Polyhedral Pt vs. spherical Pt nanoparticles on commercial titanias: Is shape tailoring a guarantee of achieving high activity?

As shape tailoring is gaining more attention in the field of photocatalysis, exploration of the impact of noble metal (Pt) nanoparticles’ morphology on the activity of TiO2–Pt nanocomposites is inevitable. Spherical and polyhedral Pt nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical reduction, while Aldrich anatase, Aldrich rutile, and Aeroxide P25 were used as base photocatalysts. The nanocomposites were analyzed using DRS, XRD, and HRTEM to uncover morphological, optical, and structural peculiarities of the composite photocatalysts. The importance of the Pt nanoparticles’ geometry was proven at three levels: (i) UV light-driven photodegradation of three model pollutants: phenol, methyl orange, and oxalic acid; (ii) the primary degradation intermediates’ evolution profile in the case of phenol degradation; and (iii) photocatalytic H2 production.