title: Aerosol-Sprayed Gold/Ceria Photocatalyst with Superior Plasmonic Hot Electron-Enabled Visible-Light Activity.
abstract: Integration of nanoscale plasmonic metals with semiconductors is a promising strategy for utilizing visible and near-infrared light to enhance chemical reactions. Here we report on the preparation of Au/CeO2microsphere photocatalysts through aerosol spray and the study of their photocatalytic activity toward the aerobic oxidation of 1-phenylethanol under visible light. The microsphere catalysts exhibit a remarkable photocatalytic performance with their turnover frequency values reaching 108 h-1, which is more than 23 times that of (Au core)@(CeO2shell) nanostructures and much larger than those obtained previously for the visible-light photocatalytic oxidation of 1-phenylethanol. In addition, the Au/CeO2catalyst shows the best performance among eight types of oxide semiconductor supports. Moreover, the photocatalytic mechanism of the Au/CeO2catalyst is systematically investigated. This study offers insights for plasmonic hot electron-enabled photocatalysis, which will be valuable for the design of various efficient (plasmonic metal)/semiconductor photocatalysts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Henglei
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5882-1627
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology , Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau SAR, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ming
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Engineering Lab for Advanced Energy Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an 710119, China.
authors.forename: Ruibin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Jianfang
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2467-8751
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: ceria; gold nanoparticles; mesoporous materials; metal oxides; photocatalysis; plasmon resonance; plasmonic photocatalysts; selective alcohol oxidation