Title :
A study of morphology and Optical properties of nano engineered (Au/Cu/ TiO2) composites
Author :
Gondal, M.A. ; Rashid, S.G. ; Dastageer, M.A. ; Khalil, A. ; Zubair, S.M. ; Ali, M.A. ; Lienhard, J.H. ; McKinley, G.H. ; Varanasi, K.K.
Author_Institution :
Phys. Dept., King Fahd Univ. of Pet. & Miner., Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Abstract :
Gold and Copper tailored titania (Au/Cu/TiO2) nanocomposites were synthesized by a modified sol gel method and their morphology and optical properties were studied using various techniques. XRD patterns confirmed the presence of pure anatase phase of TiO2, and an enhanced visible response was found in the absorption spectrum of gold modified Cu/TiO2 and Au/Cu/TiO2 nanocomposites. These doped nanoparticles exhibited low photoluminescence emission intensity which is better for enhancement of photocatalytic activity as discussed. In addition, qausi-spherical morphology of nanoparticles was observed in Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) images. These nano-engineered materials could be applied in various applications such as energy harvesting surfaces like solar cells, hydrogen production using water splitting, CO2 conversion into value added products like methanol for fuel cells, waste water treatment by degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants and disinfection of water, and last not least as optical sensors.
Keywords :
X-ray diffraction; catalysis; copper; crystallites; field emission electron microscopy; gold; nanocomposites; nanofabrication; nanoparticles; photochemistry; photoluminescence; scanning electron microscopy; semiconductor materials; sol-gel processing; titanium compounds; visible spectra; Au-Cu-TiO2; FESEM; X-ray diffraction; XRD; carbon oxide conversion; energy harvesting surface; field emission scanning electron microscopy; fuel cells; gold-copper tailored titania nanocomposites; hydrogen production; inorganic pollutant degradation; low-photoluminescence emission intensity; material doped nanoparticles; methanol; nanocrystallites; nanoengineered composites; optical properties; optical sensors; organic degradation; photocatalytic activity; qausispherical morphology; sol-gel method; solar cells; titanium oxide anatase phase; visible absorption spectra; waste water treatment; water disinfection; water splitting; Chemical sensors; Gold; Indexes; Nanocomposites; Sensors; Sol-gel technique; Titania based nanocomposites; gold modification; photoluminescence;
Conference_Titel :
High Capacity Optical Networks and Enabling Technologies (HONET), 2012 9th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Istanbul
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4673-2891-3
DOI :
10.1109/HONET.2012.6421454
