Photoemission investigations on nanostructured TiO2 grown by cluster assembling

Nanostructured titanium dioxide (ns-TiO₂) films were grown by supersonic cluster beam deposition method. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that films are mainly composed by TiO₂ nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous TiO₂ phase while their electronic structure was studied by photoemission spectroscopy. The cluster assembled ns-TiO₂ films are expected to exhibit several structural and chemical defects owing to the large surface to volume ratio of the deposited clusters. Ultraviolet photoemission spectra (hv = 50 eV) from the valence band unveil the presence of a restrained amount of surface Ti 3d defect states in the band gap, whereas Ti 2p core level X-ray photoelectron (hv = 630 eV) spectra do not manifestly disclose these defects.     

Resonant-photoemission identification of the valence states of NiPS3

We monitored the resonant behavior of the Ni d satellite peaks in the valence band photoemission spectra of NiPS₃ at photon energies immediately below and immediately above the Ni3p threshold. The observed resonance gives an unequivocal identification of the satellite peaks and of the corresponding main Ni d features. The study of the electronic structure of this material and of the related compounds FePS₃ and HgPS₃ was extended to unoccupied states by means of partial-yield synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy.     

Magnéli相亚氧化钛Ti8O15的电子结构和光学性能的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的平面波超软赝势法研究了Magnéli相亚氧化钛Ti₈O₁₅的电子结构和光学性能. 计算出的能带结构显示Ti₈O₁₅相比锐钛型TiO₂禁带宽度大幅度降低. 态密度分析表明, 其原因在于Ti₈O₁₅的O原子的2p轨道以及Ti原子的3p, 3d轨道相对于TiO₂的相应轨道向左产生了偏移, 同时由于O原子的缺失使得Ti原子的3d, 3p轨道多余电子在Fermi能级附近聚集形成新的电子能级. 态密度分析结果还显示, 相对于TiO₂, Ti₈O₁₅ Fermi能级附近电子格局发生了如下变化: O原子的2p轨道电子贡献减少, Ti原子的3d轨道的电子对Fermi能级贡献增大. 光吸收计算图谱表明, TiO₂仅在紫外光区有较高的光吸收能力, 而Ti₈O₁₅由于禁带宽度变窄引起光吸收范围红移到可见光区, 从而在紫外光区和可见光区都有较高的光吸收能力, 计算结果与实验得到的紫外-可见漫反射吸收光谱结果一致. 关键词： 第一性原理 8O₁₅')" href="#">Magnéli相亚氧化钛Ti₈O₁₅ 电子结构 光学性能     

Electronic structure of Ga1−xCrxN investigated by photoemission spectroscopy

We have obtained the Cr 3d-like energy states, which located in the band gap of GaN by means of resonant photoemission spectroscopy. In the difference spectrum between the valence band photoemission spectra of non-doped GaN and that of the Ga_0.937Cr_0.063N, we observed the new energy state, in band gap, consists of Cr 3d-like and N 2p-like component by strong hybridization.     

Analysis of electronic structures of 3d transition metal-doped TiO2 based on band calculations

The electronic structures of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) doped with 3d transition metals (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni) have been analyzed by ab initio band calculations based on the density functional theory with the full-potential linearized-augmented-plane-wave method. When TiO₂ is doped with V, Cr, Mn, Fe, or Co, an electron occupied level occurs and the electrons are localized around each dopant. As the atomic number of the dopant increases the localized level shifts to lower energy. The energy of the localized level due to Co is sufficiently low to lie at the top of the valence band while the other metals produce midgap states. In contrast, the electrons from the Ni dopant are somewhat delocalized, thus significantly contributing to the formation of the valence band with the O p and Ti 3d electrons. Based on a comparison with the absorption and photoconductivity data previously reported, we show that the t_2g state of the dopant plays a significant role in the photoresponse of TiO₂ under visible light irradiation.     

