The fascinating particle size dependence to the physical, photophysical, and chemical properties of gold has motivated thousands of studies focused on exploring the ability of supported gold nanoparticles to catalyze chemical transformations. In particular, titanium dioxide-supported gold (Au/TiO₂) nanoparticles may provide the right combination of electronic structure, structural dynamics, and stability to affect catalysis in important practical applications from environmental remediation to selective hydrogenation to carbon monoxide oxidation. Harnessing the full potential of Au/TiO₂ will require a detailed atomic-scale understanding of the thermal and photolytic processes that accompany chemical conversion. This review describes some of the unique properties exhibited by particulate gold before delving into how those properties affect chemistry on titania supports. Particular attention is given first to thermally driven reactions on single crystal system. This review then addresses nanoparticulate samples in an effort begin to bridge the so-called materials gap. Building on the foundation provided by the large body of work in the field of thermal catalysis, the review describes new research into light-driven catalysis on Au/TiO₂. Importantly, the reader should bear in mind throughout this review that thermal chemistry and thermal effects typically accompany photochemistry. Distinguishing between thermally-driven stages of a reaction and photo-induced steps remains a significant challenge, but one that experimentalists and theorists are beginning to decipher with new approaches. Finally, a summary of several state-of-the-art studies describes how they are illuminating new frontiers in the quest to exploit Au/TiO₂ as an efficient catalyst and low-energy photocatalyst.

引人入胜的粒径对金的物理，光物理和化学性质的依赖性已激发了成千上万的研究，这些研究专注于探索负载型金纳米粒子催化化学转化的能力。特别地，二氧化钛负载的金（Au / TiO ₂）纳米粒子可以提供重要的实际应用中电子结构，结构动力学和稳定性的正确组合，以影响从环境修复到选择性加氢到一氧化碳氧化的重要实际应用中的催化作用。利用Au / TiO ₂的全部潜力将需要对伴随化学转化的热和光解过程有详细的原子尺度理解。这篇综述描述了颗粒状金所表现出的一些独特性质，然后研究了这些性质如何影响二氧化钛载体上的化学性质。首先要特别注意单晶系统上的热驱动反应。然后，本综述着眼于纳米颗粒样品，以期努力弥合所谓的材料差距。综述基于热催化领域大量工作的基础，该综述描述了光驱动催化Au / TiO _2的新研究。重要的是，读者应牢记在整个评论中，热化学和热效应通常伴随光化学。在反应的热驱动阶段和光诱导步骤之间进行区分仍然是一项重大挑战，但是实验学家和理论家正在开始用新方法破译这一难题。最后，对一些最新研究的总结描述了它们如何在探索利用Au / TiO ₂作为有效催化剂和低能耗光催化剂的新领域中发挥作用。