title: The critical role of intragap states in the energy transfer from gold nanoparticles to TiO2.
abstract: Cathodoluminescence spectroscopy is profitably exploited to study energy transfer mechanisms in Au and Pt/black TiO2 heterostructures. While Pt nanoparticles absorb light in the UV region, Au nanoparticles absorb light by surface plasmon resonance and interband transitions, both of them occurring in the visible region. The intra-bandgap states (oxygen vacancies) of black TiO2 play a key role in promoting both hot electron transfer and plasmonic resonant energy transfer from Au nanoparticles to the TiO2 semiconductor with a consequent photocatalytic H2 production increase. An innovative criterion is introduced for the design of plasmonic composites with increased efficiency under visible light.
authors.affiliation: CNR-Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari, Milano, Italy. a.naldoni@istm.cnr.it v.dalsanto@istm.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naldoni
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Altomare
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marelli
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Psaro
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Selli
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salviati
authors.forename: Vladimiro
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dal Santo