AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Surface Science Tuesday Sessions
       Session SS+NS-TuA

Paper SS+NS-TuA4
Catalytic Activity of Gold-supported TiO2 Nanocrystals Towards Simple Alcohols

Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 3:00 pm, Room 21

Session: Reactivity of Size and Shape Selected Nanoparticles
Presenter: D.V. Potapenko, Columbia University
Authors: D.V. Potapenko, Columbia University
Z. Li, Columbia University
Y. Lou, Columbia University
R.M. Osgood, Columbia University
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Titanium oxide is a versatile photocatalytic material and it has been the subject of much research throughout the last two decades. Nanostructuring is one approach for tailoring the properties of a catalyst. Previously we have developed a method of preparation of structurally homogenous TiO2 nanocrystals on Au(111) substrate through oxidation of Ti-Au surface alloy. In this work we explore catalytic properties of the nanocrystals through a series of temperature programmed desorption (TPD) studies with simple alcohols: ethanol and 2-propanol. Similarly to the single crystal TiO2 rutile(110) surface, TiO2 nanocrystals on Au(111) catalyze dehydrogenation of ethanol and 2-propanol into ethylene and propene. Dehydrogenation was observed in a wide range of temperatures from 400 to 550 K, which is lower than the temperature of the corresponding reaction on rutile(110). More interestingly, we have observed formation of acetone from 2-propanol on our TiO2/Au(111) surface at around 450 K; this reaction was not observed on rutile(110). The reactivity patterns of TiO2/Au(111) show strong dependence on geometry and structure of the nanocrystals.