Two‐step hydrothermal fabrication of Na _0.23 TiO ₂ nanofibers and enhanced photocatalysis after loaded with gold or silver determined by surface potentials

Abstract

Summary Pure Na0.23TiO2 nanofibers were fabricated by a two‐step hydrothermal method after a series of experiments. Na0.23TiO2 is a direct bandgap semiconductor and exhibits a strong photodegradative ability for RhB, which is difficult to be degraded. The photodegradative activity is much enhanced after loaded noble metal Au or Ag nanoparticles on Na0.23TiO2 nanofibers by a chemical bath deposition method. Hot electrons are generated in metal nanoparticles through a localized surface plasmon (LSP) process under light illumination and then diffuse to a semiconductor and reduce the surface potential, which is detected directly by a scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM). The high electromagnetic field induced by the LSP resonance and strong coupling between noble metal and Na0.23TiO2 are beneficial for the utilization of visible light, electron produce, charge transportation, and separation, as a result, promoting the activity of semiconductor‐based photocatalysts. This work supplies an effective method to directly probe the surface plasmon and highlights the application of Na0.23TiO2 in photocatalysis.

Synergistic enhancements in the performances of dye‐sensitized solar cells by the scattering and plasmon resonance of Au‐nanoparticle multi‐shell hollow nanospheres

“…Particularly, the incorporation of hollow TiO 2 multi‐shell microspheres in DSSCs has exhibited stronger light scattering and higher light capture efficiency . In addition, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of noble metal nanoparticles has recently received extensive attention for its unique characteristics such as intense absorption and enhanced local electromagnetic field, and been regarded as a promising tool that can boost the performance of photovoltaic devices . Significant enhancement in PCE has been obtained in the DSSCs with Au/Ag NPs incorporated composite photoanode due to the LSPR effect of Au/Ag NPs .…”

“…15 In addition, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of noble metal nanoparticles has recently received extensive attention for its unique characteristics such as intense absorption and enhanced local electromagnetic field, and been regarded as a promising tool that can boost the performance of photovoltaic devices. [16][17][18] Significant enhancement in PCE has been obtained in the DSSCs with Au/Ag NPs incorporated composite photoanode due to the LSPR effect of Au/Ag NPs. 19,20 Thus, by taking advantage of the synergy and complementary of the LSPR and hollow multi-shell scattering, it is highly possible to prepare DSSC with much more better performance.…”

Constructing 1D/2D heterojunction photocatalyst from FeSe 2 nanorods and MoSe 2 nanoplates with high photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performance

“…Among them, hydrogen energy is an ideal new energy. [9][10][11][12][13][14] However, there are also two problems affecting the application prospect of TiO 2 . The combustion product is water and free of pollution.…”

“…TiO 2 is the most widely studied photocatalyst because of its high degradation activity, stable chemical properties, abundant crustal content, and basically no toxicity. [9][10][11][12][13][14] However, there are also two problems affecting the application prospect of TiO 2 . One is that the bandgap of TiO 2 reaches 3.2 eV, which makes it unable to absorb visible light, and its utilization rate of solar energy is only about 6%.…”

Electrospun nanofibers of poly (acrylonitrile-co-itaconic acid)/silver and polyacrylonitrile/silver: In situ preparation, characterization, and antimicrobial activity

“…These nanofibers can be prepared from a wide array of polymer types and components to enable desired features and have many advantages such as ultrafine structure, a large surface area to volume ratio, and high porosity with a small pore size. Furthermore, deposition of active agents such as metal nanoparticles onto nanofibers has improved their functions [25,26].…”