In-Situ Growth of Au on KTaO3 Sub-Micron Cubes via Wet Chemical Approach for Enhanced Photodegradation of p-Nitrophenol

KTaO3/Au hetero-nanostructures were synthesized by in-situ reduction of HAuCl4on the surface of hydrothermally-grown KTaO3sub-micron cubes. The concentration of Au source was found to be a critical factor in controlling the hetero-nucleation of Au nanoparticles on the surface of KTaO3sub-micron cubes. Loading of Au particles on KTaO3nanocrystals enriched KTaO3additional UV-vis absorption in the visible light region. Both KTaO3and KTaO3/Au nanocrystals were shown to be active in the photo-degradation of p-nitrophenol, while the loading of Au on KTaO3clearly improved the photo-degradation efficiency of p-nitrophenol compared to that on bare KTaO3nanocrystals, probably due to the improved light absorption and charge separation.Keywords:in-situ synthesis;KTaO3/Au hetero-nanostructures;concentration of Au source;photo-degradation of p-nitrophenol