂的结构与形貌进行了表征. 采用P123模板剂合成的TiO2具有较均匀的介孔结构,孔径集中在6.1 nm附近,负载金后,其介孔结构保持良好,但孔径下降至5.4 nm. 400 ℃焙烧后,介孔TiO2负载的Au催化剂中Au主要以金属态存在. 负载在三种TiO2载体(介孔TiO2、溶胶-凝胶法合成的TiO2和工业TiO2)上的Au晶粒大小和分散度差异较大,其中介孔TiO2载体更有利于金的分散,以该载体制备的催化剂400 ℃焙烧后金的晶粒尺寸在1～5 nm范围内,催化剂显示了很好的CO氧化活性和抗热稳定性,即使在420 ℃焙烧,其室温下CO的转化率也在90%以上. 而溶胶-凝胶法制备的TiO2和工业TiO2负载的纳米金催化剂中,金晶粒尺寸约为10 nm,催化剂的CO氧化活性和抗热稳定性较差.     

Effect of La2O3 on Catalytic Performance of Au/TiO2 for CO Oxidation

Pure TiO₂ and La-doped TiO₂ were prepared by the sol-gel method. Au was supported on TiO₂ by the deposition-precipitation (DP) method, and its catalytic activity for CO oxidation was tested. The results showed that doping La in Au/TiO₂ could improve its catalytic activity obviously for CO oxidation. The analyses of X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area further showed that the presence of La in TiO₂ not only increased its surface area and restrained the growth of TiO₂ crystallites, but could also enhance the microstrain of TiO₂. In terms of O₂-TPD, a new adsorbed species O⁻ appeared on the surface of La-doped TiO₂. The results of in-situ Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy illustrated that the high activity of Au/La₂O₃-TiO₂ was attributed to the presence of La promoting the reactivity of CO adsorbed on the Au site and the formation of the second active site on the surface of TiO₂     

Synthesis and physico-chemical characterization of Au/TiO2 nanostructures formed by novel “cold” and “hot” nanosoldering of Au and TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in water

A novel approach to synthesize Au/TiO₂ nanostructures with interesting optical properties is presented and discussed. It is based on the nanoparticle “cold” or “hot” nanosoldering occurring when two water suspensions of Au and TiO₂ nanoparticles are merely mixed at room temperature or laser irradiated after mixing.Thanks to the high fraction and mutual reactivity of surface species, immediately after the mixing process, the encounters between Au and TiO₂ nanoparticles in liquid phase are enough for “cold” nanosoldering of gold nanoparticles onto TiO₂ nanoparticles to occur. The optical characterizations show that this fast process (timescale less than 1 min) is followed by a slower process, attributable to some change of the Au nanoparticles. This latter process is significantly accelerated by the 532 nm laser light illumination. The structural and optical properties of “cold” and “hot” nanosoldered Au-TiO₂ nanoparticles were investigated by TEM, UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies.Interesting optical limiting response was detected at laser fluences above 0.8 J/cm². The nature of the nonlinear effect was investigated by the Z-scan technique, determining both the nonlinear absorption coefficient and the refraction index. Such interesting non-linear optical properties are worth to be tailored for specific applications.