High Density Unaggregated Au Nanoparticles on ZnO Nanorod Arrays Function as Efficient and Recyclable Photocatalysts for Environmental Purification

Abstract

Photodegradation of organic pollutants in aqueous solution is a promising method for environmental purification. Photocatalysts capable of promoting this reaction are often composed of noble metal nanoparticles deposited on a semiconductor. Unfortunately, the separation of these semiconductor-metal nanopowders from the treated water is very difficult and energy consumptive, so their usefulness in practical applications is limited. Here, a precisely controlled synthesis of a large-scale and highly efficient photocatalyst composed of monolayered Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) chemically bound to vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNA) through a bifunctional surface molecular linker is demonstrated. Thioctic acid with sufficient steric stabilization is used as a molecular linker. High density unaggregated AuNPs bonding on entire surfaces of ZNA are successfully prepared on a conductive film/substrate, allowing easy recovery and reuse of the photocatalysts. Surprisingly, the ZNA-AuNPs heterostructures exhibit a photodegradation rate 8.1 times higher than that recorded for the bare ZNA under UV irradiation. High density AuNPs, dispersed perfectly on the ZNA surfaces, significantly improve the separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, enlarge the reaction space, and consequently enhance the photocatalytic property for degradation of chemical pollutants. Photoelectron, photoluminescence and photoconductive measurements confirm the discussion on the charge carrier separation and photocatalytic experimental data. The demonstrated higher photodegradation rates demonstrated indicate that the ZNA-AuNPs heterostructures are candidates for the next-generation photocatalysts, replacing the conventional slurry photocatalysts.

Fabrication of Highly Stable Glyco‐Gold Nanoparticles and Development of a Glyco‐Gold Nanoparticle‐Based Oriented Immobilized Antibody Microarray for Lectin (GOAL) Assay

“…This small (5 nm) peak shift is attributable to the formation of a dense organic layer by the replacement of citrates on the AuNP surface, which correlates significantly with the dielectric constant of the medium surrounding the nanoparticles. [30] Figure 2. Structures of thiolated glycans (1-4 and 6-11) and a short tri(ethylene glycol) terminated alkanethiol (12) used for the synthesis of glyco-AuNPs.…”

Mechanism of Versatile Catalytic Activities of Quaternary CuZnFeS Nanocrystals Designed by a Rapid Synthesis Route

“…Formation of other oxidative species HO 2 • and OH -from O 2 are also favorable since corresponding redox potentials ( E 0 O 2 /HO 2 • = −4.65 eV and E 0 O 2 /OH -= −4.8 eV) remain within bandgap of H-CZIS NCs (Figure 5 c, 5 d). [ 62 ] Similarly, direct electron transfer from NCs to MB initiates formation of semi-reduced MB (MB • -) and leucomethylene blue (LMB) since the E 0 of MB/ MB • -(−4.27 eV) and MB/LMB (−4.51 eV) are lower than the CB of H-CZIS ( Figure 5 d).…”

Controlled loading of gold nanoparticles on ZnO nanorods and their high photocatalytic activity

“…Therefore, in the past several years, many substantial efforts have been devoted to synthesize 1D ZnO/Au nanohybrids with novel structures and functionalities. The preparative approaches and strategies reported include spontaneous deposition [9], electrophoretic deposition [10], ion beamsputtering [11], photochemical synthesis [12], hydrothermal process [13], and functional molecule-directed controllable assembly [14,15]. Although some important progress has been achieved in the fabrication of various ZnO/Au nanohybrids, further development in the modification of ZnO nanorods is still desired.…”