Abstract
The influence of adding Pt on the catalytic and photocatalytic activity of monodispersed brookite phase TiO2 (B-TiO2) nanorods (NRs) was investigated. Pt was deposited on the NRs by photodeposition in solution, and the Pt-modified NRs were characterized using XPS, STEM, and LEIS. The thermal and photocatalytic activity of the Pt-modified NRs were then evaluated using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). It was found that while Pt primarily acted as a site blocker for thermal reactions, Pt also acted as a recombination center for photogenerated electrons and holes, resulting in suppressed photocatalytic activity. Upon pretreatment with O2, however, the Pt-modified NRs exhibited enhanced photoactivity, indicating that adsorbed oxygen prevents electron–hole recombination by reacting with photogenerated conduction band electrons from the B-TiO2 to produce stable superoxide species on the Pt surface deposits. These results clearly demonstrate how the dynamics of charge carriers at...
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