Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Studies on Surface Plasmon Resonance Catalytic Activity of TiO₂-Metal Nanocomposites

Abstract:

The rapid recombination of carriers on plasmon metal nanoparticles leads to relatively low efficiency of traditional photocatalysts. The combination of a metal and a semiconductor allows to the separation of hot electrons and holes to improve photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, Au nanoparticles were integrated with semiconductor TiO₂ nanoparticles of different sizes to improve the photocatalytic activity. Various techniques have been developed to study the mechanism of catalytic activity, the significance of band bending in the space-charge region within metal–semiconductor nanocomposites, and the built-in electric field. The results provide theoretical and experimental evidence for the design of a high-performance surface plasmon resonance (SPR) photocatalyst. To reveal the interface band structure, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was employed to analyze the band structure of the TiO₂–metal composites. This approach was based on the electrochemical Stark effect and a molecular probe strategy, combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and other techniques at the molecular level. The results demonstrated that charge transfer occurred spontaneously between the Au nanoparticles and TiO₂, and that the TiO₂–metal interface constitutes a Schottky barrier. Moreover, the size of the TiO₂ nanoparticles affects the degree of band bending. Optimal state matching was achieved with TiO₂ (60 nm)–Au, improving the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite. The photocatalytic coupling reaction of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) acted as a probe to study the catalytic performance of TiO₂–metal nanocomposites. The results revealed that the introduction of TiO₂ improves the SPR catalytic activity of Au, mainly through the efficient separation of electrons and holes at the TiO₂–metal interface.

• Periodical: Nano Hybrids and Composites (Volume 38)
• Pages: 1-14
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-41td47
• Online since: February 2023
• Authors: Yan Hua Lu, Min Min Xu, Chen Jie Zhang, Ya Xian Yuan, Jian Lin Yao*
• Keywords: Charge Transfer, P-Aminothiophenol, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Surface Plasmon Resonance Catalysis, TiO₂-Au

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