title: Controlling the Selectivity of the Surface Plasmon Resonance Mediated Oxidation of p-Aminothiophenol on Au Nanoparticles by Charge Transfer from UV-excited TiO2.
abstract: Although catalytic processes mediated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation have emerged as a new frontier in catalysis, the selectivity of these processes remains poorly understood. Here, the selectivity of the SPR-mediated oxidation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) employing Au NPs as catalysts was controlled by the choice of catalysts (Au or TiO2-Au NPs) and by the modulation of the charge transfer from UV-excited TiO2 to Au. When Au NPs were employed as catalyst, the SPR-mediated oxidation of PATP yielded p,p-dimercaptobenzene (DMAB). When TiO2-Au NPs were employed as catalysts under both UV illumination and SPR excitation, p-nitrophenol (PNTP) was formed from PATP in a single step. Interestingly, PNTP molecules were further reduced to DMAB after the UV illumination was removed. Our data show that control over charge-transfer processes may play an important role to tune activity, product formation, and selectivity in SPR-mediated catalytic processes.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Fundamental, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Lineu Prestes, 748, 05508-000 São Paulo (Brazil).
authors.forename: Jiale
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Fundamental, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Lineu Prestes, 748, 05508-000 São Paulo (Brazil).
authors.forename: Romulo A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Fundamental, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Lineu Prestes, 748, 05508-000 São Paulo (Brazil). camargo@iq.usp.br.
authors.forename: Pedro H C
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Camargo
keywords: catalysis; nanoparticles; oxidation; photochemistry; surface plasmon resonances