AuPt Alloy Nanoparticles Research Articles

Mechanistic insight into piezo-catalytic H2 evolution on BiOCl loaded with AuPt alloy cocatalysts

The use of piezo-catalysis for H2 production from water at ambient conditions has recently gained significant attention, yet the importance of cocatalyst engineering has been largely overlooked. In this study, AuPt alloy nanoparticles were used as cocatalysts on the piezoelectric material BiOCl for H2 evolution driven by sonication. The Au:Pt ratio of 3:1 significantly enhanced the reaction, resulting in a doubling of H2 production compared to Au alone and a tripling compared to Pt alone. Experiments and simulations showed that AuPt alloys promote H* adsorption and facilitate the separation of piezoelectric carriers. Additionally, the cocatalysts enhance the piezo-catalytic reaction by increasing the stress and deformation of the BiOCl microplates. Unlike the photocatalytic process, the piezo-catalytic H2 evolution on BiOCl succeeded due to the suppression of BiOCl reduction by the periodically accumulated piezo-electrons and holes. This research highlights the critical role of cocatalyst engineering in optimizing piezo-catalytic H2 production and presents a promising strategy for efficient H2 generation.

AuPt bimetallic loaded defect state g-C3N4 enhances photocatalytic H2 evolution: Exploring synergistic effects and charge transfer mechanisms

AuPt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using a simple photodeposition method to modify defective state g-C3N4 nanosheets (HCN) which contained N vacancies, B doping, and CN groups. The visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) indicate that AuPt/HCN exhibits high light absorption capability. The photoluminescence spectrum (PL) and steady-state surface photovoltage (SPV) indicate that AuPt/HCN possesses a high rate of photogenerated charge separation and a high efficiency of photogenerated electron transfer. The electrochemical tests indicate that AuPt/HCN exhibits lower electrochemical impedance. AuPt/HCN (1.0 wt%) exhibits outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency, producing hydrogen at a rate of 2095 μmol·g−1·h−1 under visible light, which is 2.10 times and 1.55 times higher than that of monometallic Au/HCN (1.0 wt%) (997 μmol·g−1·h−1) and Pt/HCN (1.0 wt%) (1349 μmol·g−1·h−1), respectively. The bimetallic synergistic effect of AuPt alloy NPs co-catalysts enhances the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of AuPt/HCN composite photocatalysts.

Development of electrode by using gold-platinum alloy nanopar¬ticles for electrochemical detection of serum amyloid A protein

Gold-platinum alloy nanoparticles (AuPtNP) were electrochemically deposited on the surface of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) modified with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), after optimizing deposition conditions for the electroplating solution and number of deposition cycles. Different part ratios of Au/Pt used were 4/0, 3/1, 2/2, 1/3 and 0/4 (AuNP, Au3Pt1, Au2Pt2, Au1Pt3 and PtNP, respectively) in preparation of 1 mM solutions. FE-SEM, EDAX and XRD surface characterization techniques were used to confirm the presence of deposited AuPt alloy nanoparticles on the modified ITO surface. Electrochemical methods (CV, DPV and EIS) were used to investigate the electrochemical properties of prepared electrodes in the presence of ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple, which indicated the following increasing order of electrocatalytic peak current: Au < Au2Pt2 < Pt < Au1Pt3 < Au3Pt1. The most active electrode, Au3Pt1NP/APTES/ITO (with Au/Pt part ratio 3:1), was further used to fabricate the immunoelectrode SAA-Ab/Au3Pt1NP/APTES/ITO. The prepared immunoelec­trode was tested for detection of serum amyloid A protein biomarker (APO-SAA) by immobilising SAA-specific antibodies (SAA ½ Ab) on its surface. Sensing studies on this immunoelectrode, performed by DPV technique, revealed the SAA biomarker detection in the linear range of 10 to 106 fg ml-1. The limit of detection was calculated as 7.0 fg ml-1.

