Enhanced light absorption of TiO_2 in the near-ultraviolet band by Au nanoparticles

We propose a scheme to enhance near-UV band absorption of a rutile TiO(2) nanoparticle by placing Au nanoparticles in its neighborhood. The discrete-dipole approximation method was employed to calculate the absorption spectrum of pure rutile TiO(2) and that of TiO(2) mixed with Au nanoparticles. The results indicate that pure rutile TiO(2) has its maximum absorption located in the deep-UV band. With the existence of Au nanoparticles, a significant light harvesting effect occurs, and this maximum shifts to the near-UV band, where usual excitation wavelength falls.