Electronic properties of anatase TiO2 doped by lanthanides: A DFT+U study

The effects of mono-doping of 4f lanthanides with and without oxygen vacancy defect on the electronic structures of anatase TiO₂ have been studied by first-principles calculations with DFT+U (DFT with Hubbard U correction) to treat the strong correlation of Ti 3d electrons and lanthanides 4f electrons. Our results revealed that dopant Ce is easy to incorporate into the TiO₂ host by substituting Ti due to its lower substitutional energy (∼−2.0 eV), but the band gap of the system almost keeps intact after doping. The Ce 4f states are located at the bottom of conduction band, which mainly originates from Ti 3d states. The magnetic moment of doped Ce disappears due to electron transfer from Ce to the nearest O atoms. For Pr and Gd doping, their substitutional energies are similar and close to zero, indicating that both of them may also incorporate into the TiO₂ host. For Pr doping, some 4f spin-down states are located next to the bottom of the conduction band and narrow the band gap of the doping system. However, for Gd doping, the 4f states are located in deep valence band and there is no intermediate band in the band gap. The magnetic moment of dopant Gd is close to the value of isolated Gd atom (∼7 μB), indicating no overlapping between Gd 4f with other orbitals. For Eu, it is hard to incorporate into the TiO₂ host due to its very higher substitutional energy. The results also indicated that oxygen vacancy defect may enhance the adsorption of the visible light in Ln-doped TiO₂ system.     

Study of the interactions between the overlayer and the substrate in the early stages of palladium growth on TiO2(1 1 0)

The interaction between palladium and the (1 1 0) surface of a TiO₂ single crystal and the electronic properties of the system were studied by means of photoelectron spectroscopy (core levels and valence band) and resonant photoemission for Pd coverage in the sub- and monolayer range. We performed the metal depositions at room temperature. Similarly to copper, platinum and rhodium, palladium does not reduce titanium, has metallic character already from a quite early deposition, grows with a 3D-island mode and the interactions between palladium and TiO₂ are very weak. Annealing treatments at 400 °C provoke a change in the morphology of the palladium clusters and the formation of islands characterized by a higher ratio between volume and area in contact with the substrate.     

S掺杂对锐钛矿相TiO2电子结构与光催化性能的影响

采用基于第一性原理的平面波超软赝势方法研究了掺杂不同价态S的锐钛矿相TiO₂的晶体结构、杂质形成能、电子结构及光学性质.计算结果表明硫在掺杂体系中的存在形态与实验中的制备条件有关;掺杂后晶格发生畸变、原子间的键长及原子的电荷量也发生了变化,导致晶体中的八面体偶极矩增大; S 3p态与O 2p态、Ti 3d态杂化而使导带位置下移、价带位置上移及价带宽化,从而导致TiO₂的禁带宽度变窄、光吸收曲线红移到可见光区.这些结果很好地解释了S掺杂锐钛矿相TiO₂在可见光下具有优良的光催化性能的内在原因.根据计算结果分析比较了硫以不同离子价态掺杂对锐钛矿相TiO₂电子结构和光催化性能影响的差别. 关键词： 2')" href="#">锐钛矿相TiO₂ S掺杂 第一性原理 光催化性能     

N掺杂锐钛矿TiO2电子结构的第一性原理研究

为了研究N掺杂对锐钛矿型TiO₂电子结构的影响，进而揭示N掺杂导致锐钛矿型TiO₂的禁带宽度变小的机理，对N掺杂TiO₂进行了基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理研究. 通过对能带、态密度及电子分布密度图的分析，发现在N掺杂后，N原子与Ti原子在导带区，发生了强烈的相互关联作用，致使Ti原子3d轨道上的电子向N原子2p轨道发生移动，使得导带降低了，从而使得TiO₂导带的禁带宽度变小.理论预测可以发生红移现象，与实验结果对比分析，理论与实验基本相符. 关键词： N掺杂 2')" href="#">锐钛矿型TiO₂ 电子结构     

A first-principles study of the effect of oxygen vacancy on rutile Ti1−xCdxO2

A first-principles study has been performed to understand the effect of oxygen vacancy on the electronic properties of cadmium doped rutile TiO₂. We observe that Cd incorporation on rutile TiO₂ induces Cd p-states on the top of the valence band which is consistent with an earlier result of Zhang et al. (2008) [5]. Furthermore, by creating an oxygen vacancy, some new states are induced, which originate from the Ti 3d electrons at the middle of the band gap and spread up to the conduction band. Therefore, the band gap of the material reduces significantly, making it suitable to act as a better photocatalyst.     

Resonant photoemission spectroscopy study of electronic structures of LiMn2O4

The valence-band resonant photoemission spectra (RPES) of LiMn₂O₄ have been measured throughout the Mn3p absorption edge. Based on the RPES data, the contribution of Mn3d states to the valence band of LiMn₂O₄ has been described and, consequently, the detailed hybridization between O2p and Mn3d states in the valence-band was determined.     

Electronic structure and optical properties of LaNiO3: First-principles calculations

Using a first-principles method, we investigate the electronic structure and optical properties of rhombohedral LaNiO₃. The total density of states shows that there is no band gap and bulk LaNiO₃ is metallic. There is a strong hybridization between Ni and O orbits near the Fermi level, suggesting that the metallic nature of LaNiO₃ mainly originates from Ni 3d states and La atoms have no noticeable contribution to this. The absorption coefficient of LaNiO₃ is one order of magnitude less than that of nickel in the lower energy region (0–5 eV), and the interband optical transitions are mainly derived from O 2p and Ni 3d states. In reflectivity spectrum of LaNiO₃, there are three main reflectance peaks located at 0 eV, 15.6 eV and 22.9 eV, respectively. In the visible–ultraviolet energy range, the reflectivity of LaNiO₃ remarkably decreases with the increasing photon energy and the value is always smaller than that of nickel in the region.     

Defects at the TiO2(1 0 0) surface probed by resonant photoelectron diffraction

We report photoelectron diffraction (PED) experiments of weakly sub-stoichiometric TiO₂(1 0 0) rutile surfaces. Apart from standard core-level PED from the Ti-2p3/2 line, we have studied valence band PED from the defect induced Ti-3d states in the insulating band gap. For maximum yield, the latter were resonantly excited at the Ti-2p absorption edge. The PED patterns have been analyzed within the forward scattering approximation as well as by comparison with simulated PED patterns obtained in multiple scattering calculations. The analysis shows that the defect induced Ti-3d charge is mainly located on the second layer Ti atoms.     

An investigation by angular resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) in the Pt/TiO2 system

Angular resolved XPS measurements were performed on platinum particles deposited on the TiO₂ (100) surface. High temperature reduction at 733 K in hydrogen at atmospheric pressure caused the appearance of lower binding energy states in the titanium 2p region. These states corresponded to the formation of Ti²⁺ and Ti³⁺ ions on the surface. From the angular dependencies of the relative intensities of the Ti 2p and Pt 4f peaks, it appeared that the reduced Ti species were located in the outermost surface region, on the surface of the Pt particles.     

Electronic properties of Au nano-particles supported on stoichiometric and reduced TiO2(1 1 0) substrates

Growth modes and electronic properties were analyzed for Au nano-particles grown on stoichiometric and reduced TiO₂(1 1 0) substrates by medium energy ion scattering (MEIS) and photoelectron spectroscopy(PES) using synchrotron-radiation-light. Initially, two-dimensional islands (2D) with a height of one and two atomic layers grow and higher coverage increases the islands height to form three-dimensional (3D) islands for the stoichiometric TiO₂(1 1 0) substrate. In contrast, 3D islands start to grow from initial stage with a small Au coverage (?0.1 ML, 1 ML = 1.39 × 10¹⁵  atoms/cm²: Au(1 1 1)) probably due to O-vacancies acting as a nucleation site. Above 0.7 ML, all the islands become 3D ones taking a shape of a partial sphere and the Au clusters change to metal for both substrates. We observed the Au 4f and Ti 3p core level shifts together with the valence band spectra. The Ti 3p peak for the O-deficient surface shifts to higher binding energy by 0.25 ± 0.05 eV compared to that for the stoichiometric surface, indicating downward band bending by an electron charge transfer from an O-vacancy induced surface state band to n-type TiO₂ substrate. Higher binding energy shifts of Au 4f peaks observed for both substrates reveal an electron charge transfer from Au to TiO₂ substrates. The work functions of Au nano-particles supported on the stoichiometric and reduced TiO₂ substrates were also determined as a function of Au coverage and explained clearly by the above surface and interface dipoles.     

Coherent and Incoherent Excitations of Electron-Doped SrTiO3

Resonant photoemission at the Ti 2p and O 1s edges on a Nb-doped SrTiO(3) thin film revealed that the coherent state (CS) at the Fermi level (E(F)) had a mainly Ti 3d character whereas the incoherent in-gap state (IGS) positioned approximately 1.5 eV below E(F) had a mixed character of Ti 3d and O 2p states. This indicates that the IGS is formed by a spectral-weight transfer from the CS and subsequent spectral-weight redistribution through d-p hybridization. We discuss the evolution of the excitation spectrum with 3d band filling and rationalize the IGS through a mechanism similar to that proposed by Haldane and Anderson.     

A first-principles calculation on the electronic properties of Si/N-codoped TiO2

To deeply understand the effects of Si/N-codoping on the electronic structures of TiO₂ and confirm their photocatalytic performance, a comparison theoretical study of their energetic and electronic properties was carried out involving single N-doping, single Si-doping and three models of Si/N-codoping based on first-principles. As for N-doped TiO₂, an isolated N 2p state locates above the top of valence band and mixes with O 2p states, resulting in band gap narrowing. However, the unoccupied N 2p state acts as electrons traps to promote the electron-hole recombination. Using Si-doping, the band gap has a decrease of 0.24 eV and the valence band broadens about 0.30 eV. These two factors cause a better performance of photocatalyst. The special Si/N-codoped TiO₂ model with one O atom replaced by a N atom and its adjacent Ti atom replaced by a Si atom, has the smallest defect formation energy in three codoping models, suggesting the model is the most energetic favorable. The calculated energy results also indicate that the Si incorporation increases the N concentration in Si/N-codoped TiO₂. This model obtains the most narrowed band gap of 1.63 eV in comparison with the other two models. The dopant states hybridize with O 2p states, leading to the valence band broadening and then improving the mobility of photo-generated hole; the N 2p states are occupied simultaneously. The significantly narrowed band gap and the absence of recombination center can give a reasonable explanation for the high photocatalytic activity under visible light.     

YNi4Cu: XPS measurements and electronic structure calculation

The valence band and the core levels of the YNi₄Cu compound are studied using the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The valence band is compared with the theoretical calculation by the spin-polarized Tight Binding Linear Muffin Tin Orbital method. The dominance of the Ni 3d and Cu 3d states down to 5 eV below the Fermi level is found. The modification of the bands’ widths and positions can be well explained by the d–d repulsion model. The Ni 2p and Y 3d peaks resemble the results for pure metals.     

Surface state of TiO2 treated with low ion energy plasma

The effect of low pressure radio frequency (rf) plasma treatment on TiO₂ surface states has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Three different oxidation states of oxygen in untreated TiO₂ powder were observed, which suggests the existence of adsorbed water and carbon on the surface. The ratio of oxygen to titanium (O/Ti) was decreased for the low ion dose plasma treated samples due to desorption of water from the surface. In the case of Ti 2p about 20% of surface states were converted to Ti³⁺ 2p_3/2 state after plasma treatment with a very good stability, whereas untreated TiO₂ remained mostly as Ti⁴⁺ state. A rapid decrease in the ratio of carbon to titanium (C/Ti) at TiO₂ surface was also observed after plasma treatment and more than 90% of carbon atoms were removed from the surface. Therefore, the plasma treatment of TiO₂ has advantages to surface carbon cleaning, increasing O⁻ and Ti³⁺ surface states, hence improving the activity of TiO₂ for different environmental, energy and biological applications.