Size-Dependence of the Activity of Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Titanium(IV) Oxide Plasmonic Photocatalyst for Water Oxidation.
Mesoporous TiO2 nanocrystalline film was formed on fluorine-doped tin oxide electrode (TiO2 /FTO) and gold nanoparticles (NPs) of different sizes were loaded onto the surface with the loading amount kept constant (Au/TiO2 /FTO). Visible-light irradiation (λ>430 nm) of the Au/TiO2 /FTO photoanode in a photoelectrochemical cell with the structure of photoanode|0.1 m NaClO4 aqueous solution|Ag/AgCl (reference electrode)|glassy carbon (cathode) leads to the oxidation of water to oxygen (O2 ). We show that the visible-light activity of the Au/TiO2 /FTO anode increases with a decrease in Au particle size (d) at 2.9≤d≤11.9 nm due to the enhancement of the charge separation and increasing photoelectrocatalytic activity.
Environmental Research Laboratory, Kindai University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan.
Miwako
M
Teranishi
Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan.
Masataka
M
Wada
Environmental Research Laboratory, Kindai University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan.
Shin-Ichi
S
Naya
Environmental Research Laboratory, Kindai University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan. h-tada@apch.kindai.ac.jp.|Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan. h-tada@apch.kindai.ac.jp.
Hiroaki
H
Tada
Au nanoparticles; TiO2; particle size effects; plasmonic photocatalysts; water oxidation