[Size effect of Pt nanoparticles: a study of properties of Pt loaded TiO2 thin film]

TiO2 thin films loaded with Pt nanoparticles of different sizes were prepared. The sizes of the Pt nanoparticles were measured by TEM. The TiO2 thin films were characterized using XRD, UV-Vis and photocurrent measurement. The photocatalytic activities of the films were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under UV radiation. With the same molar quantity of loaded platinum, the properties of Pt loaded thin films were affected directly by the sizes of platinum nanoparticles, and showed strong size effect. When the particle size was 5 nm, the photocurrent and photocatalytic activity reached the maximum.