title: Defect-mediated formation of Ag cluster-doped TiO2 nanoparticles for efficient photodegradation of pentachlorophenol.
abstract: A novel strategy was designed to prepare Ag cluster-doped TiO(2) nanoparticles (Ag/TiO(2) NPs) without addition of any chemical reducing agent and/or organic additive. A defect-rich TiO(x) species was generated by laser ablation in liquid (LAL) of a Ti target. The silver ions could be reduced and deposited on the surface of TiO(2) NPs through the removal of oxygen vacancies and defects; the TiO(x) species evolved into anatase NPs in a hydrothermal treatment process. The derived Ag/TiO(2) NPs are approximately 25 nm in size, with narrow size distribution. The Ag clusters are highly dispersed inside TiO(2) and less than 3 nm in size. The doped amount can be tuned by changing the concentration of Ag(+) ions. The as-synthesized Ag/TiO(2) NPs display improved photocatalytic efficiency toward pentachlorophenol (PCP) degradation.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China.
authors.forename: Hemin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Changhao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhenfei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Guozhong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai