Electron Hopping Through Single-to-Few-Layer Graphene Oxide Films. Side-Selective Photocatalytic Deposition of Metal Nanoparticles

Single- to few-layer graphene oxide (GO) sheets have been successfully anchored onto TiO2 films using electrophoretic deposition. Upon UV illumination of TiO2–GO films, photogenerated electrons from TiO2 are captured by GO. These electrons are initially used in GO’s reduction, while additional electron transfer results in storage across its sp2 network. In the presence of silver ions, deposition of silver nanoparticles (NPs) is accomplished on the GO surface opposite the TiO2, thus confirming the ability of GO to transport electrons through its plane. Illumination-controlled reduction of silver ions allows for simple selection of particle size and loading, making these semiconductor–graphene–metal (SGM) films ideal for custom catalysis and sensor applications. Initial testing of SGM films as surface-enhanced resonance Raman (SERRS) sensors produced significant target molecule signal enhancements, enabling detection of nanomolar concentrations.