Ubiquitous element approach to plasmonic enhanced photocatalytic water splitting: the case of Ti@TiO_2 core-shell nanostructure

摘要

We demonstrate a new approach to plasmonic enhanced photocatalytic water splitting by developing a novel core-shell Ti@TiO_2 brush nanostructure where an elongated Ti nanorod forms a plasmonic core that concentrates light inside of a nanotubular anodic TiO_2 shell. Following the ubiquitous element approach aimed at providing an enhanced device functionality without the usage of noble or rare earth elements, we utilized only inexpensive Ti to create a complex Ti@TiO_2 nanostructure with an enhanced UV and Vis photocatalytic activity that emerges from the interplay between the surface plasmon resonance in the Ti core, Vis light absorption in the Tirich oxide layer at the Ti/TiO_2 interface and UV light absorption in the nanotubular TiO_2 shell.