Activating the Plasmonic Effect of Gold Nano-Stars through CNFs-Based on Explosive Reactions for Employing Light-Driven Processes for Water Purification
摘要
The development of photo-active nanomaterials has garnered extensive attention from the international scientific societies in the discovery of effective photocatalysts for removing pollution from water using light. This target is undertaken in the current research employing explosive processes for accelerating the plasmonic effect of gold nano-stars to produce effective photocatalysts. In the same time, well-designed and porous nano-structures are produced through this unconventional technique. Three-dimensional and porous structures based on carbon nanofibers and aluminum oxide nanoparticles were prepared and united through explosive reactions to create novel nanocomposite with high surface area 315 m2/g. The presence and homogenous distribution of carbon nanofibers and gold nano-stars were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), mapping images and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optical properties of the nanocomposite showed a clear absorbance in the visible and UV regions in addition to low band gap energy 2.5 eV. The plasmonic effect of gold nano-stars was activated through the presence of carbon nano fibers (CNFs). This activation is clear from the PL measurements of these nanocomposites with and without gold. Also, this activation led to accelerating the photocatalytic degradation of the dyes to purify water during 20 minutes of light radiation. Finally, this research proposes an exceptional technique for accelerating the plasmonic effect of gold nano-stars to design effective photocatalysts to face the international challenges of water-related problems. In addition, it introduces a new track for uniting nano-stars and nano-particles in addition to CNFs to build 3D-porous nanostructures.