Gold-embedded fabrication of three-dimensional ordered macroporous TiO2 via in-situ pyrolysis for enhanced photocatalysis

Based on the three-dimensional ordered macroporous titanium dioxide (3DOM-TiO 2 ), a series of gold-embedded 3DOM-TiO 2 ( n Au@3DOM-TiO 2 ) with controlled Au loading amount ( n  = 0.24, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8, 12, and 24 wt%) was successfully fabricated via in-situ pyrolysis for the first time. Compared with the surface-modified Au/3DOM-TiO 2 by traditional impregnation–reduction route, this body-doped Au@3DOM-TiO 2 structure exhibited smaller particle size and better dispersive property which are important for photocatalysis. Therefore, the photocatalytic activities of n Au@3DOM-TiO 2 have been tested and the optimized photocatalyst of 4.8Au@3DOM-TiO 2 was identified. A possible mechanism of Au@3DOM-TiO 2 for the enhanced photoactivity was well discussed. The present work demonstrated a unique “gold-embedded” interface with potential advantages of highly dispersed, anti-aggregation, easy recovery, and enhanced catalytic performance, and that this approach could provide an ideal platform for the further design of noble metal-doped semiconductors.