Enhancing the piezo-photocatalytic tetracycline degradation activity of BiOBr by the decoration of AuPt alloy nanoparaticles: Degradation pathways and mechanism investigation

AuPt alloy nanoparaticles were successfully decorated on the BiOBr surface to form AuPt/BiOBr piezo-photocatalysts via a photoreduction route. The removal of organic dyes (acid orange 10 (AO10) and rhodamine B (RhB)) were selected to estimate the photocatalytic activity of samples under simulated sunlight irradiation, which reveals that the AuPt/BiOBr composite manifests remarkably enhanced photocatalytic degradation ability compared with Au/BiOBr, Pt/BiOBr and bare BiOBr. Notably, the piezo-photocatalytic removal activity of AuPt/BiOBr towards the degradation of tetracycline (TC) was evaluated under the simulated sunlight and ultrasound irradiation. It is found that the piezo-photocatalytic removal performance of AuPt/BiOBr is obviously super to its individual piezo- and photocatalytic results, and its piezo-photocatalytic efficiency of TC increased by ∼ 33.6% and ∼ 53.3% in comparison to corresponding photocatalytic and piezocatalytic degradation efficiency. The piezo-photocatalytic degradation pathway of TC was systematacially discussed and proposed. The built-in electric field caused by the piezoelectric effect of AuPt/BiOBr sample significantly accelerate the bulk migration and separation of induced charges. On the other hand, the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect of AuPt alloy nanoparaticles provided more hot electrons for piezo-photocatalytic reaction, meanwhile the AuPt alloy nanoparticles also promote the surface migration of induced charges on the AuPt/BiOBr sample.

Element-ratio dependence of the 5d-states of Au and Pt in solid-solution-type Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory.

Solid-solution-type Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared from the nanoclusters of each metal using the polymer-conjugated fusion growth method. The elemental mapping analysis showed that the mixing state of the elements in the NPs drastically changed in the narrow reaction-temperature range from 100 °C to 180 °C. For their various mixing states, the 5d-states of Au and Pt atoms in the alloy NPs were investigated on the basis of the white line intensities of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). Then, the 5d-states of Au and Pt atoms in a model crystalline ordered alloy structures were investigated on the basis of the theoretically calculated XANES spectra using density functional theory (DFT) in the whole composition range. The DFT calculation showed that the changes in the absorption spectra near the Pt and Au edges are caused by the change in the occupation of the Pt 5d-states and the orbital hybridisation of the Au 5d-states with the 5d-states of neighbouring Pt atoms around an Au atom, respectively.

Hollow platinum-gold and palladium-gold nanoparticles: synthesis and characterization of composition-structure relationship

Hollow palladium-gold (PdAu) and platinum-gold (PtAu) alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized through galvanic replacement reactions. PdAu NPs denoted PdAu-99.99 and PdAu-98 were produced using palladium precursors with different purity degree: Na2PdCl4 ≥ 99.99% and Na2PdCl4 98%, respectively. The effect of the addition time of the gold palladium precursor solution on the size of the generated NPs was evaluated. Two types of particles, with a rough and a smooth surface, were identified in the suspensions of PtAu and PdAu NPs by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The atomic percentage of gold, platinum, palladium, and cobalt (atomic %) in the nanoparticles was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). PtAu NPs (26–42 nm) contain Pt (41 at%), Au (36 at%), and Co (23 at%). Two groups of hollow palladium gold NPs (30–50 nm) with a different residual cobalt content were produced. PdAu-99.99 NPs consisted of Pd (68 at%), Au (26 at%), and Co (6 at%), whereas PdAu-98 NPs were composed of Pd (70 at%), Au (22 at%), and Co (8 at%). The hollow structure of the NPs was confirmed by EDX line scanning. Selected area electron diffraction analysis (SAED) revealed the formation of PtAu and PdAu alloys and it was used in estimating the lattice parameters, too.

