Effects of Au nanoparticle size and metal-support interaction on plasmon-induced photocatalytic water oxidation

Plasmonic photocatalysis with tunable light absorption has aroused significant attention in solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, the energy conversion efficiency of plasmonic photocatalysts is impeded by ineffective charge separation and the lack of highly active sites for redox reactions. In this work, the Au nanoparticle size and Au-TiO2 interaction of the Au/TiO2 plasmonic photocatalyst were adjusted simultaneously using a post-calcination treatment. The visible-light-induced water oxidation activity exhibited a volcano-like relationship with the calcination temperature; the treated photocatalyst at 600 degrees C manifested the highest activity. Characterization with UV-visible spectra, XRD, SEM, and XPS revealed that the effect of the Au nanoparticle size and Au-TiO2 interaction were both responsible for the increase in plasmon-induced water oxidation activity. (C) 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.