Janus Au-TiO2 photocatalysts with strong localization of plasmonic near-fields for efficient visible-light hydrogen generation.

ABSTRACT

The first use of non-centrosymmetric Janus Au-TiO(2) photocatalysts in efficient, plasmon-enhanced visible-light hydrogen generation is demonstrated. The intense localization of plasmonic near-fields close to the Au-TiO(2) interface, coupled with optical transitions involving localized electronic states in amorphous TiO(2) brings about enhanced optical absorption and the generation of electron-hole pairs for photocatalysis.