Enhancement of rutile photocatalytic activity using buried nanoclusters

路易斯安那州立大学物理系的教授Richard Kurtz和Phillip Sprunger正在研究金属修饰的二氧化钛纳米颗粒表面有机氧化的光催化反应机理。在分析和表面化学计划的支持下，该团队正在使用扫描探针显微镜和基于同步光电子能谱的方法来表征覆盖了一层二氧化钛的金属装饰二氧化钛颗粒。覆盖层被认为是为了防止纳米金属天线在光催化颗粒上的氧化和团聚。如果这一概念进展能够成功实施，这些材料将产生重大的更广泛的影响，应用于环境修复和光催化分解水。金属修饰的二氧化钛纳米颗粒可以调节吸收太阳辐射，并作为光催化剂用于水分解和有机氧化反应。路易斯安那州立大学的库尔茨教授和他的同事正在将表面表征方法应用于二氧化钛覆盖的纳米颗粒，试图了解这些材料的光催化机理。可能会导致对环境相关系统的应用。

AbstractCHE-0615606Kurtz/LSUProfessors Richard Kurtz and Phillip Sprunger in the Physics Department at Louisiana State University are examining the photocatalytic reaction mechanisms of organic oxidation at metal decorated titanium dioxide nanoparticle surfaces. With the support of the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, this team is using scanning probe microscopy and synchrotron based photoemission methods to characterize metal decorated titania particles which have been capped with a layer of titania. The capping layer is thought to prevent oxidation and agglomeration of the nanometal antennae on the photocatalytic particles. Significant broader impacts will result in the application of these materials in environmental remediation and photocatalytic water splitting, if this conceptual advance can be successfully implemented. Metal decorated titania nanoparticles can be tuned to absorb solar radiation and used as photocatalysts for water splitting and organic oxidation reactions. Professor Kurtz and his coworkers at LSU are applying surface characterization methods to titania capped nanoparticles, in an attempt to understand photocatalytic mechanisms on these materials. Application to environmentally relevant systems may result.