Small Change, Big Difference: Photoelectrochemical Behavior of Au Nanocluster-Sensitized TiO2Altered by Core Restructuring

Junghyun Lee, Malenahalli H. Naveen, Jein Park, Kyunglim Pyo, Hahkjoon Kim, Dongil Lee, Jin Ho Bang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ultrasmall gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) have recently gained enormous popularity as a newly emerging light harvester, but many fundamental aspects of their photoelectrochemical behavior are still largely unknown. Unlike traditional photoactive nanoparticles, the NC's core structure, rather than its size, is a key factor that dictates the physical properties of NCs because of a strong quantum confinement effect. Despite this importance, no effort has been made to elucidate the effect of the core structure on the photoelectrochemistry of Au NC-sensitized TiO2 (Au NC-TiO2). Using Au25 NC as a model system, we delicately tailored the icosahedral Au13 core of Au25 NC into a cuboctahedral Au15 core of Au23 NC. This subtle core manipulation has a drastic impact on the entire interfacial behavior of Au NC-TiO2, which in turn significantly affects the photoelectrochemical performance. This new insight highlights the overlooked effect of the core structure on the photoelectrochemistry of Au NC-TiO2.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2305-2312
Number of pages8
JournalACS Energy Letters
Volume6
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021 Jun 11

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Chemical Society.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Chemistry (miscellaneous)
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Fuel Technology
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Materials Chemistry

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