Au nanoparticles embedded on urchin-like TiO2 nanosphere: An efficient catalyst for dyes degradation and 4-nitrophenol reduction

Publication date: 5 May 2017
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 121
Author(s): Zheng-Hui Ren, Hai-Tao Li, Qiang Gao, Hao Wang, Bo Han, Kai-Sheng Xia, Cheng-Gang Zhou
The development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts for degrading organic pollutants or converting them into harmless and even useful products is of vital significance for environmental remediation. Herein, we reported the facile synthesis of a highly active and stable nanocatalyst (AuNPs/uTiO2) via a simple photoreduction deposition of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) on urchin-like TiO2 nanosphere (uTiO2), and demonstrated its excellent performances as a catalyst for oxidative degradation of organic dyes and reductive conversion of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). The AuNPs/uTiO2 nanocomposite showed high surface area (147.5m²·g⁻¹), large pore volume (0.52cm³·g⁻¹), and high dispersity of AuNPs. In particular, the uTiO2 support could combine AuNPs strongly and serve as a shield to prevent leaching or aggregation of AuNPs, while allowing guest organic molecules to diffuse in and out easily. Benefiting from the excellent characteristics, the AuNPs/uTiO2 exhibited superior catalytic properties for dyes degradation and 4-NP reduction with significantly higher catalytic efficiencies than many previously reported heterogeneous catalysts. Moreover, the catalytic activity of AuNPs/uTiO2 could remain almost unchanged after being recycled for several times, demonstrating its long-term stability. The AuNPs/uTiO2, combining the advantages of high activity, favorable kinetics, and excellent durability for dye degradation and 4-NP reduction, should be very promising for wastewater treatment.

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