Elucidating Cathodic Corrosion Mechanisms with Operando Electrochemical Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Cathodic corrosion represents an enigmatic electrochemical process in which metallic electrodes corrode under sufficiently reducing potentials. Although discovered by Fritz Haber in the 19th century, only recently has progress been made in beginning to understand the atomistic mechanisms of corroding bulk electrodes. The creation of nanoparticles as the end-product of the corrosion process suggests an additional length scale of complexity. Here, we studied the dynamic evolution of morphology, composition, and crystallographic structural information of nanocrystal corrosion products by analytical and four-dimensional electrochemical liquid-cell scanning transmission electron microscopy (EC-STEM). Our operando/in situ electron microscopy revealed, in real-time, at the nanometer scale, that cathodic corrosion yields significantly higher levels of structural degradation for heterogeneous nanocrystals than bulk electrodes. In particular, the cathodic corrosion of Au nanocubes on bulk Pt electrodes led to the unexpected formation of thermodynamically immiscible Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles. The highly kinetically driven corrosion process is evidenced by the successive anisotropic transition from stable Pt(111) bulk single-crystal surfaces evolving to energetically less-stable (100) and (110) steps. The motifs identified in this microscopy study of cathodic corrosion of nanocrystals are likely to underlie the structural evolution of nanoscale electrocatalysts during many electrochemical reactions under highly reducing potentials, such as CO2 and N2 reduction.

AuPt alloy nanoparticles supported on graphitic carbon nitride: In situ synthesis and superb catalytic performance in the light-assisted hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

Addressed herein is the enhancement of catalytic activity of Pt-based nanocatalysts in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) via in-situ synthesis of bimetallic AuPt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) supported on graphitic carbon nitride (gCN). The presented in-situ synthesis protocol yielded gCN/AuxPt100-x (x = 0, 8, 15, 33) nanocatalysts with highly dispersed AuxPt100-x NPs having the average particle sizes varied in the range of 1.6–2.6 nm over the gCN nanosheets. The generated gCN/Pt92Au8 (600.3 mol H2 mol Pt−1 min−1) and gCN/Pt85Au15 (587.1 mol H2 mol Pt−1 min−1) nanocatalysts showed higher catalytic activity compared to gCN/Pt100 (525.7 mol H2 mol Pt−1 min−1) under white-light irradiation, attributed to the synergistic effects aroused in the AuPt alloy NPs and heterojunctions formed between gCN and AuPt alloy NPs. The detailed characterization of photophysical properties of gCN/AuxPt100-x nanocatalysts revealed that their boosted catalytic activity is attributed to the improved charge kinetics, higher light absorption, and effective electron transfer channels from gCN to the bimetallic AuPt alloy NPs. The role of photogenerated carriers in the photocatalytic AB dehydrogenation was also elucidated via scavenger studies. This study shows that gCN/AuxPt100-x nanocatalysts can be prepared in situ during the hydrolysis of AB at room temperature and the yielded nanocatalysts have a significant role in boosting the hydrogen production from the light-assisted hydrolysis of AB.

Nanocomposite Concept for Electrochemical In Situ Preparation of Pt-Au Alloy Nanoparticles for Formic Acid Oxidation.

Herein, we report a straightforward approach for the in situ preparation of Pt–Au alloy nanoparticles from Pt + xAu/C nanocomposites using monometallic colloidal nanoparticles as starting blocks. Four different compositions with fixed Pt content and varying Pt to Au mass ratios from 1:1 up to 1:7 were prepared as formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) catalysts. The study was carried out in a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) setup. It is shown that the presence of Au in the nanocomposites substantially improves the FAOR activity with respect to pure Pt/C, which serves as a reference. The nanocomposite with a mass ratio of 1:5 between Pt and Au displays the best performance during potentiodynamic tests, with the electro-oxidation rates, overpotential, and poisoning resistance being improved simultaneously. By comparison, too low or too high Au contributions in the nanocomposites lead to an unbalanced performance in the FAOR. The combination of operando small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) elemental mapping, and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) reveals that for the nanocomposite with a 1:5 mass ratio, a conversion between Pt and Au from separate nanoparticles to alloy nanoparticles occurs during continuous potential cycling in formic acid. By comparison, the nanocomposites with lower Au contents, for example, 1:2, exhibit less in situ alloying, and the concomitant performance improvement is less pronounced. On applying identical location transmission electron microscopy (IL-TEM), it is revealed that the in situ alloying is due to Pt dissolution and re-deposition onto Au as well as Pt migration and coalescence with Au nanoparticles.

