Hematite-based nanocomposites for light-activated applications: Synergistic role of TiO2 and Au introduction

•Novel plasma-assisted route to Fe2O3-TiO2-Au nanosystems on FTO substrates.•Pure nanocomposites containing α-Fe2O3, amorphous TiO2 and Au nanoparticles.•Functional tests in photoelectrochemical water splitting and self-cleaning applications.

Photo-activated processes have been widely recognized as cost-effective and environmentally friendly routes for both renewable energy generation and purification/cleaning technologies. We report herein on a plasma-assisted approach for the synthesis of Fe2O3-TiO2 nanosystems functionalized with Au nanoparticles. Fe2O3 nanostructures were grown by plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition, followed by the sequential sputtering of titanium and gold under controlled conditions, and final annealing in air. The target nanosystems were subjected to a thorough multi-technique characterization, in order to elucidate the interrelations between their chemico-physical properties and the processing conditions. Finally, the functional performances were preliminarily investigated in both sunlight-assisted H2O splitting and photocatalytic activity tests in view of self-cleaning applications. The obtained results highlight the possibility of tailoring the system behaviour and candidate the present Fe2O3-TiO2-Au nanosystems as possible multi-functional low-cost platforms for light-activated processes.

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