Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposites comprising of Ag clusters on TiO 2 nanocrystal surfaces are of great significance in catalysts and advanced functional materials. Herein a novel method to synthesize Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposites with Ag clusters under 2 nm on TiO 2 nanocrystal surfaces have been developed. The success of this method relies on a silver mirror reaction in toluene, which refers to the reduction of silver-dodecylamine complexes by acetaldehyde in the presence of mono-dispersed TiO 2 nanocrystals. The prepared Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposites have been characterized by FT-IR spectra, UV–vis absorption spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, ultra high resolution scanning electron microscope (Ultra-HRSEM), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). Catalytic activity of Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposites is evaluated for the reduction of p -nitrophenol (4-NP) into p -aminophenol (4-AP) by NaBH 4 . Results demonstrate that Ag/TiO 2 nanocomposites have shown an outstanding catalytic activity as well as a good stability in successive reduction of 4-NP. Noticeably, TOF of Ag/TiO 2 -0.75 nanocomposites obtained in this work is the highest among Ag based catalysts previously reported.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a rapid and promising detection technique for trace molecules. A central goal of research in this area is to achieve the highly sensitive detection of molecules built on a systematic understanding of enhancement mechanisms. Herein, we develop a Ag cluster@rGO composite nanostructure, which utilizes strong molecular adsorption to achieve ultrahigh SERS sensitivity. Ag clusters are prepared without additional reducing agents, leaving a low carbon footprint in the fabrication process. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations show strong electromagnetic field enhancements generated at the edges and interstices of Ag clusters due to the specificity of their structure. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations show that the HOMO–LUMO energy gap value is significantly reduced when Ag cluster@rGO forms a composite system with the target molecule, which enables efficient charge transfer between the substrate and molecules, resulting in charge transfer enhancement. A detection limit of 10−14 M using our substrate can be achieved for the environmental pollutant dye rhodamine 6G (Rh6G). The detection limits of bisphenol A (BPA) and its derivatives reach nanomolar levels with good signal stability. More importantly, we demonstrate the ability to rapidly screen BPA migration in Chinese Baijiu. Our SERS platform can be further developed for environmental pollution control and food safety.