Interfacial band alignment for photocatalytic charge separation in TiO2 nanotube arrays coated with CuPt nanoparticles

Abstract

n-Type anatase-phase one-dimensional TiO₂ nanostructure arrays coated with nanoparticles of Cu or CuPt have emerged as high performance photocatalysts for both photooxidation and photoreduction. The properties of the catalyst-promoter interface are recognized to be critical to this high performance but are largely unknown. Using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS/UPS), we probed the electronic properties of the CuPt–TiO₂ interface in transparent TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TTNTAs) coated with photodeposited CuPt nanoparticles (CuPt–TTNTA hybrids) as well as those coated with sputtered CuPt (Sput-CuPt–TTNTA hybrids). XPS and UPS spectra provided the evidence of a Schottky barrier with a band-bending of 0.49–0.67 eV at the CuPt–TiO₂ interface in CuPt–TTNTA hybrids due to which photoexcited electrons are expected to be retained in the TiO₂ while photoexcited holes will be collected by the CuPt nanoparticles. For Sput-CuPt–TTNTA hybrids, no such band-bending was observed. These results point to the importance of the metal nanoparticle preparation technique on interfacial band-alignments and challenge the conventional understanding of the promoting action of noble metal nanoparticles on TiO₂ photocatalysts as sinks for photoexcited electrons.