RESUMO
One-nanometre-thick carbon cage encapsulated copper nanopaticles on SrTiO3 (STO) synthesized through a facile chemical vapour deposition method showed remarkable stability and performance for both photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and thermocatalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman results demonstrate that the graphene cage effectively protected Cu nanoparticles from being oxidized.
RESUMO
Metal-induced photocatalysis has emerged as a promising approach for exploiting visible-light-responsive composite materials for solar energy conversion, which is generally hindered by low photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, for the first time, an Au/p-TiO2 (p-type TiO2) strategy with the hole transfer mechanism is developed, remarkably promoting visible-light photocatalytic performance. An efficient acetone evolution rate (138 µmol·g-1·h-1) in the photocatalytic isopropyl alcohol (IPA) degradation under λex = 500 nm light (light intensity, 5.5 mW/cm2) was achieved over Au/p-TiO2, which is approximately 5 times as high as that over Au/n-TiO2 under the same conditions. Photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements indicate enhanced charge carrier separation and transfer for Au/p-TiO2. In an elaborate study, apparent quantum efficiency and transmission electron microscopy characterization on selective PbO2 deposition over p-TiO2 revealed that visible-light-excited holes other than electrons generated in the Au interband transition transferred to p-TiO2, which is opposite to the general route in Au/n-TiO2 (n-type TiO2). Energetic holes generated in the d band of Au led to a fluent transfer across the Schottky barrier, which is further confirmed by the IPA photodegradation mechanism study with different scavengers over Au/p-TiO2. This discovery opens up new opportunities in designing and developing efficient metal semiconductor composite materials with visible-light response.
