| Summary: | Radial heteromesocrystals consisting of anisotropic SnO2(head)-TiO2(tail) nanorods with heteroepitaxial junction were synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction using SnO2 nanocrystals as the seeds. The heteromesocrystals exhibit photocatalytic activity for aerobic partial oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde much higher than radial TiO2 homomesocrystals. The striking photocatalytic activity of the former can stem from efficient light harvesting by multiple light scattering, effective charge separation by the one-directional electron transport through the TiO2 NR followed by the subsequent smooth interfacial electron transfer to SnO2, and electrocatalytic activity of SnO2 for two-electron oxygen reduction reaction.
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