Understanding Photocatalytic Metallization of Preadsorbed Ionic Gold on Titania, Ceria, and Zirconia

A nonaqueous photodeposition procedure for forming Au nanoparticles on semiconducting supports (TiO2, CeO2, and ZrO2) was investigated. Intrinsic excitation of the support was sufficient to induce Au0 nucleation, without the need for an organic hole-scavenging species. Photoreduction rates were higher over TiO2 and ZrO2 than over CeO2, likely due to a lower rate of photogenerated electron recombination. Illumination resulted in metallization of the adsorbed Au species and formation of crystalline Au nanoparticles dispersed across the oxide surfaces. On the basis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) evidence of a strong Au particle−metal oxide interaction, it is proposed that Au deposit formation proceeds via the nucleation of highly dispersed clusters which can diffuse and amalgamate at room temperature to form larger surface-defect-immobilized clusters, with the final particle size being significantly smaller than that achieved by conventional aqueous photodeposition. From this work, it is possible ...