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Title: Light induced coarsening of metal nanoparticles

Abstract

We report a novel metal particle coarsening mechanism that is controlled by exposure of the substrate to light. Pt nanoparticles on TiO2 are observed to undergo enhanced coarsening during light illumination under conditions associated with photocatalytic water splitting. The average Pt particle size changed from 1.7 to 2.1 nm over 12 hours of photoreaction conditions whereas control experiments in the dark showed no change in Pt particle size. The coarsening is thermodynamically driven by the Gibbs–Thompson effect but is kinetically controlled by photon illumination conditions. These effects accelerate electron transport between particles on the substrate of differing sizes and dramatically increase the rate of Ostwald ripening. This enhanced coarsening mechanism will operate in other metal particle systems supported on semiconductors which harvest light and inject electrons into the conduction band. The kinetic rate of ripening is related to the degree to which the substrate conductivity and photovoltage is enhance during light illumination.

Authors:
 [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1610771
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1509745
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0004954
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Materials Chemistry. A
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 7; Journal Issue: 19; Journal ID: ISSN 2050-7488
Publisher:
Royal Society of Chemistry
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; Chemistry; Energy & Fuels; Materials Science

Citation Formats

Zhang, Liuxian, Liu, Qianlang, and Crozier, Peter A. Light induced coarsening of metal nanoparticles. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1039/c8ta11341f.
Zhang, Liuxian, Liu, Qianlang, & Crozier, Peter A. Light induced coarsening of metal nanoparticles. United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ta11341f
Zhang, Liuxian, Liu, Qianlang, and Crozier, Peter A. 2019. "Light induced coarsening of metal nanoparticles". United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ta11341f. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1610771.
@article{osti_1610771,
title = {Light induced coarsening of metal nanoparticles},
author = {Zhang, Liuxian and Liu, Qianlang and Crozier, Peter A.},
abstractNote = {We report a novel metal particle coarsening mechanism that is controlled by exposure of the substrate to light. Pt nanoparticles on TiO2 are observed to undergo enhanced coarsening during light illumination under conditions associated with photocatalytic water splitting. The average Pt particle size changed from 1.7 to 2.1 nm over 12 hours of photoreaction conditions whereas control experiments in the dark showed no change in Pt particle size. The coarsening is thermodynamically driven by the Gibbs–Thompson effect but is kinetically controlled by photon illumination conditions. These effects accelerate electron transport between particles on the substrate of differing sizes and dramatically increase the rate of Ostwald ripening. This enhanced coarsening mechanism will operate in other metal particle systems supported on semiconductors which harvest light and inject electrons into the conduction band. The kinetic rate of ripening is related to the degree to which the substrate conductivity and photovoltage is enhance during light illumination.},
doi = {10.1039/c8ta11341f},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1610771}, journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry. A},
issn = {2050-7488},
number = 19,
volume = 7,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Apr 19 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Fri Apr 19 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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Cited by: 7 works
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