Development of plasmonic photocatalysts for inactivation of microorganisms and decomposition of organic compounds

摘要

Plasmonic photocatalysts, composed of titania and nanoparticles (NPs) of noble metals (NMs), were prepared,characterized and tested for decomposition of organic compounds and microorganisms under irradiation with UV and/orvis and in the dark conditions. It was found that modification of titania with NMNPs: (ⅰ) enhanced titania activity underUV irradiation (inhibition of charge carriers’ recombination), and (ⅱ) activated titania under vis irradiation (localizedsurface plasmon absorption). Moreover, the properties of both support (morphology, phase composition, crystallite andparticle sizes) and deposited NM (e.g., oxidation state, crystallite size, nanostructure) were crucial for broad responseagainst chemical and microbiological pollutants. Various strategies have been proposed for activity and stabilityenhancements, e.g., an interface increase between NM and titania and fast “hot” electron transfer via shallow electrontraps, which will be discussed in detail during this presentation.