Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Evolution: Controlled Dewetting-Dealloying to Fabricate Site-Selective High-activity Nanoporous Au Particles on Highly Ordered TiO2 Nanotube Arrays

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method to create site-specific nanoporous gold particles on TiO2 nanotubes, significantly enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen evolution by combining controlled dewetting and dealloying techniques.

Contribution

It introduces a controlled dewetting-dealloying process to fabricate high-activity nanoporous gold particles precisely on TiO2 nanotubes, improving photocatalytic efficiency.

Findings

Ordered nanoporous Au particles enhance H2 production

Crown position particles outperform ground position

Minimal noble metal usage achieves high activity

Abstract

Overlaid self-ordering processes: we form anodic self-organized TiO2 nanostumps and exploit them for self-ordering dewetting of Au-Ag sputtered films. This forms ordered particle configurations at tube top (crown position) or bottom (ground position). By dealloying we then form, from minimal amount of noble metal, porous Au nanoparticles that when in crown position allow for a drastically improved photocatalytic H2 production compared with nanoparticles produced by conventional dewetting processes.