Abstract
This paper reports the synthesis of a new type of Au@TiO2 yolk–shell nanostructures by integrating ion sputtering method with atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique and its applications as visible light-driven photocatalyst and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate. Both the size and amount of gold nanoparticles confined in TiO2 nanotubes could be facilely controlled via properly adjusting the sputtering time. The unique structure and morphology of the resulting Au@TiO2 samples were investigated by using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques in detail. It is found that all tested samples can absorb visible light with a maximum absorption at localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelengths (550–590 nm) which are determined by the size of gold nanoparticles. The Au@TiO2 yolk–shell composites were used as the photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB). As compared with pure TiO2 nanotubes, Au@TiO2 composites exhibit improved photocatalytic properties towards the degradation of MB. The SERS effect of Au@TiO2 yolk–shell composites was also performed to investigate the detection sensitivity of MB.
Highlights
Heterogeneous metal/semiconductor nanocomposites have attracted tremendous research interest by virtue of their unique physic-chemical properties and potential applications in solar energy conversion [1], biomedicine [2], surface-enhanced Raman scattering [3], lightemitting diodes [4], and environmental remediation [5]
Some innovative investigations based on Au/TiO2 composite system applied in degradation of organic dyes, solar water splitting, and conversion of organic compounds have demonstrated their efficient visible light photocatalytic
The carbon nanocoils (CNCs) used as the starting template in this work have uniform fiber diameter, coil diameter, and coil pitch, and the average diameter of the fiber is about 80 nm (Additional file 1: Figure S1)
Summary
Heterogeneous metal/semiconductor nanocomposites have attracted tremendous research interest by virtue of their unique physic-chemical properties and potential applications in solar energy conversion [1], biomedicine [2], surface-enhanced Raman scattering [3], lightemitting diodes [4], and environmental remediation [5]. The photocatalytic activities of obtained Au@TiO2 nanocomposites were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
