Photo enhancement under visible light illumination owing to plasmonically-mediated charge transfer from gold nanoparticles deposited on TiO2 supports can aid in promoting photochemical reactions at their surfaces for the conversion of solar energy to chemical fuels, such as ethanol oxidation. The absorption band attributed to localized surface plasmon resonance is dependent on metal nanoparticle characteristics that can be adjusted by tailoring the size, shape, and dielectric property of the metal nanoparticles. In comparison to the commonly utilized gold nanospheres, gold nanorods can be obtained in higher quality yields with improved control over the three-dimensional particle growth, allowing for greater flexibility of design. Gold nanorods also exhibit two plasmon absorption bands that are attributed to transverse and longitudinal electron oscillations along the width and length of the rod, respectively. The lower-energy longitudinal plasmon band exhibits a high degree of wavelength sensitivity and selectivity that can be adjusted to target specific energies in order to promote particular photochemical reactions at the surfaces of these materials. Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical ethanol oxidation reactions by gold nanoparticles on TiO2 supports are monitored by electrochemical methods under dark and solar-simulated irradiated conditions. Investigations into TiO2 supported gold nanorod systems are studied in order to understand and explore the roles of plasmonically-mediated charge transfer and band gap photoexcitation in the ethanol oxidation reactions for potential applications in solar energy devices and fuel cells.

Development of plasmonically enhanced TiO2 substrates directed for ethanol oxidation reactions

254th National Meeting (2017)

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