Issue 10, 2011

Site-specific growth of Au particles on ZnO nanopyramids under ultraviolet illumination

Abstract

In this work, wurtzite ZnO nanocrystals with unique “pyramid” morphology were firstly prepared viasolvothermal synthesis. It was determined that the ZnO nanopyramids are grown along the polar c-axis with the vertexes pointing to the [001] direction. When the mixture of ZnO nanopyramids and Au precursor (HAuCl4) was exposed to ultraviolet (UV) illumination, Au particles were site-specifically formed on the vertexes of ZnO nanopyramids. The obtained Au/ZnO nanocomposite showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity as compared to the bare ZnO nanopyramids. First-principles based calculations well explained the formation of ZnO nanopyramids as well as the site-specific growth of Au, and revealed that during the photocatalysis process the Au particles can accommodate photoelectrons and thus facilitate the charge separation.

Graphical abstract: Site-specific growth of Au particles on ZnO nanopyramids under ultraviolet illumination

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Jun 2011
Accepted
22 Jul 2011
First published
24 Aug 2011

Nanoscale, 2011,3, 4195-4200

Site-specific growth of Au particles on ZnO nanopyramids under ultraviolet illumination

K. X. Yao, X. Liu, L. Zhao, H. C. Zeng and Y. Han, Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 4195 DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10685F

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