Structural Properties and Photocatalytic Activity of TiO₂/Au Nanocomposites Synthesized with Glucose

A one‐pot synthesis of plasmonic gold‐modified TiO 2 nanocomposites is reported by using glucose reduction of HAuCl 4 in presence of titanium tetraisopropoxide. The resulting nanocomposites are characterized by thermal‐gravimetric analyses, X‐ray diffraction combined with X‐ray fluorescence and photoelectron spectroscopies. A binary system of β‐TiO 2 and anatase phases is obtained for low Au content while only anatase form is favored when the initial Au rate rises. This investigation also suggests the inclusion of gold in the TiO 2 structure. Although the optical bandgap of the different nanocomposites remains around 3 eV, the increase of Au content induces a shift of both valence and conduction edge bands to lower energy levels. The photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 /Au nanocomposites is assessed through the decolorization of different cationic and anionic dyes as model compounds. Regarding rhodamine and methylene blue dyes, the sample TiO 2 modified with 3.5 wt% of Au presents the best performance. The relation between the structure of the nanocomposites and their capacity to degrade pollutants is discussed.