Photoacoustic spectra of Au quantum dots adsorbed on nanostructured TiO2 electrodes together with the photoelectrochemical current characteristics

The optical absorption of Au quantum dots (QDs) was studied by applying the photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopic technique, which is useful for optically opaque samples. The characteristic bands of Au QDs were observed at around 2.4 eV for electrodes consisting of 15 nm TiO2 nanoparticles and at around 2.3 eV for those consisting of 37 nm ones, which correspond to the characteristic surface plasmon resonance bands in the visible region. The electrode thickness dependence of the PA signal intensity around the characteristic band showed a tendency toward saturation in both cases. There was a great difference in the saturation characteristics of the PA signal intensity between the electrodes made with different sized TiO2 nanoparticles, even though the preparation conditions for the Au QDs were the same. The saturation time for electrodes made with 37 nm TiO2 nanoparticles was shorter than those made with 15 nm particles, indicating that the penetration of the QDs into the electrodes made with 37 nm nanoparticles was less than those made with 15 nm nanoparticles, although the porous area observed was high. Also, the PA signal intensity around the peak of electrodes with 15 nm nanoparticles is larger than that with 37 nm ones, indicating a higher adsorption rate for the smaller nanoparticles due to the lower surface activation energy of larger nanoparticles. There was no photoelectrochemical current response although the characteristic optical absorption bands of the Au QDs were observed by surface plasmon resonance