The synthesis and kinetic growth of anisotropic silver particles loaded on TiO2 surface by photoelectrochemical reduction method

Abstract Silver nanorods with average diameters of 120–230 nm and aspect ratio of 1.7–5.0 were deposited on the surface of TiO 2 films by photoelectrochemical reduction of Ag + to Ag under UV light. The composite films prepared on soda-lime glass substrates were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that the TiO 2 film after UV irradiation in AgNO 3 solution is composed of anatase phase TiO 2 and metallic silver with face centered cubic structure. Other compounds cannot be found in the final films. The maximum deposition content of silver particles on the surface of TiO 2 film was obtained with the AgNO 3 concentration of 0.1 M. The kinetic growth rates of silver particles can be controlled by photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 films. The studies suggest that the growth rates of silver particles increase with the enhancement of photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 films. The maximum growth rate of silver particles loaded on TiO 2 films can be up to 0.353 nm min −1 among samples 1#, 2# and 3#, while the corresponding apparent rate constant of TiO 2 is 1.751 × 10 −3 min −1 .