Switched photocurrent direction in photoelectrodes is a very interesting phenomenon and has demonstrated their potentials in important applications including photodiodes, phototransistors, light-driven sensors and biosensors. However, the design and mechanism understanding of such photoelectrodes remain challenging to date. Here we report a new phenomenon of sequence-driven the photocurrent dir...

The low quantum yields and lack of visible light utilization hinder the practical application of TiO2 in high-performance photocatalysis. Herein, we present a design of TiO2 nanopillar arrays (NPAs) decorated with both Au and Pt nanoparticles (NPs) directly synthesized through successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) at room temperature. Au/Pt NPs with sizes of ~4 nm are well-disper...

Here, using the (Au/TiO2)-catalyzed reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol as a probe reaction, a catalysis/SERS bifunctional composite fabricated by uniformly dispersing catalysis-active Au nanoclusters (∼2 nm) on a SERS-active TiO2 photonic microarray was successfully applied to the non-plasmonic SERS self-monitoring of a catalytic reaction for the first time, which is superiorly sensitive and interf...

Au-TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by chemical deposition of gold nanoparticles onto TiO2 nanocolloids that were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Transmission electron microscopic measurements showed that the TiO2 colloids exhibited an average diameter of about 5 nm and clearly defined lattice fringes that were consistent with those of anatase TiO2 and formed rather large agglomerates th...

Recent advances in synthetic materials sciences such as the incorporation of self-assembly, sol–gel, and layer-by-layer deposition chemistry have afforded the development of many interesting and potentially useful nanostructures. Among those, nanoarchitectures in which a core nanoparticle, often a transition metal, is encapsulated by an outer layer of a second material, typically a porous oxide...

It has been established that gold, when in nanoparticle (NP) form and contact with reducible oxides, can promote oxidation reactions under mild conditions. Here, we report results from our exploration of the catalytic carbon monoxide using catalysts where Au NPs were combined thin titanium oxide films deposited on SBA-15 atomic layer deposition (ALD). Both orders deposition, TiO2 added either b...

Supported gold nanoparticles on titania have been prepared using the deposition-precipitation method at several pH levels. The effects of pH on gold loading, particle size and particle size distribution are studied, both below and above the isoelectric point of TiO2. The effects of adjusting the pH before and after the addition of the support to gold chloride solution are also investigated. Gol...

Particle/particle interfaces play a crucial role in the functionality and performance of nanocrystalline materials such as mesoporous metal oxide electrodes. Defects at these interfaces are known to impede charge separation via slow-down of transport and increase of charge recombination, but can be passivated via electrochemical doping (i.e., incorporation of electron/proton pairs), leading to ...

Glutathione (GSH) is vital for several functions of our human body such as neutralization of free radicals and reactive oxygen compounds, maintaining the active forms of vitamin C and E, regulation of nitric oxide cycle, iron metabolism, etc. It is also an endogenous antioxidant in most of the biological reactions. Given the importance of GSH, a simple strategy is proposed in this work to devel...

Hydrogen-etching technology was used to prepare TiO2−x nanoribbons with abundant stable surface oxygen vacancies. Compared with traditional Au-TiO2, gold supported on hydrogen-etched TiO2−x nanoribbons had been proven to be efficient and stable water–gas shift (WGS) catalysts. The disorder layer and abundant stable surface oxygen vacancies of hydrogen-etched TiO2−x nanoribbons lead to higher mi...