Reverse Ostwald ripening process induced dispersion of Cu2O nanoparticles in silver-matrix and their interfacial mechanism mediated sunlight driven photocatalytic properties

摘要

Plasmonic photocatalyst based on Cu2O nanoparticles dispersed Ag (Cu2O@Ag) matrix has been developed through reverse Ostwald ripening process. Compared to bare Cu2O nanoparticles, Cu2O@Ag matrix exhibits enhanced optical activity over a wide range of visible spectrum due to the manifestation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Ag matrix. The observed enhanced photocatalytic property of Cu2O@Ag matrix is attributed to their configuration, in which the three-dimensional contact between Cu2O and Ag facilitated the charge transfers via a simultaneous direct electron transfer (DET) and plasmon induced resonant energy transfer (PIRET) process. As a result, the photocatalytic activity of Cu2O@Ag system is varied with respect to their different configurations. This work has eventually demonstrated that the overall optical properties and photocatalytic efficiency of plamonic photocatalyst can be enhanced through configuring a three-dimensional contact between the semiconductor photocatalyst and plasmonic metal rather than the conventional point-contact configuration. (c) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.