The utilization of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) as photo antennas in metal oxides having a large band gap is of particular interest for surface plasmon enhanced photocatalysis. Current synthetic approaches of metal oxide/noble metal hybrids, however, lack controllability in engineering their nanostructures. We present a new bottom-up synthetic approach to preparing mesoporous transition metal oxide/noble metal hybrid catalysts <i>via</i> a ligand-assisted co-assembly of amphiphilic block polymer micelles and polymer-tethered noble metal NPs. The use of polymer ligands that can improve the stability of metal NPs under the extreme conditions used for the sol-gel chemistry is a key to the controllable synthesis of hybrid catalysts. It is found that the hybrid catalyst possesses long-range, periodically ordered mesoporous nanostructures with an average pore size of 20-25 nm and a wall thickness of 15-18 nm. Noble metal NPs are homogenously embed into the mesostructural channels of the hybrid catalysts without NP fusion or migration. Our synthetic approach offers a general and straightforward method to precisely tune the sizes and loading amounts of noble metal NPs in metal oxides; and this system, thus, provides a solid platform to clearly understand the role of noble metal NPs in various photocatalytic reactions, including alcohol oxidation and water reduction.<br/>

Polymer-assisted co-assembly approach toward mesoporous hybrid metal oxides catalysts for photocatalysis

254th National Meeting (2017)

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