Facet Dependence of Photochemistry of Methanol on Single Crystalline Rutile Titania

The crystal phase, morphology and facet significantly influence the catalytic and photocatalytic activity of TiO₂. In view of optimizing the performance of catalysts, extensive efforts have been devoted to designing new sophisticate TiO₂ structures with desired facet exposure, necessitating the understanding of chemical properties of individual surface. In this work, we have examined the photooxidation of methanol on TiO₂(011)-(2×1) and TiO₂(110)-(1×1) by two-photon photoemission spectroscopy (2PPE). An excited state at 2.5 eV above the Fermi level (E_F) on methanol covered (011) and (110) interface has been detected. The excited state is an indicator of reduction of TiO₂ interface. Irradiation dependence of the excited resonance signal during the photochemistry of methanol on TiO₂(011)-(2×1) and TiO₂(110)-(1×1) is ascribed to the interface reduction by producing surface hydroxyls. The reaction rate of photooxidation of methanol on TiO₂(110)-(1×1) is about 11.4 times faster than that on TiO₂(011)-(2×1), which is tentatively explained by the difference in the surface atomic configuration. This work not only provides a detailed characterization of the electronic structure of methanol/TiO₂ interface by 2PPE, but also shows the importance of the surface structure in the photoreactivity on TiO₂.     

Kinetics and Dynamics of Photocatalyzed Dissociation of Ethanol on TiO2(110) (cited: 2)

The kinetics and dynamics of photocatalyzed dissociation of ethanol on TiO₂(110) sur-face have been studied using the time-dependent and time-resolved femtosecond two-photon photoemission spectroscopy respectively, in order to unravel the photochemical properties of ethanol on this prototypical metal oxide surface. By monitoring the time evolution of the photoinduced excited state which is associated with the photocatalyzed dissociation of ethanol on Ti_5c sites of TiO₂(110), the fractal-like kinetics of this surface photocatalytic reaction has been obtained. The measured photocatalytic dissociation rate on reduced TiO₂(110) is faster than that on the oxidized surface. This is attributed to the larger defect density on the reduced surface which lowers the reaction barrier of the photocatalytic reaction at least methodologically. Possible reasons associated with the defect electrons for the acceleration have been discussed. By performing the interferometric two-pulse corre-lation on ethanol/TiO₂(110) interface, the ultrafast electron dynamics of the excited state has been measured. The analyzed lifetime (24 fs) of the excited state is similar to that on methanol/TiO₂(110). The appearance of the excited state provides a channel to mediate the electron transfer between the TiO₂ substrate and its environment. Therefore studying its ultrafast electron dynamics may lead to the understanding of the microscopic mechanism of photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical energy conversion on TiO₂.     

Cr掺杂金红石相TiO2(110)单晶薄膜的制备、表征及光催化活性

采用脉冲激光沉积术(PLD)同质外延生长了表面原子级平整的6%(原子比)Cr 掺杂的金红石相TiO₂(110)单晶薄膜, 采用扫描隧道显微镜(STM)、扫描隧道谱(STS)、X 射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外光电子能谱(UPS)对其进行了表征. 结果表明: Cr 掺杂对TiO₂(110)-(1×1)表面的形貌没有明显影响, 但是提高了掺杂薄膜在负偏压的导电性; Cr与晶格O键合而呈现+3价态, 由此在TiO₂的价带顶上方~0.4 eV处引入杂质能级. 紫外-可见光吸收谱显示薄膜的光吸收能力被扩展到~650 nm, 处于可见光范围. 借助STM以单个甲醇分子的光解反应检测了薄膜的光催化活性. 仅观察到紫外光照射下甲醇分子的脱氢反应, 在可见光照射下(λ>430 nm)甲醇分子没有发生反应, 表明单独的Cr掺杂可能不足以提高TiO₂在可见光下的催化活性.     

Photoelectron Spectroscopic Study of Methanol Adsorbed Rutile TiO2(110) Surface

Methanol/TiO₂(110) is a model system in the surface science study of photocatalysis where methanol is taken as a hole capture. However, the highest occupied molecular orbital of adsorbed methanol lies below the valence band maximum of TiO₂, preventing the hole transfer. To study the level alignment of this system, electronic structure of methanol covered TiO₂(110) surface has been measured by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and the molecular orbitals of adsorbed methanol have been clearly identified. The results indicate the weak interaction between methanol and TiO₂ substrate. The static electronic structure also suggests the mismatch of the energy levels. These static experiments have been performed without band gap excitation which is the prerequisite of a photocatalytic process. Future study of the transient electronic structure using time-resolved UPS has also been discussed.     

