TY - JOUR
T1 - Metal-cluster-decorated TiO2 nanotube arrays
T2 - A composite heterostructure toward versatile photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical applications
AU - Xiao, Fang Xing
AU - Hung, Sung Fu
AU - Miao, Jianwei
AU - Wang, Hsin Yi
AU - Yang, Hongbin
AU - Liu, Bin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
PY - 2015/2/4
Y1 - 2015/2/4
N2 - Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in the solution-phase synthesis of atomically precise thiolate-protected gold clusters (Aux); nonetheless, research on the photocatalytic properties of Aux-semiconductor nanocomposites is still in its infancy. In this work, recently developed glutathione-capped gold clusters and highly ordered nanoporous layer-covered TiO 2 nanotube arrays (NP-TNTAs) are employed as nanobuilding blocks for the construction of a well-defined Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure via a facile electrostatic self-assembly strategy. Versatile photocatalytic performances of the Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure which acts as a model catalyst, including photocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutant, photocatalytic reduction of aromatic nitro compounds and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting under simulated solar light irradiation, are systematically exploited. It is found that synergistic interaction stemming from monodisperse coverage of Aux clusters on NP-TNTAs in combination with hierarchical nanostructure of NP-TNTAs reinforce light absorption of Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure especially within visible region, hence contributing to the significantly enhanced photocatalytic and PEC water splitting performances. Moreover, photocatalytic and PEC mechanisms over Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure are elucidated and corresponding reaction models were presented. It is anticipated that this work could boost new insight for photocatalytic properties of metal-cluster-sensitized semiconductor nanocomposites.
AB - Recent years have witnessed increasing interest in the solution-phase synthesis of atomically precise thiolate-protected gold clusters (Aux); nonetheless, research on the photocatalytic properties of Aux-semiconductor nanocomposites is still in its infancy. In this work, recently developed glutathione-capped gold clusters and highly ordered nanoporous layer-covered TiO 2 nanotube arrays (NP-TNTAs) are employed as nanobuilding blocks for the construction of a well-defined Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure via a facile electrostatic self-assembly strategy. Versatile photocatalytic performances of the Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure which acts as a model catalyst, including photocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutant, photocatalytic reduction of aromatic nitro compounds and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting under simulated solar light irradiation, are systematically exploited. It is found that synergistic interaction stemming from monodisperse coverage of Aux clusters on NP-TNTAs in combination with hierarchical nanostructure of NP-TNTAs reinforce light absorption of Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure especially within visible region, hence contributing to the significantly enhanced photocatalytic and PEC water splitting performances. Moreover, photocatalytic and PEC mechanisms over Aux/NP-TNTA heterostructure are elucidated and corresponding reaction models were presented. It is anticipated that this work could boost new insight for photocatalytic properties of metal-cluster-sensitized semiconductor nanocomposites.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84922876379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/smll.201401919
DO - 10.1002/smll.201401919
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84922876379
SN - 1613-6810
VL - 11
SP - 554
EP - 567
JO - Small
JF - Small
IS - 5
ER -
