Scalable and stable silica-coated silver nanoparticles, produced by electron beam evaporation and rapid thermal annealing, for plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis
Amaury P. Betancourt, D. Yogi Goswami, Venkat R. Bhethanabotla, John N. Kuhn
Abstract
This study demonstrates an easy, scalable way to fabricate stable plasmonic photocatalysts for gas-phase photocatalysis. Silver nanoparticles, coated with silica for improved stability, were fabricated via electron beam evaporation and rapid thermal annealing, modeled via finite difference time domain simulations, and characterized. Catalytic performance was evaluated by monitoring total volatile organic compound concentration from toluene degradation in a gas-phase recirculating batch reactor. Results of cycled experiments demonstrate 5-fold increase in apparent quantum yield and 18% increase in reaction rate constant over TiO2. This approach may enable plasmonic photocatalysis by offering a simple, scalable fabrication method more reliable than colloidal synthesis.