水对甲醇在Rutile-TiO2(110)-(1 ×1)表面光催化解离的影响简

采用程序升温脱附方法研究了甲醇分子吸附在真空退火后的二氧化钛（110）表面的光催化过程,对比分析了单独吸附甲醇分子以及甲醇分子与水分子共吸附情况下的光催化解离过程. 结果表明,在二氧化钛（110）表面吸附的甲醇分子对共吸附水分子的光催化解离过程并没有直接的帮助作用. 共吸附状态下的水分子也同样没有影响到甲醇的光致解离过程,但是水分子的存在抑制了甲醇光解产物甲醛的光致脱附过程,同时促进了甲酸甲酯的形成.     

Electron dynamics at polyacene/Au(111) interfaces

Two-photon photoemission (2PPE) spectroscopy is used to examine the excited electronic structure and dynamics at polyacene/Au(111) interfaces. Image resonances are observed in all cases (benzene, naphthalene, anthrathene, tetracene, and pentacene), as evidenced by the free-electron like dispersions in the surface plane and the dependences of these resonances on the adsorption of nonane overlayers. The binding energies and lifetimes of these resonances are similar for the five interfaces. Adsorption of nonane on top of these films pushes the electron density in the image resonance away from the metal surface, resulting in a decrease in the binding energy (-0.3 eV) and an increase in the lifetime (from <20 to approximately 110 fs). The insensitivity of the image resonances to the size of polyacene molecules and the absence of photoinduced electron transfer from the metal substrate to molecular states both suggest that the unoccupied molecular orbitals are not strongly coupled to the delocalized metal states or image potential resonances.     

A Surface Femtosecond Two-Photon Photoemission Spectrometer for Excited Electron Dynamics and Time-Dependent Photochemical Kinetics

A surface femtosecond two-photon photoemission (2PPE) spectrometer devoted to the study of ultrafast excited electron dynamics and photochemical kinetics on metal and metal oxide surfaces has been constructed. Low energy photoelectrons are measured using a hemispheri-cal electron energy analyzer with an imaging detector that allows us to detect the energy and the angular distributions of the photoelectrons simultaneously. A Mach-Zehnder interferom-eter was built for the time-resolved 2PPE (TR-2PPE) measurement to study ultrafast surface excited electron dynamics, which was demonstrated on the Cu(111) surface. A scheme for measuring time-dependent 2PPE (TD-2PPE) spectra has also been developed for studies of surface photochemistry. This technique has been applied to a preliminary study on the photochemical kinetics on ethanol/TiO₂(110). We have also shown that the ultrafast dy-namics of photoinduced surface excited resonances can be investigated in a reliable way by combining the TR-2PPE and TD-2PPE techniques.     

Active Sites for Adsorption and Reaction of Molecules on Rutile TiO2(110) and Anatase TiO2(001) Surfaces (cited: 1)

The reactivity of specific sites on rutile TiO₂(110)-(1×1) surface and anatase TiO₂(001)-(1×4) surface has been comparably studied by means of high resolution scanning tunneling microscopy. At the rutile TiO₂(110)-(1×1) surface, we find the defects of oxygen vacancy provide distinct reactivity for O₂ and CO₂ adsorption, while the terminal fivefold-coordinated Ti sites dominate the photocatalytic reactivity for H₂O and CH₃OH dissociation. At the anatase TiO₂(001)-(1×4) surface, the sixfold-coordinated terminal Ti sites at the oxidized surface seem to be inert in both O₂ and H₂O reactions, but the Ti-rich defects which introduce the Ti³⁺ state into the reduced surface are found to provide high reactivity for the reactions of O₂ and H₂O. By comparing the reactions on both rutile and anatase surfaces under similar experimental conditions, we find the reactivity of anatase TiO₂(001) is actually lower than rutile TiO₂(110), which challenges the conventional knowledge that the anatase (001) is the most reactive TiO₂ surface. Our findings could provide atomic level insights into the mechanisms of TiO₂ based catalytic and photocatalytic chemical reactions.     

