h-BN nanosheets as simple and effective additives to largely enhance the activity of Au/TiO2 plasmonic photocatalysts

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2016 Jan 7;18(1):79-83. doi: 10.1039/c5cp05958e. Epub 2015 Nov 26.

Abstract

The activity of Au nanoparticle-loaded P25 TiO2 (Au/P25) plasmonic photocatalysts, evaluated by the oxidative decomposition of formic acid in water under visible light irradiation, was enhanced up to 3 times by simply mixing Au/P25 with photocatalytically inactive h-BN nanosheets as a result of electron transfer from photoexcited Au/TiO2 to the h-BN nanosheets and retardation of the charge recombination.