Seed-Mediated Growth of Anatase TiO2 Nanocrystals with Core-Antenna Structures for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

We demonstrate that anatase TiO2 nanocrystals composed of a nanocrystal core and nanorod antennas can be produced via a nonaqueous colloidal seed-mediated growth method. Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with defined morphologies were first prepared as seeds, and then secondary anatase TiO2 nanorods were grown on the defined facets of the seeds under appropriate conditions. Systematic studies on the growth mechanism reveal that the formation of core-antenna nanocrystals involves an epitaxial growth process with specific orientational preference governed by both thermodynamic and kinetic factors. By manipulating the reaction conditions including the precursor amount and introduction rate, the epitaxial growth behavior can be well controlled. By further varying the morphology of seed nanocrystals, we have also been able to produce core-antenna anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with complex spatial configurations in a highly predictable manner. The high structural configurability and predictability offered by this seed-mediated growth method may provide great opportunities in enhancing the performance of TiO2-based nanostructures in many energy-related applications. As a demonstration, we show by simply manipulating the core-antenna structures that the photocatalytic activity of the anatase nanocrystals can be improved from the relatively less active seed nanocrystals or pure nanorods to the extent that exceeds the activity of the commercial P25 titania.