Abstract
Titanium oxide nanopowder (TiO(2) NPs) was synthesized via anodization in 0.7 M perchloric acid then annealed in nitrogen at 450 °C for 3 h to prepared the Titanium Oxide Nitrogen annealed nanoparticles (TiO(2) NPs-N(2)) powder as catalytic support. Using a photodeposition process, gold was added with isopropanol as a sacrificial donor and H[AuCl(4)] acid, producing gold nanoparticles on nitrogen-annealed titanium oxide nanoparticles (Au-NPs on TiO(2)-NPs-N(2)). The mass loading of Au NPs was 2.86 × 10(-4) (g/cm(2)). TEM images of Au NPs on TiO(2)-NPs-N(2) suggest circular particles with a tendency to agglomerate. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to investigate the electrocatalytic performance of the Au NPs/TiO(2)-NPs-N(2) catalysts in ferrocyanide, KOH, and H(2)SO(4), and the results were compared to those of a polycrystalline Au electrode that is readily accessible in the market. In KOH, H(2)SO(4), and (2 M KOH + 0.1 M glycerol) solutions, the Au NPs/TiO(2)-NPs-N(2) electrode displayed a startlingly high electrocatalytic performance. Using CV, the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of Au NPs/TiO(2)-NPs-N(2) and Au-NPs against glycerol oxidation in basic media was studied. The results indicated that Au NPs/TiO(2)-NPs-N(2) is a promising support material for improving the electrocatalytic activity for acidic and basic oxidation. The electrode made of Au NPs/TiO(2)-NTs-N(2) has steady electrocatalytic activity and may be reused repeatedly. TiO(2) NPs and Au NPs/TiO(2)NPs-N(2) showed satisfactory antibacterial activity against some human pathogenic bacteria using the disc diffusion method.