Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the surface structure of oxide and metal-decorated oxide particles

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the surface structure and the photoreactivity of individual TiO2 crystallites with high spatial resolution. The photochemical reduction of Ag and Au salts to metals in aqueous solutions was used to generate Ag/TiO2 and Au/TiO2 catalysts with uniform, nanoscale metal particles. The effect of the titania crystal structure on the photodeposition was examined using rutile and anatase TiO2 crystallites. AFM can probe in situ both the metal deposition reactions and the surface structure of metal-decorated oxide particles. The distribution of the metal particles on individual TiO2 crystallites was not random. The concentration of metal particles was higher on certain crystallographic orientations, grain boundaries and surface defects. These methods can be used to define structure/activity relationships and investigate potential methods for manipulating the performance of TiO2-based catalysts and photocatalysts.

Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study the surface structure of oxide and metal-decorated oxide particles Conference Paper