Preparation of Pt-TiO2 composite particles by alcohol reduction method and their photocatalytic activities

Pt-TiO2 composite particles were prepared by the alcohol reduction method in aqueous PVP solution and their photocatalytic performances for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye were investigated. The organosilane compound was used as a connecting agent between TiO2 and Pt nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that the Pt-TiO2 composite particles contained Ti, N, and Pt, and these results indicated that Pt nanoparticles were formed on the surface of TiO2 particles. X-ray diffraction data showed that the Pt-TiO2 composite particles had only the characteristic diffraction peaks of TiO2 anatase structure. Pt-TiO2 composite particles exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than bare TiO2 particles for the degradation of MB. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) of Korea for the Center for Next Generation Dye-sensitized Solar Cells (No. 2012-0000591)