We expolot the compositional and interfacial design flexibility of surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-active catalytic aerogels to photocatalytically generate molecular hydrogen (H2). We investigate the effects of modifying TiO2 aerogel networks and Au||TiO2 interfaces in plasmonic Au–TiO2 aerogels on their photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) generation activity under both broadband (i.e. UV + visible light) and visible excitation. We also incorporate non-plasmonic Pt co-catalyst nanoparticles into composite aerogels, creating Au–TiO2/Pt aerogels, and demonstrate that they can perform visible light SPR-driven photocatalytic reduction of water to generate H2. Several crucial concepts are demonstrated by the SPR-driven photocatalytic H2 generation at Au–TiO2/Pt aerogels: (1) both a plasmonic sensitizer and separate water reduction co-catalyst can be integrated into the high-surface-area, nanostructured mesoporous aerogels; (2) electron–hole pairs generated under visible light at the plasmonic Au||TiO2 interface are wired via the nanoscale aerogel network to the co-catalyst; and (3) both the photocatalytic oxidation and reduction reactions critical to solar fuels photocatalysis are combined into one composite material at length scales compatible with the reaction kinetics.

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity at plasmonic Au–TiO2 and Au–TiO2/Pt aerogels

255th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.