Smart Decoration of Mesoporous TiO2 Nanospheres with Noble Metal Alloy Nanoparticles into Core-Shell, Yolk-Core-Shell, and Surface-Dispersion Morphologies

Noble metal alloy-decorated spherical mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by the one-pot, single-step reaction of Ti(OiPr()4), Au3+, Pt4+, and Pd2+ or by the one-pot reaction of hollow mesoporous TiO2 nanospheres with Au3+, Pt4+, and Pd2+ by means of a solvothermal method in methanol. Au-Pt-Pd@TiO2, Au-Pt@TiO2, and Au@TiO2 meso-porous nanoparticles with core-shell, yolk-core-shell, and surface-dispersion morphologies were easily constructed. The noble metal alloy cores of the Au-Pt-Pd@TiO2 and AuPt@TiO2 yolk-core-shell nanoparticles have Au@Pt-Pd and Au@Pt embedded sub-core-shell structures, respectively.