Role of Metal Nanoparticles in TiO2-Ag Nanocomposite-Based Microheterogeneous Photocatalysis

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RoleofMetalNanoparticlesinTiO2/AgNanocomposite-BasedMicroheterogeneous

Photocatalysis

P.DavideCozzoli,†ElisabettaFanizza,†RobertoComparelli,†M.LuciaCurri,‡and

AngelaAgostiano*,†,‡

DipartimentodiChimica,UniVersita`diBari,ViaOrabona4,70126Bari,Italy,andCNR-IstitutoperiProcessiChimicoFisici(IPCF),sez.Bari,ViaOrabona4,70126Bari,Italy

Danie`leLaub§EPFL-CIME-CentreInterdisciplinairedeMicroscopieElectronique,BatimentMXC,1015Lausanne,Switzerland

ReceiVed:December22,2003;InFinalForm:March9,2004

ThephotocatalyticperformanceofanataseTiO2nanorod-stabilizedAgnanoparticleshasbeeninvestigated

duringthereductivebleachingofamodeldye,UniblueA(UBA),inhomogeneousorganicsolutions.TheactivityoftheTiO2/Agnanocompositehasbeenfoundtovarycontinuouslyduringthecourseofphotocatalysis,

followingaconcomitantlight-inducedmodificationofthemetalnanoparticlesizeandsizedistribution.ThedirectinvolvementofthemetalparticlesinmediatingelectrontransferbetweenphotoexcitedTiO2andthe

targetUBAisexplainedonthebasisofthesize-dependentredoxpropertiesofthemetalnanoparticles.Thepresentresultscanbeusefulinthedesignofnewcompositematerialswithwell-tailoredphotocatalyticpropertiesandlong-termstability.

1.IntroductionMajoreffortsinmodernmaterialchemistryaredevotedtothedesignandfabricationofnanostructuredsystemswithtunablephysical-chemicalpropertiesforadvancedcatalyticapplications.Recentdiscoveriesontheimprovedtechnologicalperformancesobtainablebycouplingdifferentnanostructuredmaterialshaveencouragedresearchtowardexploringthepotentialofferedbynoblemetal/semiconductoroxidenano-compositesincatalysis.1-7Inthenanosizedregime,astheoxidefunctioncanstronglydeviatefromitsconventionalroleassimplesupport,unusualorenhancedcatalyticactivity2canbeindeeddetecteddueto

specificmetal-oxideelectronicinteractions.3-5Furthermore,

theinterestincombiningnoblemetalnanoparticleswithsemiconductoroxidesbasicallyreliesonthemetalabilityinactingbothasasinkforelectronsandasredoxcatalyst.Noblemetalnanoparticleshavebeenrecognizedtopromoteelectron-transferprocesses,8-10asdemonstratedinseed-mediatedmetal

growthmechanisms10b,11andmetal-catalyzedreductionof

organiccompounds.9a,b,10aPhotoinducedchargecarriersepara-

tion5-7canbeactuallyfavoredinsemiconductor/metalnano-

composites,asprovedbytheenhancementofphotocatalytic5,6andphotoelectrochemical7performancesinsuchcombined

materials.Inthefieldofphotocatalysis,mostrecentstudieshavefocusedonthecharacterizationofthenanocompositesbeforeirradiationorjustfollowingshortlaserpulseexcitation.6a-cLittleorno

informationisavailableonwhethertheinitialpropertiesof

semiconductor/metalcompositesareretaineduponlong-termlightexposure.5b,c,6b,c,7cForexample,becauseoftheirhigh

photoactivity,noblemetalnanoclusterscanbeexpectedtoundergosize-shapetransformationwhensubjectedtointenselight.12,13Moreover,metalclusteretching,basedonoxygen-

drivenchemical11a,b,15andphotochemicaldissolution,6b,15is

knowntobefacile,especiallyinthepresenceofstrongligandsforthemetalions11band/orofelectronscavengers.6b,12d,eRecognitionofsuchprocessesisofparamountimportance,astheymayoriginateananostructuredmaterialwhosecatalyticactivitycanvaryduringthecourseofphotocatalysis.Accord-ingly,thesize-regimedependenceofcatalyticreactionshasbeenlargelyemphasizedintheliterature.3a,b,9a,b,10,14Furtherinvestiga-

tionsareundoubtedlyneededinordertorationalizetheperformancesofsuchcompositematerials,asithasbeenalsofoundthatduringphotocatalysis,asemiconductor/metalnano-junctionmaynotnecessarilyfacilitateelectrondischargeintothesolution.6b,d,e,7a

Inthepresentwork,themorphologicalchangesoccurringtoaTiO2/Agnanocompositematerialhavebeenfollowedduring

steady-statephotocatalysisinordertoestablisharelationshipbetweentheoverallphotocatalyticactivityofthenanocompositeandthemetalparticlesizeuponlong-termUVillumination.RecentlysynthesizedTiO2nanorod-stabilizedAgnanoparticles

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havebeenemployedasaconvenientsemiconductor/metalphotocatalysttoeasilyfollowtheelementarystepsinvolvedinorganicsreductivephotodegradation.Suchnanocompositeap-pearssuitabletothispurposeforseveralreasons.First,theTiO2

nanorod-Agnanoparticlecompositeissolubleinorganicmedia,

providingamacroscopicallyhomogeneous(i.e.,withoutphaseboundaries)photocatalystdispersion,whichhoweverremainsheterogeneousatthenanoscale.Moreimportantly,theresultingsolutionisopticallytransparent,thusallowingthecourseof

*Towhomcorrespondenceshouldbeaddressed.Fax:+39-080-5442129/5442209.E-mail:csildc28@area.ba.cnr.it;agostiano@area.ba.cnr.it.†Universita`diBari.