Abstract
The combination of plasmonic nanoparticles with semiconductor photocatalysts is a good strategy for synthesizing highly efficient photocatalysts. Such binary nanoparticles have demonstrated enhanced catalytic activity in comparison to either plasmonic catalysts or semiconductor catalysts. However, problematic recovery and limited long-term colloidal stability of those nanoparticles in suspension limit their wide use in catalysis. To palliate to such limitations, we embedded binary nanoparticles in polymer fibers to design photocatalytic membranes. First, we used the selective over-growth of crystalline cerium oxide on the gold nanoparticle template with distinct shapes. Gold nanospheres, gold nanorods, and gold nanotriangles were used as the template for the growth of the cerium oxide domains. Then, the resulting nanoparticles were used to catalyze model reactions in suspensions. The gold nanoparticles covered with patches of cerium oxide outperformed the fully covered and naked nanoparticles in terms of catalytic efficiency. Finally, the most efficient binary nanostructures were successfully embedded in nanofibrous membranes by colloidal electrospinning and used in water remediation experiments in a flow-through reactor.
Highlights
Among the array of photocatalysts currently being developed, plasmonic-driven and plasmonic-enhanced nanoparticle (NP) photocatalysts are appealing
We prepared efficient photocatalytic membranes containing binary nanostructures made of gold and cerium oxide
Using the selective over-growth of crystalline cerium oxide on gold nanotemplates, we formulated a library of photocatalytic nanoparticles
Summary
Among the array of photocatalysts currently being developed, plasmonic-driven and plasmonic-enhanced nanoparticle (NP) photocatalysts are appealing. This present approach combines the advantage of a metal NP and semiconductor patches, providing a platform for the design of novel hybrid metal−semiconductor anisotropic particles, which can be used as building blocks for the development of functional mesoscopic structures To demonstrate this potential, we embedded the most efficient binary NPs in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers and used the resulting nanofibrous mats to perform photocatalytic reactions in a continuous process (Figure 1). An aqueous solution of rhodamine B (0.0015 mg·mL−1) was injected into the inlet of the device prepared with different membranes using a syringe pump (Harvard Instrument, PHD Ultra) at a flow rate varying from 0.5 to 5 mL·h−1.
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