Title of the paper: Photoelectrocatalytic Performance of a Titania-Keggin Type Polyoxometalate-Gold Nanocomposite Modified Electrode towards Methanol Oxidation.
Authors: C.Pandiyarajan, A.Pandikumar, R.Ramaraj
University/Institute: Centre for Photoelectrochemistry, School of Chemistry, Madurai Kamaraj University
Abstracts:
Aminosilicate sol–gel supported titania–keggin type polyoxometalate–gold nanocomposite materials (APS/(P25–PTA–Au)NCM) (APS, (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane; P25, Degussa-TiO2; PTA, Na3PW12O40⋅xH2O) were prepared by a simple chemical reduction method and characterized by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. The as-prepared APS/(P25-PTA-Au)NCM was used to fabricate the photoelectrode for a photoelectrochemical cell. The photoelectrocatalytic activity of the APS/(P25–PTA–Au)NCM modified photoelectrode in methanol oxidation was investigated. The APS/(P25-PTA-Au)NCM modified photoelectrode showed a higher photocurrent for methanol oxidation than control photoelectrodes. The modification of titania using PTA and Au nanoparticles significantly boosted the photoelectrocatalytic performance by a synergistic effect and thus improved the interfacial charge transfer processes. The presence of Au nanoparticles enhances the interfacial electron transfer process. The APS silicate sol–gel matrix acts as a very good support material for the preparation of the nanocomposite material and for preparation of the chemically modified electrode. This newly fabricated APS/(P25–PTA–Au)NCM modified photoelectrode could be a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical cells.
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