Ultrafast interfacial electron transfer from the excited state of anchored molecules into a semiconductor

Ultrafast heterogeneous electron transfer (HET) from the excited singlet state of the large organic chromophore perylene into the inorganic semiconductor rutile TiO₂ was investigated with femtosecond time-resolved two-photon photoemission (TR-2PPE). The strength of the electronic interaction between the chromophore and the semiconductor was varied by inserting different anchor/bridge groups that functioned either as electronic wire or electronic tunnelling barrier. Both anchor groups, i.e. carboxylic and phosphonic acid, formed strong chemical bonds at the TiO₂ surface. The perylene chromophore with the different anchor/bridge groups was adsorbed from solution in a dedicated ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) chamber. The adsorption geometry of the chromophore perylene was determined from angle and polarization dependent two-photon photoemission (2PPE) signals and was found to be very different for the two different anchor/bridge groups. The measured adsorption geometries are compatible with recent DFT (density functional theory) calculations by P. Persson and co-workers [M. Nilsing, S. Lunell, P. Persson, L. Ojamäe, Phosphonic acid adsorption at the TiO₂ anatase (1 0 1) surface investigated by periodic hybrid HF-DFT computations, Surf. Sci. 582 (2005) 49–60]. Two different processes contributed to the TR-2PPE transients, firstly electron transfer from the chromophore to the electronic acceptor states on the surface and secondly escape of the electrons from the surface into the bulk of the semiconductor. The latter escape process was measured separately by making the interfacial electron injection process instantaneous when the chromophore catechol was employed in place of the perylene compounds. The thus measured electron escape behavior was governed by the same time constants that have recently been predicted by Prezhdo and coworkers from time dependent DFT calculations [W.R. Duncan, W.M. Stier, O.V. Prezhdo, Ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics of the ultrafast electron injection across the Alizarin-TiO₂ interface, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127 (2005) 7941–7951]. The HET times derived from the 2PPE transients showed very good agreement with HET times measured via transient absorption (TA) on anatase TiO₂ layers. The measured energy distribution of the 2PPE signals for the injected electrons suggests that a high density of electronic acceptor states is operative in both systems and is spread over an at least 1 eV wide energy range. The acceptor states are tentatively identified with surface states created through the formation of chemical bonds between the anchor groups of the organic molecules and surface atoms of the semiconductor.     

Structure and dynamics of excited electronic states at the adsorbate/metal interface: C6F6/Cu(111)

Excited state electron transfer at the adsorbate/metal interface represents a key step in molecular electronic devices. The dynamics of such processes are governed by ultrafast energy relaxation which can be probed directly by time-resolved two-photon photoemission (2PPE). Using 2PPE spectroscopy we investigate the energetics and lifetimes of the unoccupied electronic states of C6F6 adsorbed on Cu(111) as a model system for electron transfer at organic/metal interfaces. With increasing C6F6 layer thickness we find a pronounced decrease in the energetic position of the lowest unoccupied state, which is accompanied by a strong increase in its lifetime as well as a decrease in the effective electron mass. The frequently employed dielectric continuum model which describes delocalized (quantum well) states within adsorbate layers does not give a consistent explanation of these findings. By adsorption of Xe overlayers onto C6F6/Cu(111) we can show that, even for one monolayer of C6F6, the excited state must be localized predominantly inside the C6F6 layer and thus originates from a molecular state (presumably an antibonding sigma* orbital). With increasing coverage this state becomes more delocalized within the adsorbate layer, which reduces the coupling to the metal substrate and thus enhances the excited state lifetime.     

Crossed Molecular Beam Study of the F+D2(v=1, j=0) Reaction

The reaction dynamics of the fluorine atom with vibrationally excited D₂(v=1, v=0) was investigated using the crossed beam method. The scheme of stimulated Raman pumping was employed for preparation of vibrationally excited D₂ molecules. Contribution from the reaction of spin-orbit excited F^?(²P_1/2) with vibrationally excited D₂ was not found. Reaction of spin-orbit ground F(²P_3/2) with vibrationally excited D2 was measured and DF products populated in v‘=2, 3, 4, 5 were observed. Compared with the vibrationally ground reaction, DF products from the vibrationally excited reaction of F(²P_3/2)+D₂(v=1, j=0) are rotationally “hotter”. Differential cross sections at four collision energies, ranging from 0.32 kcal/mol to 2.62 kcal/mol, were obtained. Backward scattering dominates for DF products in all vibrational levels at the lowest collision energy of 0.32 kcal/mol. As the collision energy increases, angular distribution of DF products gradually shifts from backward to sideway. The collision-energy dependence of differential cross section of DF(v’=5) at forward direction was also measured. Forward-scattered signal of DF(v'=5) appears at thecollision energy of 1.0 kcal/mol, and becomes dominated at 2.62 kcal/mol.     

