1Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, AMET University, Chennai
2Professor and Head of Department Department of Chemistry, AMET University, Chennai
Online published on 24 October, 2017.
Two types of gold-supported TiO2 catalysts (anatase and rutile) were prepared using a deposition precipitation method, and their photocatalytic activity towards CO2 reduction was tested in the gas phase using H2O as an electron donor and a xenon lamp as the energy sources. The crystal structures were verified using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the loaded Au nano-particles (NPs) had no effect on the surface structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to evaluate the photoreduction products. CO and CH4 were the major products detected in the bare rutile and anatase TiO2, respectively. It was observed that the deposition of Au NPs on the TiO2 catalyst surface (anatase and rutile) quantitatively enhances the reduction of CO2 to methane (major product). Relative CH4 production efficiencies following 2–5 h of irradiation were 5.2 for Au/TiO2 anatase, 5.0 for Au/TiO2 rutile, 1.7 for TiO2 anatase and 1.0 for TiO2 rutile. The CH4/CO production ratios following 2–5 h of irradiation were 18.7 for Au/TiO2 anatase, 3.8 for Au/TiO2 rutile, 6.0 for TiO2 anatase and 1.1 for TiO2 rutile. Based on these results, it can be inferred that CH4 production was enhanced by Au loading independent of the crystal structure of TiO2, and the CH4 production ratio was dependent on the crystal structure of TiO2.
Nano Particles, Crystal Structure, FTIR, SEM and employed them in the fabrication of Au/TiO2
