title: Enhanced photoactivity with nanocluster-grafted titanium dioxide photocatalysts.
abstract: Titanium dioxide (TiO2), as an excellent photocatalyst, has been intensively investigated and widely used in environmental purification. However, the wide band gap of TiO2 and rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers significantly limit its overall photocatalytic efficiency. Here, efficient visible-light-active photocatalysts were developed on the basis of TiO2 modified with two ubiquitous nanoclusters. In this photocatalytic system, amorphous Ti(IV) oxide nanoclusters were demonstrated to act as hole-trapping centers on the surface of TiO2 to efficiently oxidize organic contaminants, while amorphous Fe(III) or Cu(II) oxide nanoclusters mediate the reduction of oxygen molecules. Ti(IV) and Fe(III) nanoclusters-modified TiO2 exhibited the highest quantum efficiency (QE = 92.2%) and reaction rate (0.69 μmol/h) for 2-propanol decomposition among previously reported photocatalysts, even under visible-light irradiation (420-530 nm). The desirable properties of efficient photocatalytic performance with high stability under visible light with safe and ubiquitous elements composition enable these catalysts feasible for large-scale practical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Metallurgy and Ceramics Science, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology , 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inde
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Xiaoqing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Daiki
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Atarashi
authors.forename: Etsuo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nosaka
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyauchi