EPR investigation of TiO2 nanoparticles with temperature-dependent properties

An in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study has been carried out for anatase (Hombikat UV100) and rutile TiO(2) nanoparticles at liquid helium (He) temperature (4.2 K) under UV irradiation. Rutile titania was synthesized by ultrasonic irradiation with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl(4)) as the precursor. XRD and Raman results evidence the crystallinity of titania phases. The nature of trapped electrons and holes has been investigated by EPR spectroscopy under air and vacuum conditions. Illumination of TiO(2) powder (anatase and rutile) at 4.2 K resulted in the detection of electrons being trapped at Ti(4+) sites within the bulk and holes trapped at lattice oxide ions at the surface. The stability of electron traps was very sensitive to temperature in both phases of TiO(2). The annealing kinetics of the EPR detected radicals has been studied from 4.2 K to ambient temperature and also for calcined titania particles from 523 to 1273 K.     

Light-induced charge separation in anatase TiO2 particles

Ultraviolet light-induced electron-hole pair excitations in anatase TiO(2) powders were studied by a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy measurements. During continuous UV irradiation in the mW.cm(-2) range, photogenerated electrons are either trapped at localized sites, giving paramagnetic Ti(3+) centers, or remain in the conduction band as EPR silent species which may be observed by their IR absorption. Using low temperatures (90 K) to reduce the rate of the electron-hole recombination processes, trapped electrons and conduction band electrons exhibit lifetimes of hours. The EPR-detected holes produced by photoexcitation are O(-) species, produced from lattice O(2-) ions. It is found that under high vacuum conditions, the major fraction of photoexcited electrons remains in the conduction band. At 298 K, all stable hole and electron states are lost from TiO(2). Defect sites produced by oxygen removal during annealing of anatase TiO(2) are found to produce a Ti(3+) EPR spectrum identical to that of trapped electrons, which originate from photoexcitation of oxidized TiO(2). Efficient electron scavenging by adsorbed O(2) at 140 K is found to produce two long-lived O(2)(-) surface species associated with different cation surface sites. Reduced TiO(2), produced by annealing in vacuum, has been shown to be less efficient in hole trapping than oxidized TiO(2).     

Calculation of vibronic couplings for phenoxyl/phenol and benzyl/toluene self-exchange reactions: implications for proton-coupled electron transfer mechanisms

The vibronic couplings for the phenoxyl/phenol and the benzyl/toluene self-exchange reactions are calculated with a semiclassical approach, in which all electrons and the transferring hydrogen nucleus are treated quantum mechanically. In this formulation, the vibronic coupling is the Hamiltonian matrix element between the reactant and product mixed electronic-proton vibrational wavefunctions. The magnitude of the vibronic coupling and its dependence on the proton donor-acceptor distance can significantly impact the rates and kinetic isotope effects, as well as the temperature dependences, of proton-coupled electron transfer reactions. Both of these self-exchange reactions are vibronically nonadiabatic with respect to a solvent environment at room temperature, but the proton tunneling is electronically nonadiabatic for the phenoxyl/phenol reaction and electronically adiabatic for the benzyl/toluene reaction. For the phenoxyl/phenol system, the electrons are unable to rearrange fast enough to follow the proton motion on the electronically adiabatic ground state, and the excited electronic state is involved in the reaction. For the benzyl/toluene system, the electrons can respond virtually instantaneously to the proton motion, and the proton moves on the electronically adiabatic ground state. For both systems, the vibronic coupling decreases exponentially with the proton donor-acceptor distance for the range of distances studied. When the transferring hydrogen is replaced with deuterium, the magnitude of the vibronic coupling decreases and the exponential decay with distance becomes faster. Previous studies designated the phenoxyl/phenol reaction as proton-coupled electron transfer and the benzyl/toluene reaction as hydrogen atom transfer. In addition to providing insights into the fundamental physical differences between these two types of reactions, the present analysis provides a new diagnostic for differentiating between the conventionally defined hydrogen atom transfer and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions.     

掺Sn的纳米TiO2表面光致电荷分离及光催化活性

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了不同掺Sn量的TiO₂纳米粒子, 主要利用表面光电压谱(SPS)和光致发光光谱(PL)对样品进行了表征, 并通过光催化降解苯酚实验来评估样品活性. 重点考察了热处理温度和掺Sn量对样品表面光生载流子的分离及光催化活性的影响, 并探讨了Sn使TiO₂纳米粒子改性的机制. 结果表明, 在适当温度处理下, 适量Sn的掺入能够有效促进TiO₂纳米粒子表面光生载流子的分离, 以至于使其光催化活性得到显著提高.     

Substituent effects on the vibronic coupling for the phenoxyl/phenol self-exchange reaction

The impact of substituents on the vibronic coupling for the phenoxyl/phenol self-exchange reaction, which occurs by a proton-coupled electron transfer mechanism, is investigated. The vibronic couplings are calculated with a grid-based nonadiabatic method and a nuclear-electronic orbital nonorthogonal configuration interaction method. The quantitative agreement between these two methods for the unsubstituted phenoxyl/phenol system and the qualitative agreement in the predicted trends for the substituted phenoxyl/phenol systems provides a level of validation for both methods. Analysis of the results indicates that electron-donating groups enhance the vibronic coupling, while electron-withdrawing groups attenuate the vibronic coupling. Thus, if all other aspects of the reaction are the same, then electron-donating groups will increase the rate, while electron-withdrawing groups will decrease the rate. Correlations between the vibronic coupling and physical properties of the phenol are also analyzed. Negative Hammett constants correspond to higher vibronic couplings, while positive Hammett constants correspond to similar or slightly lower vibronic couplings relative to the unsubstituted phenoxyl/phenol system. In addition, lower bond dissociation enthalpies, ionization potentials, and redox potentials, as well as higher pKa values, tend to correspond to higher vibronic couplings relative to the unsubstituted phenoxyl/phenol system. The observed trends enable the prediction of the impact of general substituents on the vibronic coupling, and hence the rate, for the phenoxyl/phenol self-exchange reaction. The fundamental physical insights obtained from these studies are applicable to other proton-coupled electron transfer systems.     

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles heavily doped with niobium: A light-induced electron paramagnetic resonance study

Light-induced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of titanium dioxide nanoparticles heavily doped with niobium(v) are studied. At low temperatures, the EPR signal caused by interband illumination is associated with paramagnetic Ti³⁺ sites in anatase, which, as the temperature rises above 210 K, are discharged to the non-paramagnetic Ti⁴⁺ state due to the escape of trapped photoelectrons and their recombination with holes. The temperature dependence of the integral EPR signal has a non-Curie character, especially in the temperature range where the discharge of Ti³⁺ centers is already significant.     

The absorption spectra of the phenoxyl radical in solid argon

Vacuum ultraviolet photolysis of phenol, phenol-d₆ and anisole during condensation with excess argon at 20 K has produced and trapped the phenoxyl radical as evidenced by structured absorptions at 397.2 and 628.1 nm. A broad photosensitive 416 ± 2 nm band is tentatively assigned to the phenol cation.     

Low temperature kinetics and energetics of the electron and hole traps in irradiated TiO2 nanoparticles as revealed by EPR spectroscopy

We have monitored exclusively the dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers trapping in deep traps and trapped electron-hole recombination in UV irradiated anatase TiO2 powders by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at 10 K. The results reveal that the strategy of using low temperatures contributes to the stabilization of the charged pair states for hours by reducing the rate of electron-hole recombination processes. Since only the localized states such as holes trapped at oxygen anions and electrons trapped at coordinatively unsaturated cations are accessible to EPR spectroscopy, the time-dependent population and depopulation of these EPR signals reflect the kinetics and energetics of these trap states. The data support a model of sequential accumulation of deep trap site populations in which the initial fast direct trapping into a deep trap site is followed by slower carrier trap-to-trap hopping until a deep trap is encountered for both photogenerated electrons and holes. Effective modeling of the subsequent decay of trapped-holes is achieved by employing a first-order kinetics, whereas the decay of either surface- or inner-trapped electrons has both a fast and a slow component. The fast component is attributed to a trapped-electron and a free-hole recombination, and the slow component is attributed to trapped electron-hole recombination. The activation energies for the process of diffusion of trapped electrons from their Ti3+ trapping sites are estimated.     

Highly active TiO2N photocatalysts prepared by treating TiO2 precursors in NH3/ethanol fluid under supercritical conditions

N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by pretreating the TiO2 precursor in NH3/ethanol fluid under supercritical conditions, denoted as TiO2N(SC). In contrast to the TiO2N(DC), obtained via direct calcination in which the N dopants were mainly present in the form of surface adsorbed NH3 molecules, most N dopants in the TiO2N(SC) were present in O-Ti-N and N-Ti-N nitrides, as confirmed by either the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and or the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. During liquid-phase oxidative degradation of phenol under irradiation with UV light characteristic of 365 nm, the TiO2N(SC) exhibited much higher activity than either the TiO2N(DC) or the TiO2(SC), i.e., the undoped TiO2 obtained under SCs. According to various characterizations including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, FTIR, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, XPS, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, the higher activity of the TiO2N(SC) could be attributed to its higher surface area, larger pore volume, well-crystallized anatase, and stronger absorbance of light with longer wavelength. Meanwhile, the OH species resulted from the nitridation of TiO2 could supply more HO* radicals, which were considered as powerful oxidants during phenol degradation. Furthermore, the electron-deficient nitrogen atoms in O-Ti-N nitrides could also account for the higher activity since it could inhibit the recombination between the photoinduced electrons and holes by capturing the photoinduced electrons. The activity of the TiO2N(SC) first increased and then decreased with the increase of the N-content. The TiO2N(SC)-1 with N/Ti molar ratio of 1.73% exhibited maximum activity, which was even much higher than P-25.     

Free-radical pathways in the decomposition of ketones over polycrystalline TiO(2): the role of organoperoxy radicals.

The oxidative decomposition of various ketones (including acetone, 2-butanone, 4-heptanone, cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone) over dehydrated TiO(2) (P25) powder is investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. For the first time, a series of thermally unstable radical intermediates are observed both on the activated and reduced TiO(2) surface, depending on the adopted experimental conditions. These radical intermediates are identified as organoperoxy-based species of general formula ROO(.-) and RCO(3) (.-). They are formed by reaction of photogenerated charge carriers (either trapped electrons or trapped holes) with the adsorbed ketones in the presence of molecular oxygen. The organoperoxy intermediates are thermally unstable and decompose at temperatures in the region of 180-250 K. This work demonstrates that free-radical pathways involving both organoperoxy and superoxide radicals can be responsible for the thermal- and photodecomposition of ketones over polycrystalline TiO(2) (P25).     

Kinetic and DFT studies on the Ag/TiO2-photocatalyzed selective reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline.

TiO2 particles loaded with silver nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 1.5 nm exhibit a high photocatalytic activity (84 % conversion after 1 h irradiation) for the reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline with 100 % selectivity in the presence of CH3OH (concentration=100 mM). High-resolution transmission electron microscopic studies of Pt-photodeposited Ag/TiO2 demonstrate that the Ag nanoparticles act as reduction sites in the photocatalytic reaction. Both spectroscopic measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that nitrobenzene is selectively adsorbed onto the Ag surfaces of Ag/TiO2 via partial electron transfer from Ag to nitrobenzene, whereas the interaction between aniline and Ag/TiO2 is weak. The kinetic analysis indicates that the recombination between the electrons flowing into the Ag nanoparticle and the holes left in the TiO2 valence band is significantly suppressed, particularly in the presence of CH3OH. The high activity and selectivity in the present Ag/TiO2-photocatalyzed reduction are rationalized in terms of the charge separation efficiency, the selective adsorption of the reactants on the catalyst surfaces, and the restriction of the product readsorption.     

Complex and charge transfer between TiO2 and pyrroloquinoline quinone

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) forms a tridentate complex with coordinatively unsaturated titanium atoms on the surface of approximately 4.5 nm TiO2 particles; an association constant of K = 550 M-1 per Ti(IV)surf has been determined. Low-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance was employed in identification of localized charges and consequently produced radicals and in determination of charge-transfer processes. The photoexcitation of the PQQ-TiO2 complex results in the transfer of conduction band electrons from TiO2 to bound PQQ and the formation of the semiquinone radical. Attaching dopamine (DA) as an electron donor and PQQ as an electron acceptor on the surface of TiO2 results in spatial separation of photogenerated charges; the holes localize on dopamine and electrons on PQQ, with higher yields than for each component separately. In this triad-type assembly (PQQ-TiO2/DA) the PQQ that is bound to the particles acts as a sink for electrons allowing their almost complete scavenging even at temperature as low as 4 K.     

高纯纳米氧化钛的制备及催化活性

以工业级硫酸钛为原料,在酸性环境下以EDTA作为络合剂,采用控制沉淀法制备高纯度纳米TiO2。考察了pH值、反应温度、煅烧温度等工艺条件对TiO2颗粒晶型、大小和分布影响。利用TEM、XRD、ICP等手段对产物进行表征,TiO2纯度超过99.9%,粒径为10-20nm,分布均匀。经过对其光催化降解苯酚反应活性实验,结果表明样品具有较好的光催化活性。     

掺杂Ce的TiO_2纳米粒子的光致光及其光催化活性

采用sol-gel法制备了纯的和掺杂不同量Ce的TiO_2纳米粒子，并利用XRD， TEM，BET，XPS和PL光谱对样品进行表征，主要考察焙烧温度和含量对掺杂Ce的 TiO_2纳米粒子性质以及光催化降解苯酚活性的影响，并探讨了Ce的掺杂对TiO_2相 变的作用机制以及PL光谱与光催化活性的关系，结果表明，掺杂的Ce~(4+)没有进 入到TiO_2晶格中，而是以小团簇的CeO_2化学态均匀地弥散在TiO_2纳米粒子中， 这可能导致了Ce的掺杂对TiO_2的相变有很大的抑制作用；Ce的掺杂没有引起新的 光致发光现象，而适量Ce的掺杂能够降低TiO_2纳米粒子PL光谱的强度，这是因为 掺杂的Ce~(4+)易于捕获光生电子而生成Ce~(3+);600℃处理的掺杂Ce的TiO_2纳米 粒子表现出较高的光催化活性，这说明600℃是比较合适的焙烧温度，而掺杂不同 量的Ce的TiO_2样品的光催化活性顺序是：3 mol%＞4 mol%＞2 mol%＞5 mol%＞1 mol%＞0 mol%，这与它们的PL光谱强度的顺序是相反的，即PL光谱强度越低，其 光催化活性越高，这说明PL光谱与其光催化活性间有着必然的联系，这是因为掺杂 剂Ce~(4+)能够捕获光生电子，在光致发光过程中使PL光谱强度下降，而在光催化 反应过程中使有机污染物加快氧化。     

Recombination pathways in the Degussa P25 formulation of TiO2: surface versus lattice mechanisms

Charge migration between electron trapping sites within the mixed-phase titania photocatalyst Degussa P25 has been studied. In addition to previously described lattice electron trapping sites on both anatase and rutile phases, surface electron trapping sites and an anatase-rutile interface trapping site specific to Degussa P25 are identified. The relationship between these sites and recombination with surface hole trapping sites is also determined. It is experimentally shown that upon band-gap illumination holes appear at the surface and preferentially recombine with electrons in surface trapping sites. These findings indicate that in mixed-phase TiO2, such as Degussa P25, photogenerated holes are trapped exclusively on the particle surface, while photogenerated electrons are trapped within the nanoparticle lattice. Recombination reactions are dominated by surface reactions that follow charge migration. These findings indicate that, in mixed-phase TiO(2), such as Degussa P25, a random flight mechanism of recombination predominates. Such knowledge simplifies the mechanistic mathematical models used for process design and points the way for improving future oxidative titania catalysts.     

Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles on the Au(111) surface

The growth of titanium oxide nanoparticles on reconstructed Au(111) was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ti was deposited by physical-vapor deposition at 300 K. Regular arrays of titanium nanoparticles form by preferential nucleation of Ti at the elbow sites of the herringbone reconstruction. The titanium oxide nanoclusters were synthesized by subsequent exposure to O(2) at 300 K. Two-and three-dimensional titanium oxide nanocrystallites form during annealing in the temperature range from 600 to 900 K. At the same time, the Au(111) surface assumes a serrated 110-oriented step-edge morphology suggesting step-edge pinning by titanium oxide nanoparticles. The oxidation state of the titanium oxide nanoparticles varies with annealing temperature. Specifically, annealing to 900 K results in the formation of stoichiometric TiO(2) nanocrystals as judged by the Ti(2p) binding energies measured in the x-ray photoelectron data. The nanodispersed TiO(2) on Au(111) is an ideal system to test the various models proposed for the enhanced catalytic reactivity of supported Au nanoparticles.     

Synthesis of efficient N-containing TiO2 photocatalysts with high anatase thermal stability and the effects of the nitrogen residue on the photoinduced charge separation

Efficient N-containing TiO(2) nanoparticles with high anatase thermal stability were synthesized via a hexamethylenetetramine (HMT)-modified sol-hydrothermal process. The results showed that modification with proper amounts of HMT is effective in increasing the onset temperature of the phase transformation of TiO(2) from anatase to rutile. The enhancement of the anatase thermal stability of the modified TiO(2) was attributed to ammonia produced slowly by hydrolysis of the HMT molecules in the sol-hydrothermal process and, additionally, to the residual nitrogen species after the thermal treatment at high temperatures, as indicated by the XPS examination. Compared with the unmodified TiO(2), the modified TiO(2) obtained by a thermal treatment at high temperatures exhibited good photocatalytic performance under UV light and was found to even be superior to the commercially available P25-TiO(2). It was suggested that the residual N species (Ti-O-N), formed after the thermal treatment at high temperatures, along with the mixed phase composition, large surface area and the increase in the thermal stability, were responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of modified TiO(2). It was demonstrated, by means of the surface photovoltage responses of the modified TiO(2) in different atmospheres along with the aid of an outer electric field, that the residual N species could effectively capture the photoinduced holes, which was favorable for the effective separation of the photoinduced charges. This work provides a feasible route to fabricate high-performance TiO(2)-based functional nanomaterials with high anatase thermal stability.     

金属氧化物(Fe2O3, CuO,NiO)改性对TiO2纳米管阵列光电催化活性的增强效应

采用阳极氧化法和阴极电沉积法制备了Fe2O3,CuO和NiO纳米粒子改性的高度有序的TiO2纳米管(TiO2-NT)阵列.运用场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM),透射电子显微镜(TEM),X射线衍射(XRD)和紫外-可见漫反射光谱等手段对Fe2O3/TiO2-NT、CuO/TiO2-NT和NiO/TiO2-NT复合电极进行表征.以苯酚为模拟污染物,考察复合电极的光电性能.结果表明,金属氧化物(Fe2O3,CuO,NiO)纳米粒子成功沉积在TiO2-NTs的管口、内壁和管底.金属氧化物改性复合电极的光电催化活性比未改性的TiO2-NTs提高了2倍以上.Fe2O3/TiO2-NTs在可见光区显示出最高的吸收强度.以Fe2O3/TiO2-NTs为阳极处理苯酚废水,光照120min后苯酚去除率达到96%,而未改性的TiO2-NTs的苯酚去除率只有41%.此外,Fe2O3/TiO2-NTs在生成低毒中间产物方面表现出良好的性能.较高的复合电极光电催化活性主要是由于TiO2纳米管和过渡金属氧化物纳米粒子间构筑的高界面面积异质纳米结构,有效地促进了电子转移,抑制了光生电子-空穴对的复合.     

掺杂Cu的TiO2纳米粒子的制备、表征及其光催化活性

采用Sol-gel法制备了纯的和掺杂不同量Cu的TiO2纳米粒子,并用TG-DTA,XRD,XPS,UV-Vis和荧光光谱对样品进行了表征,考察焙烧温度和Cu含量对TiO2纳米粒子的性质及光催化活性的影响,初步探讨了Cu的掺杂对TiO2相变的作用机制及样品荧光光谱与光催化活性的关系.结果表明,Cu2+的掺杂对TiO2的相变有很大的促进作用,并使其光谱响应范围向可见光区拓展.Cu的掺杂未引起新的荧光现象,但适量Cu的掺杂能够降低TiO2纳米粒子的荧光强度.此外,在光催化降解苯酚的实验中,于500℃处理的掺杂Cu的TiO2纳米粒子的光催化活性较高,与表征结果一致.而掺杂不同量Cu的TiO2的光催化活性顺序与样品荧光光谱强度的顺序相反,即荧光光谱强度越低,其光催化活性越高.     

Time-domain ab initio study of charge relaxation and recombination in dye-sensitized TiO2

In order to investigate the electron dynamics at the alizarin/I2-/TiO2 interface this study uses a novel state-of-the-art quantum-classical approach that combines time-dependent density functional theory with surface hopping in the Kohn-Sham basis. Representing the dye-sensitized semiconductor Gr?tzel cell with the I-/I3- mediator, the system addresses the problems of an organic/inorganic, molecule/bulk interface that are commonly encountered in molecular electronics, photovoltaics, and photoelectrochemistry. The processes studied include the relaxation of the injected electron inside the TiO2 conduction band (CB), the back electron transfer (ET) from TiO2 to alizarin, the ET from the surface to the electrolyte, and the regeneration of the neutral chromophore by ET from the electrolyte to alizarin. Developing a theoretical understanding of these processes is crucial for improving solar cell design and optimizing photovoltaic current and voltage. The simulations carried out for the entire system that contains many electronic states reproduce the experimental time scales and provide detailed insights into the ET dynamics. In particular, they demonstrate the differences between the optimized geometric and electronic structure of the system at 0 K and the experimentally relevant structure at ambient temperature. The relaxation of the injected electron inside the TiO2 CB, which affects the solar cell voltage, is shown to occur on a 100 fs time scale and occurs simultaneously with the electron delocalization into the semiconductor bulk. The transfer of the electron trapped at the surface to the ground state of alizarin proceeds on a 1 ps time scale and is facilitated by vibrational modes localized on alizarin. If the electrolyte mediator is capable of approaching the semiconductor surface, it can form a stable complex and short-circuit the cell by accepting the photoexcited electron on a subpicosecond time scale. The ET from TiO2 to both alizarin and the electrolyte diminishes the solar cell current. Finally, the simulations show that the electrolyte can efficiently regenerate the neutral chromophore. This is true even though the two species do not form a chemical bond and, therefore, the electronic coupling between them is weaker than in the TiO2-chromophore and TiO2-electrolyte donor-acceptor pairs. The chromophore-electrolyte coupling can occur both directly through space and indirectly through bonding to the semiconductor surface. The ET events involving the electrolyte are promoted primarily by the electrolyte vibrational modes.