Boosting visible light photocatalytic oxidation of CO using Au nanocatalysts through synergistic preparation of an Fe-doped TiO2 support and cold plasma treatment†

TiO₂-supported Au nanocatalysts are highly attractive for visible light photocatalysis owing to their efficient surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and superior intrinsic catalytic activity. The prevailing strategies to prepare high-performance plasmonic Au/TiO₂ include constructing highly active Au–TiO₂ interfaces by modulating the electronic and geometric properties of Au nanoparticles or the TiO₂ support. Herein, we report a synergism of an Fe-doped TiO₂ (Fe@TiO₂) support and cold plasma treatment for the preparation of an Au/Fe@TiO₂–P catalyst, enabling this Au nanocatalyst to outperform samples fabricated via classical methods for the visible light photocatalytic oxidation of CO. The key to this collaborative preparation is treating the Au species on Fe@TiO₂ derived from hydrothermal synthesis with cold plasma, which constructs large numbers of Au–Fe@TiO₂ interfaces by generating unique interactions between Au nanoparticles and the support. The Au/Fe@TiO₂–P catalyst features high dispersion of Au and abundant surface oxygen species, thus accelerating the visible light photocatalytic oxidation of CO along the hot-electron transfer reaction pathway. This investigation demonstrates a promising approach to design and construct high-performance supported Au nanocatalysts for visible light photocatalysis.