PdO/TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 heterostructured nanobelts with enhanced photocatalytic activity.
Heterostructures play an important role not only in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, but also in the field of catalysis. Herein, we report the synthesis of PdO/TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 heterostructured nanobelts by means of a simple co-precipitation method, followed by a reduction process using surface-modified TiO2 nanobelts as templates. The as-obtained heterostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. PdO and Pd nanoparticles with a size of about 1.3 and 1.6 nm were assembled uniformly on the surface of TiO2 nanobelts, respectively. Compared with TiO2 nanobelts, PdO/TiO2 and Pd/TiO2 hybrid nanobelts exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity upon UV and visible-light irradiation. Photoelectrochemical technology was used to study the heterostructure effect on enhanced photocatalytic activity. Our mechanistic investigation revealed that energy-band matching is the major factor in the observed enhancement of photocatalytic activity.
State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Center of Bio&Micro/Nano Functional Materials, Shandong University, 27 South Shanda Road, Jinan 250100 (China); New Energy Research Center, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, University Town, Guangzhou 510006 (China).
Weijia
W
Zhou
Yu
Y
Guan
Dongzhou
D
Wang
Xinhai
X
Zhang
Duo
D
Liu
Huaidong
H
Jiang
Jiyang
J
Wang
Xiaogang
X
Liu
Hong
H
Liu
Shaowei
S
Chen
heterostructures; nanostructures; palladium; photochemistry; titanium