title: Biomimetic synthesis of TiO₂-SiO₂-Ag nanocomposites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity.
abstract: Ternary TiO2-SiO2-Ag nanocomposites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity have been synthesized through a facile biomimetic approach by utilizing lysozyme as both inducing agent of TiO2 and reducing agent of Ag(+). TiO2 nanoparticles (∼280 nm) are at first fabricated by the inducing of lysozyme. Afterward, SiO2 layers are formed as "pancakes" stuck out of TiO2 nanoparticles through a sol-gel process. Finally, Ag nanocrystals (∼24.5 nm) are deposited onto the surface of TiO2-SiO2 composites via the reduction of lysozyme, forming TiO2-SiO2-Ag nanocomposites. The resultant nanocomposites display a high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B under the visible-light irradiation, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of enhanced photon absorption from the surface plasma resonance of Ag nanocrystals and the elevated adsorption capacity for Rhodamine B from the high specific surface area of SiO2. This study may provide some inspiration for the rational design and the facile synthesis of composite catalysts with a high and tunable catalytic property through a green, efficient pathway.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Green Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
authors.forename: Chuang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yuangui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhongyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D055772:Green Chemistry Technology / Q000379:methods; D008027:Light; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000378:metabolism; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012235:Rhodamines; C507641:TiO2-SiO2; D012834:Silver; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D014025:Titanium; D009113:Muramidase; C029773:rhodamine B