Au-Pt nanozyme-based multifunctional hydrogel dressing for diabetic wound healing.

Diabetic chronic wound healing is a critical clinical challenge due to the particularity of wound microenvironment, including hyperglycemia, excessive oxidative stress, hypoxia, and bacterial infection. Herein, we developed a multifunctional self-healing hydrogel dressing (defined as OHCN) to regulate the complex microenvironment of wound for accelerative diabetic wound repair. The OHCN hydrogel dressing was constructed by integrating Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles into a hydrogel (OHC) that formed through Schiff-base reaction between oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS). The dynamic cross-linking of OHA and antibacterial CMCS imparted the OHCN hydrogel dressing with excellent antibacterial and self-healing properties. Meanwhile, Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles endowed the OHCN hydrogel dressing with the functions of lowering blood glucose, alleviating oxidative damage, and providing O2 by simulating glucose oxidase and catalase. Through a synergistic combination of OHC hydrogel and Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles, the resulted OHCN hydrogel dressing significantly ameliorated the pathological microenvironment and accelerated the healing rate of diabetic wound. The proposed nanozyme-decorated multifunctional hydrogel offers an efficient strategy for the improved management of diabetic chronic wound.

Bimetallic AuPt alloy nanoparticles decorated on ZnO nanowires towards efficient and selective H2S gas sensing

The development of high-performance H2S sensor is imperative for monitoring H2S in the living environment. Metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) have been regarded as the strongest candidates for H2S detection due to their high sensitivity, miniaturization, and good durability. However, a single MOS-based gas sensor is unable to selectively detect gases, which limits its practical application. Functionalization of noble metal nanoparticles (e.g., Pt, Pd, and Au) on the surface of MOS can improve its selectivity. Herein, ZnO nanowires decorated with AuPt bimetallic nanoparticles are designed and fabricated on MEMS for H2S detection. The AuPt@ZnO nanowires-based sensor shows a response of 17.7–20 ppm H2S at 300 °C which is 4.0 times higher than that of pristine ZnO nanowires-based sensor. The sensor also exhibits a rapid response-recovery process, brilliant long-term stability, and excellent selectivity to H2S among various interfering gases. The remarkable improvement of the sensing performance, especially selectivity, could be ascribed to the electronic and chemical sensitization and the synergistic effect of the AuPt bimetal. Thus, the AuPt@ZnO nanowires-based sensor has a great potential application for H2S detection.

MOF Encapsulated AuPt Bimetallic Nanoparticles for Improved Plasmonic-induced Photothermal Catalysis of CO2 Hydrogenation.

Exploring new catalytic strategies for achieving efficient CO2 hydrogenation under mild conditions is of great significance for environmental remediation. Herein, a composite photocatalyst Zr-based MOF encapsulated plasmonic AuPt alloy nanoparticles (AuPt@UiO-66-NH2 ) was successfully constructed for the efficient photothermal catalysis of CO2 hydrogenation. Under light irradiation at 150 °C, AuPt@UiO-66-NH2 achieved a CO production rate of 1451 μmol gmetal -1 h-1 with 91 % selectivity, which far exceeded those obtained by Au@Pt@UiO-66-NH2 with Pt shell on Au (599 μmol gmetal -1 h-1 ) and Au@UiO-66-NH2 (218 μmol gmetal -1 h-1 ). The outstanding performances of AuPt@UiO-66-NH2 were attributed to the synergetic effect originating from the plasmonic metal Au, doped active metal Pt, and encapsulation structure of UiO-66-NH2 shell. This work provides a new way for photothermal catalysis of CO2 and a reference for the design of high-performance plasmonic catalysts.

Coupling Natural Halloysite Nanotubes and Bimetallic Pt-Au Alloy Nanoparticles for Highly Efficient and Selective Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid.

The aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a key platform compound derived from biomass, to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a highly important reaction in the production of green and sustainable chemicals. Here, we developed a highly efficient and stable halloysite-supported Pt-Au alloy catalyst for the selective oxidation of HMF to FDCA. The catalyst was synthesized through the organosilane functionalization of halloysite nanotubes, followed by the in situ formation and dispersion of Pt-Au alloy nanoparticles on the internal and external surfaces of nanotubes. The composition, morphology, and structure of the prepared catalyst were characterized. The catalyst with the optimal composition of Pt/Au molar ratio of 1/4 and metal loading of 1.5 wt % exhibited outstanding catalytic activity for the oxidation of HMF to FDCA using O2 as an oxidant with 100% conversion of HMF and 99% selectivity of FDCA. This excellent catalytic performance is mainly attributed to the high dispersion and alloying effects of bimetallic nanoparticles, which promoted the activation of reactants or intermediates and further improved FDCA selectivity. Furthermore, the halloysite-supported Pt/Au bimetallic catalyst showed high stability and reusability. This study provides a promising strategy by combining clay mineral halloysite and bimetallic alloys for developing efficient catalysts with high FDCA selectivity and stability for the oxidation of HMF to FDCA.

Abnormal Metal Bond Distances in PtAu Alloy Nanoparticles: In Situ Back-Illumination XAFS Investigations of the Structure of PtAu Nanoparticles on a Flat HOPG Substrate Prepared by Arc Plasma Deposition

Abnormal Metal Bond Distances in PtAu Alloy Nanoparticles: <i>In Situ</i> Back-Illumination XAFS Investigations of the Structure of PtAu Nanoparticles on a Flat HOPG Substrate Prepared by Arc Plasma Deposition

Bimetallic Aupt Alloy Nanoparticles Decorated on Zno Nanowires Towards Efficient and Selective H2s Gas Sensing

Bimetallic Aupt Alloy Nanoparticles Decorated on Zno Nanowires Towards Efficient and Selective H2s Gas Sensing

A novel sandwich-type electrochemical biosensor enabling sensitive detection of circulating tumor DNA

It is of great importance to accurately analyze circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), for the reason that it serves as one of the particularly informative cancer biomarkers for disease diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis. However, sensitive detection of ctDNA remains a challenging task and the design of feasible sensing method plays a significant role in ctDNA analysis. In this work, a novel sandwich-type electrochemical biosensor was developed through a facile way for sensitive detection of ctDNA using nanocomposites (MWCNTs-PDA-Au-Pt) as signal probes’ (SPs) label (SPs-label) for signal amplification. The current response of the nanocomposites towards H2O2 reduction was used to quantitatively detect target DNA and distinguish base-mismatched DNA sequences. Characterizations reveal that Au-Pt alloy nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on MWCNTs-PDA and the resultant MWCNTs-PDA-Au-Pt shows excellent response toward the reduction of H2O2, which could largely amplify the current response. Electrochemical analysis of electrode modification process confirms that the sandwich-type structure was successfully formed through step-wise reactions, including fixation of capture probes (CPs) on the surface of the screen-printed gold electrode, recognition between CPs and target DNA (T-DNA), hybridization between T-DNA and SPs. Under optimal experimental conditions, the proposed ctDNA biosensor exhibits a wide linear range from 1 × 10−15 to 1 × 10−8 mol/L with a detection limit as low as 5 × 10−16 mol/L (S/N = 3), unprecedented selectivity towards T-DNA and other base-mismatched DNAs (even for only single base-mismatched sequences), and superb long-term stability. This work demonstrates the sandwich-type scheme is a promising method for practical applications in clinical ctDNA diagnosis.

A novel signal amplification label based on AuPt alloy nanoparticles supported by high-active carbon for the electrochemical detection of circulating tumor DNA

The detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has increasingly received a great deal of attention considering its significance in cancer diagnosis. And the signal amplification plays an important role in the development of sensitive ctDNA biosensors. Herein, the nanocomposites (denoted as HAC-AuPt), integrating from high-active carbon (HAC) and AuPt alloy nanoparticles, were synthesized and subsequently used as a signal amplification label to fabricate a sandwich-type ctDNA electrochemical biosensor. Characterizations demonstrated that HAC presents uniform size distribution and AuPt alloy nanoparticles were successfully loaded on HAC. The current response could be amplified to a great extent by the resultant HAC-AuPt due to its excellent electrochemical property. The nanocomposites were further bounded with DNA signal probes (SPs) via Au-S or Pt-S assembly to form SPs-label. After the capture probes (CPs) were immobilized on the electrode surface, the target DNA (tDNA) and SPs-label were stepwise incubated on the CPs-modified electrode, thus forming a sandwich-type structure. By monitoring the catalytic signal of HAC-AuPt towards the reduction process of H2O2, this biosensor provided a wide linear range of 10−8 mol/L - 10−16 mol/L with a low detection limit of 3.6 × 10−17 mol/L (S/N = 3) for the detection of the tDNA. Furthermore, obvious differences in response signals among different DNAs were observed benefitting from the excellent selectivity of the biosensor. Besides, the long-term stability, reproducibility, and recovery rate were proved to be outstanding. These results indicate that the established biosensor holds a potential application in the clinical diagnosis of ctDNA.

An electrochemical aptasensor based on AuPt alloy nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection of amyloid-β oligomers

Amyloid-β oligomer is an important biomarker and a potential therapeutic target of Alzheimer's disease in its early stage. Here, we combined superhydrophobic carbon fiber paper (CFP) with AuPt alloy nanoparticles to prepare a CFP/AuPt nanocomposite with larger specific surface area and hydrophobic surface. On this basis, we constructed an electrochemical aptasensor based on CFP/AuPt for the ultrasensitive detection of amyloid-β oligomers. The surface-coated AuPt nanoparticles greatly enhanced the electroactive area, and the hydrophobic surface increased the resisting nonspecific adsorption performance of sensor. A combination of these two features significantly improved the sensitivity and specificity of the sensor. This electrochemical aptasensor based on CFP/AuPt displayed a low detection limit of 0.16 pg/mL. This work shows a promising future in clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and provides a possible solution to electrochemical biosensors that are susceptible to interference in biological fluids.

Au‐Promoted Pt nanoparticles supported on MgO/SBA‐15 as an efficient catalyst for selective oxidation of glycerol

AbstractA systematic study of Au‐promoted and unpromoted Pt/MgO/SBA‐15 catalyst is developed to separate the promoter effect from electron transfer effect between Au and Pt. Multi‐characterizations revealed that Au and Pt metals in these bimetallic catalysts mainly exist in the form of alloy, and the main role of Au is to reduce the size of AuPt alloy nanoparticles, thus enhancing the adsorption and activation of intermediate products. Through the optimization of various factors (including MgO content, Au/Pt molar ratio, reaction temperature and time), the Au1Pt2/MgO/SBA‐15 (0.05) catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity and glyceric acid selectivity for the selective oxidation of glycerol. Density functional theory calculation confirmed that the synergistic effect between Pt and Au active sites could facilitate the oxidation of primary hydroxyl group by promoting the activation of CH bond and the oxidation of aldehyde group. The results may give insights on designing effective Pt based bimetallic catalyst for selective oxidation of glycerol.

Improved photocatalytic degradation and reduction performance of Bi2O3 by the decoration of AuPt alloy nanoparticles

Abstract In this work, AuPt alloy nanoparticles were attached onto the surface of Bi2O3 particles to obtain AuPt/Bi2O3 composite. The existence of AuPt bimetallic alloy and their homogeneous distribution on Bi2O3 surface were fully confirmed by XPS characterization and HRTEM observation. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of noble metals was detected using Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic degradation and reduction ability of products were estimated using Acid orange 7 (AO7), phenol and Cr(VI) as the target reactant under simulated sunlight irradiation, indicating that AuPt/Bi2O3 composite possesses remarkable higher photocatalytic activity compared with bare, Au and Pt decorated Bi2O3. In addition, AuPt/Bi2O3 composite is proved to be a stable photocatalysts. The effective separation and migration of photoinduced electrons and holes in AuPt/Bi2O3 sample is demonstrated employing electrochemical and photoluminescence detection. The AuPt/Bi2O3 composite not only has suitable schottky barrier height for trapping the photogenerated charges but also exhibits surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, which leads to enhanced photocatalytic activity.