Influence of Pt promoter on the photo-oxidative degradation by visible-light plasmonic Pt-titania catalyst

Nanometer platinum-deposited titania particles were prepared through a soft chemical reduction method. The physico-chemical properties of the obtained products are analyzed by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectra. The as-prepared metal-TiO₂ nanohybrid was found to show excellent photocatalytic reactivity toward rhodamine-B decomposition. In the current case, chemical reduction of hydrogen hexachloroplatinate by glucose results in the intercalation of metallic platinum into the titania matrix. The deposited platinum atoms were featured by surface-plasmon resonance under visible-light excitation and electrons from platinum nanoparticles would transfer to the conduction band of titania and accelerate the formation O₂^*− to degrade dye molecule. As a consequence, platinum deposition onto TiO₂ surface is confirmed to yield a superior photocatalytic performance over the naked titania.