用分子轨道理论研究NO气体在TiO2表面吸附

根据一氧化氮(NO)气体在二氧化钛(TiO₂)表面吸附和脱附的实验结果, 揭示了气体脱附量的变化规律. 利用MOPAC 和GAUSSIAN分子轨道理论计算了在TiO₂(110)表面上吸附NO分子的原子簇模型, 电荷分布以及原子簇的能级, 推断了NO在TiO₂(110)表面吸附的稳定性.     

Electron transfer dynamics from organic adsorbate to a semiconductor surface: zinc phthalocyanine on TiO2(110)

The femtosecond time evolutions of excited states in zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPC) films and at the interface with TiO2(110) have been studied by using time-resolved two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-2PPE). The excited states are prepared in the first singlet excited state (S1) with excess vibrational energy. Two different films are examined: ultrathin (monolayer) and thick films of approximately 30 A in thickness. The decay behavior depends on the thickness of the film. In the case of the thick film, TR-2PPE spectra are dominated by the signals from ZnPC in the film. The excited states decay with tau = 118 fs mainly by intramolecular vibrational relaxation. After the excited states cascaded down to near the bottom of the S1 manifold, they decay slowly (tau = 56 ps) although the states are located at above the conduction band minimum of the bulk TiO2. The exciton migration in the thick film is the rate-determining step for the electron transfer from the film to the bulk TiO2. In the case of the ultrathin film, the contribution of electron transfer is more evident. The excited states decay faster than those in the thick film, because the electron transfer competes with the intramolecular relaxation processes. The electronic coupling with empty bands in the conduction band of TiO2 plays an important role in the electron transfer. The lower limit of the electron-transfer rate was estimated to be 1/296 fs(-1). After the excited states relax to the states whose energy is below the conduction band minimum of TiO2, they decay much more slowly because the electron-transfer channel is not available for these states.     

Suppression of Photoinduced BBO Defects Generation on TiO2(110) by Water (cited: 1)

We have investigated creation of variable concentrations of defects on TiO₂(110)-(1×1) sur-face by 266 nm laser using temperature programmed desorption technique. Oxygen-vacancy defects can be easily induced by ultraviolet light, the defects concentration has a linear dependence on power density higher than 50 mW/cm² for 90 s irradiation. No observa-tion of O₂ molecule and Ti atom desorption suggests that UV induced defects creation on TiO₂(110)-(1×1) is an effective and gentle method. With pre-dosage of thin films of water,the rate of defects creation on TiO₂(110)-(1×1) is slower at least by two orders of magnitude than bare TiO₂(110)-(1×1) surface. Further investigations show that water can be moreeasily desorbed by UV light, and thus desorption of bridging oxygen is depressed.     

Electronic properties of Cu clusters and islands and their reaction with O2 on SnO2(110) surfaces

The deposition of Cu on SnO₂(110) surfaces, and its oxidation to Cu_xO, have been studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and angle-integrated photoemission using synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES). With the growth of copper on SnO₂(110), which was found to follow the Volmer-Weber (“islanding”) growth mode, a small amount of metal-phase Sn segregates to the surface, and even when the copper thickness reaches several tens of Å, Sn metal still is seen at the surface. But when this surface is annealed at 800 K in 5 × 10^?6 mbar O₂ for 20 min, the Sn atoms are totally converted to SnO₂. Simultaneously, the deposited Cu atoms become oxidized. The surface charges up both during LEED and SRPES data acquisition. The clean SnO₂(110) surface shows a 1 × 1 structure. With Cu deposition, the substrate LEED pattern gradually becomes weaker. With even more copper deposited, a Cu(111)-1 × 1-oriented particle structure appears, indicating coalescence of the Cu islands to 3-dimensional Cu(111) epitaxy. After subsequent heating to 500 K, the substrate signal appears again, and we see the SnO₂ 1 × 1 pattern. In conclusion, Cu atoms quite easily form clusters on the SnO₂(110) surface already after a slight heat treatment. The results show that this system is quite active towards O₂ gas exposure, and that the surface conductivity changes during O₂ exposure.     

