Abstract
A strategy of intensifying the visible light harvesting ability of anatase TiO2 hollow spheres (HSs) was developed, in which both sides of TiO2 HSs were utilised for stabilising Au nanoparticles (NPs) through the sacrificial templating method and convex surface-induced confinement. The composite structure of single Au NP yolk-TiO2 shell-Au NPs, denoted as Au@Au(TiO2, was rendered and confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy analysis. Au@Au(TiO2 showed enhanced photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue and phenol in aqueous phase under visible light surpassing that of other reference materials such as Au(TiO2 by 77% and Au@P25 by 52%, respectively, in phenol degradation.
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Acknowledgements
We thank for the financial support from The University of Manchester through Higher Education Innovation Funded ‘Knowledge and Innovation Hub for Environmental Sustainability’. LL thanks the China Scholarship Council (CSC, file no. 201706950035)-University of Manchester joint studentship for supporting her Ph.D. research.
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Plasmonic Au nanoparticles supported on both sides of TiO2 hollow spheres for maximising photocatalytic activity under visible light
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Lu, J., Lan, L., Liu, X.T. et al. Plasmonic Au nanoparticles supported on both sides of TiO2 hollow spheres for maximising photocatalytic activity under visible light. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 13, 665–671 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1815-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1815-2