Photocatalytic hydrogen production by Au-MxOy (M=Ag, Cu, Ni) catalysts supported on TiO2

Au-MxOy (M=Ag, Cu, Ni) nanoparticles supported on TiO2-P25 were prepared by the deposition-precipitation method and were evaluated for the photocatalytic water splitting reaction for hydrogen production, using a mixture of water-methanol (1:1). The combinations of Au-Cu2O/TiO2 and Au-NiO/TiO2 effectively increased the hydrogen production (2064 and 1636 mu mol.h(-1).g(-1)) obtained by Au/TiO2 (1204 mu mol.h(-1).g(-1)). The higher photoactivities achieved by Au-Cu2O and Au-NiO nanoparticles deposited on TiO2 were attributed to an enhancement of the electron charge transfer from TiO2 to the Au-MxOy systems and the effect of surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.