Bimolecular recombination kinetics and interfacial electronic structures of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] on gold studied using two-photon photoemission spectroscopy

Photoexcitation kinetics and interfacial electronic structures of poly[2-methoxy-5(2-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) film on gold have been investigated using two-photon photoemission spectroscopy (2PPE). The authors directly probed a fixed intermediate state located at 0.95 eV above the Fermi level (or 2.95 eV below the vacuum level), assigned to a charged polaron. Based on the power law slope and the 2PPE spectra with laser intensity, they found that the polaron follows a second order bimolecular annihilation process. The 2PPE yield dramatically increases with increasing photon energy. They attribute this to an enhanced dissociation of hotter excitons at higher excitation levels. The work function of MEH-PPV/Au is measured to be 3.9 eV, 1.2 eV downshift from the clean gold, attributable to interface dipole effects. The energy gap between the intermediate polaron state and the hole polaron level is estimated to be 2.45 eV.     

Enhancing Photoactivity of TiO2(B)/Anatase Core–Shell Nanofibers by Selectively Doping Cerium Ions into the TiO2(B) Core

Cerium ions (Ce³⁺⁾ can be selectively doped into the TiO₂(B) core of TiO₂(B)/anatase core–shell nanofibers by means of a simple one‐pot hydrothermal treatment of a starting material of hydrogen trititanate (H₂Ti₃O₇) nanofibers. These Ce³⁺ ions (≈0.202 nm) are located on the (110) lattice planes of the TiO₂(B) core in tunnels (width≈0.297 nm). The introduction of Ce³⁺ ions reduces the defects of the TiO₂(B) core by inhibiting the faster growth of (110) lattice planes. More importantly, the redox potential of the Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ couple (E°(Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺)=1.715 V versus the normal hydrogen electrode) is more negative than the valence band of TiO₂(B). Therefore, once the Ce³⁺‐doped nanofibers are irradiated by UV light, the doped Ce³⁺ ions—in close vicinity to the interface between the TiO₂(B) core and anatase nanoshell—can efficiently trap the photogenerated holes. This facilitates the migration of holes from the anatase shell and leaves more photogenerated electrons in the anatase nanoshell, which results in a highly efficient separation of photogenerated charges in the anatase nanoshell. Hence, this enhanced charge‐separation mechanism accelerates dye degradation and alcohol oxidation processes. The one‐pot treatment doping strategy is also used to selectively dope other metal ions with variable oxidation states such as Co^2+/3+ and Cu^+/2+ ions. The doping substantially improves the photocatalytic activity of the mixed‐phase nanofibers. In contrast, the doping of ions with an invariable oxidation state, such as Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mg²⁺, does not enhance the photoactivity of the mixed‐phase nanofibers as the ions could not trap the photogenerated holes.     

Excited‐State Dynamics of the Metal String Complex Co3(dpa)4(NCS)2 from Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectra

Transient absorption spectroscopy is used to study the excited‐state dynamics of Co₃(dpa)₄(NCS)₂, where dpa is the ligand di(2‐pyridyl)amido. The ππ*, charge‐transfer, and d–d transition states are excited upon irradiation at wavelengths of 330, 400 and 600 nm, respectively. Similar transient spectra are observed under the experimental temporal resolution and the transient species show weak absorption. We thus propose that a low‐lying metal‐centered d–d state is accessed immediately after excitation. Analyses of the experimental kinetic traces reveal rapid conversion from the ligand‐centered ππ* and the charge‐transfer states to this metal‐centered d‐d state within 100 fs. The excited molecule then crosses to a second d–d state within the ligand‐field manifold, with a time coefficient of 0.6–1.4 ps. Because the ground‐state bleaching band recovers with a time coefficient of 10–23 ps, we propose that an excited molecule crosses from the low‐lying d–d state either directly within the same spin system or with spin crossing via the state ²B to the ground state ²A₂ (symmetry group C₄). In this trimetal string complex, relaxation to the ground electronic surface after excitation is thus rapid.     

香豆素343敏化TiO2纳米粒子光致电子转移的荧光和拉曼光谱

通过对香豆素343(C343)染料敏化TiO₂纳米粒子光致电子转移的荧光和拉曼光谱特性的研究表明,C343染料敏化TiO₂纳米粒子稳态吸收光谱和稳态荧光光谱的红移归因于从被吸附的C343染料分子激发态和C343/TiO₂复合物到TiO₂纳米粒子导带的光致电子转移. 由时间分辨荧光光谱确定了C343染料敏化TiO₂纳米粒子的逆向电子转移速率常数为τ₁=31 ps. C343 染料敏化TiO₂纳米粒子体系拉曼光谱的研究表明, 被吸附在界面处的染料分子主链碳键的伸缩振动和碳环的呼吸运动的振动模式对超快界面光致电子转移有着重要的促进作用.