title: Efficient visible-light photocatalytic water splitting by minute amounts of gold supported on nanoparticulate CeO2 obtained by a biopolymer templating method.
abstract: When irradiated with visible light (λ > 400 nm) 1 wt % gold-supported ceria nanoparticles generate oxygen from water (10.5 μmol·h(-1)) more efficiently than the standard WO(3) (1.7 μmol·h(-1)) even under UV irradiation (9.5 μmol·h(-1)). This remarkable photocatalytic activity arises from a novel preparation method to reduce the particle size of ceria (5 nm) by means of electrostatic binding of Ce(4+) to alginate gel, subsequent supercritical CO(2) drying, and calcination. The low loading of Au is crucial for the observed high catalytic activity.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnología Química (CSIC-UPV), Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Av. de los Naranjos s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Primo
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: Avelino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corma
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: Hermenegildo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: García
mesh_terms: D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D002563:Cerium / Q000737:chemistry*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008027:Light; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D014867:Water; D002563:Cerium; C030583:ceric oxide; D006046:Gold; D010100:Oxygen