The promotion of both regular and photo-induced catalytic reactions with Au-TiO2 catalysts has been studied with the aid of new yolk-shell nanostructures in order to identify mechanistic details and active sites. These catalysts can promote CO oxidation at cryogenic temperatures as well as room-temperature oxidations of organics, and is being used to design tandem catalysts for the selective synthesis of organic molecules. They have also been employed to study the photocatalytic splitting of water, in studies that have led to the suggestion that the role of the metal may not be to scavenge the excited electrons produced in the semiconductor upon absorption of light, as commonly believed, but rather to promote the recombination of the adsorbed atomic hydrogen initially produced by reduction of H+ on the surface of that semiconductor.

Au-TiO2 interfaces in the catalysis of low-temperature oxidation and H2 photoproduction from water

254th National Meeting (2017)

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