Multifunctional nanostructures of Au–Bi2O3 fractals for CO2 reduction and optical sensing. Issue 22 (26th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tran-Phu, Thanh; Daiyan, Rahman; Fusco, Zelio; Ma, Zhipeng; Rahim, Lina Raihana Abd; Kiy, Alexander; Kluth, Patrick; Guo, Xuyun; Zhu, Ye; Chen, Hongjun; Amal, Rose; Tricoli, Antonio
• Is Part Of: Journal of materials chemistry. Volume 8:Issue 22(2020)
• Page Start: 11233
• Page End: 11245
• Publication Date: 2020-05-26
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Analytic -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d0ta01723j
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-7488

Abstract

Abstract : Three-dimensional (3D) fractal structure of Au–Bi2 O3 is fabricated and shows excellent multifunctional performance towards CO2 reduction and optical gas sensing. Abstract : The development of nanomaterials with multifunctional properties presents a viable business case for potential scale-up of nanomaterial fabrication. Hence, the design and engineering of structures as well as tuning of active sites are crucial in generating multifunctional properties in nanomaterials. In this regard, we demonstrate a three-dimensional (3D) fractal structure of Au–Bi2 O3 with a fractal dimension ( D f ) of ≈ 1.80, which is obtained from the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement and through the box counting algorithm. The fractal structures, fabricated via a one-step direct synthesis, gives a homogeneous distribution of catalytically active nanocrystals Au and Bi2 O3 on a 3D platform with a large active surface area, resulting in a strong enhancement of its localized electric field. Therefore, when applied as a catalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction reactions (CO2 RR) and optical gas sensing, the material displays an excellent performance. Specifically, the fractal structure exhibits a high selectivity towards the formation of formate, achieving a very high faradaic efficiency of 97% and high mass-specific formate current density of −54 mA mg −1 at −1.1 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Similarly, this structure displayed a plasmonic shift as high as ∼5 nm for 4 vol% acetone sensing with a detection limit of 100 ppm towards different volatile organic compounds (VOCs).