Visible light-induced photocatalytic reaction of gold-modified titanium(IV) oxide particles: action spectrum analysis.

Action spectrum analyses showed that visible light-induced oxidation of 2-propanol by aerated gold-modified titanium(IV) oxide (titania) suspensions is initiated by excitation of gold surface plasmon, and polychromatic irradiation experiments revealed that the photocatalytic reaction rate depends strongly on properties of titania, such as particle size, surface area and crystalline form (anatase or rutile) and on properties of gold deposits, such as size and shape.