Electrostatically Directed Assembly of Nanostructured Composites for Enhanced Photocatalysis

It is well established that the activity of photocatalysts can be improved by deposition of redox catalysts, which can effectively extract the photogenerated charge carriers, enhance the rate of interfacial reactions, and thus suppress undesired recombination processes. For optimum performance, a high degree of control over the loading, size, and surface catalytic properties of redox catalyst particles is desirable. Herein, a novel, highly controllable, and versatile method for preparation of TiO2 catalyst composites is reported. It starts with the generation of naked (ligand-free) nanoparticles of CuOx or FeOx by pulsed laser ablation of metal oxide targets in water. In the next step, a nearly quantitative colloidal deposition of CuOx and FeOx nanoparticles onto anatase TiO2 substrate is achieved by adjusting the pH in order to establish electrostatic attraction between the colloids and the substrate. The resulting TiO2-CuOx and TiO2-FeOx assemblies with optimum catalyst amount (approximate to 0.5 wt%) exhibit photocatalytic rates in degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid enhanced by a factor of approximate to 1.5 as compared to pristine TiO2 under simulated solar irradiation. The electrostatically directed assembly of TiO2 with ligand-free catalyst nanoparticles generated by pulsed laser ablation is thus demonstrated as a viable tool for preparation of composites with enhanced photocatalytic performance.