Unoccupied titanium 3d states due to subcluster formation in stoichiometric TiO2 nanoparticles

The source of unoccupied Ti 3d states in the case of stoichiometric anatase structured (TiO₂)_n clusters has been investigated using ab initio methods. These unoccupied gap states appear for example in the case of a stoichiometric (TiO₂)₃₈ cluster. We show that the origin of these gap states is related to effective subcluster formation which gives rise to empty defect‐like gap states, when these states are split off from conduction band. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Acetic Anhydride as an Oxygen Donor in the Non-Hydrolytic Sol–Gel Synthesis of Mesoporous TiO2 with High Electrochemical Lithium Storage Performances

An original, halide-free non-hydrolytic sol–gel route to mesoporous anatase TiO₂ with hierarchical porosity and high specific surface area is reported. This route is based on the reaction at 200 °C of titanium(IV) isopropoxide with acetic anhydride, in the absence of a catalyst or solvent. NMR spectroscopic studies indicate that this method provides an efficient, truly non-hydrolytic and aprotic route to TiO₂. Formation of the oxide involves successive acetoxylation and condensation reactions, both with ester elimination. The resulting TiO₂ materials were nanocrystalline, even before calcination. Small (about 10 nm) anatase nanocrystals spontaneously aggregated to form mesoporous micron-sized particles with high specific surface area (240 m² g⁻¹ before calcination). Evaluation of the lithium storage performances shows a high reversible specific capacity, particularly for the non-calcined sample with the highest specific surface area favouring pseudo-capacitive storage: 253 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C and 218 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 C (C=336 mA g⁻¹). This sample also shows good cyclability (92 % retention after 200 cycles at 336 mA g⁻¹) with a high coulombic efficiency (99.8 %). Synthesis in the presence of a solvent (toluene or squalane) offers the possibility to tune the morphology and texture of the TiO₂ nanomaterials.     

退火对TiO2薄膜形貌、结构及光学特性影响

利用射频磁控溅射技术在熔融石英基片上制备TiO<,2>薄膜,采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、拉曼光谱以及透过谱研究了退火温度和退火气氛对TiO<,2>薄膜的结构、形貌和光学特性的影响.实验结果表明:在大气环境下退火,退火温度越.高,薄膜晶化越好,晶粒明显长大,温度高于700℃退火的薄膜,金红石相已明显形成.实验还发现,退火气氛对金红石相的形成是非常重要的,拉曼光谱反应出Ar气氛退火,抑制了金红石晶相的发育,薄膜仍以锐钛矿相为主.Ar气氛退火的薄膜在可见光范围内的透过率比大气退火的要低,并且由透过率曲线推知:金红石的光学带隙约为2.8 eV,比锐钛矿的光学带隙小0.2 eV.     

First-principles calculations on electronic structures of Fe-vacancy-codoped TiO2 anatase (1 0 1) surface

The electronic structures of Fe-doped TiO₂ anatase (1 0 1) surfaces have been investigated by all spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT) plane-wave pseudopotential method. The general gradient approximation (GGA)+U (Hubbard coefficient) method has been adopted to describe the exchange-correlation effects. Through the density functional calculations for the formation energies of various configurations, the complex of a substitutional Fe plus an O vacancy was found to form easily in the most range of O chemical potential. The calculated density of the states of the system of Fe-doped surface with a surface oxygen vacancy shows a band gap narrowing from 2.8 to 1.9 eV comparing with the pure surface due to the synergistic effects of surface Fe impurities with O vacancies. The system processes high visible light sensitivity and photocatalytic ability by decreasing extrinsic absorption energy. By comparing the partial DOS of some O and Ti atoms lying in the outermost and bottom layers of Fe-doped surfaces, it was found that the influence of Fe impurities on the electronic structure of the system is localized.     

Adsorption CO2 on the perfect and oxygen vacancy defect surfaces of anatase TiO2 and its photocatalytic mechanism of conversion to CO

The adsorption energies for physisorption and the most stable chemisorption of CO₂ on the neutral charge of perfect anatase [TiO₂] (0 0 1) are −9.03 and −24.66 kcal/mol on the spin-unpolarized and −12.98 and −26.19 kcal/mol on the spin-polarized surface. The small activation barriers of 1.67 kcal/mol on the spin-unpolarized surface and of 6.66 kcal/mol on the spin-unpolarized surface were obtained. The adsorption mechanism of CO₂ on the oxygen vacancy defect [TiO₂ + V_O] surface of anatase TiO₂ using density functional theory calculations was investigated. The energetically preferred conversion of CO₂ to CO was found either on the spin-unpolarized or spin-polarized surfaces of oxygen vacancy defect surface [TiO₂ + V_O] as photocatalyst.     

N/F掺杂和N-F双掺杂锐钛矿相TiO2(101)表面电子结构的第一性原理计算

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)平面波赝势方法计算了N/F掺杂和N-F双掺杂锐钛矿相TiO2(101)表面的电子结构. 由于DFT方法存在对过渡金属氧化物带隙能的计算结果总是与实际值严重偏离的缺陷, 本文也采用DFT+U(Hubbard 系数)方法对模型的电子结构进行了计算. DFT的计算结果表明N掺杂后, N 2p轨道与O 2p和Ti 3d价带轨道的混合会导致TiO2带隙能的降低, 而F掺杂以及氧空位的引入对材料的电子结构没有明显的影响. DFT+U的计算却给出截然不同的结果, N掺杂并没有导致带隙能的降低, 而只是在带隙中引入一个孤立的杂质能级, 反而F掺杂以及氧空位的引入带来明显的带隙能降低. DFT+U的计算结果与一些实验测量结果能够较好地符合.     

Successful location of tin dopant cations on surface sites of anatase-type TiO2 crystallites evidenced by 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopic probe and XPS techniques

The present study provides the first experimental evidence for the stabilization of tin dopant cations immediately on the surface of an oxide having a tetragonal structure. ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectra of the dopant, introduced by air annealing into the bulk of anatase microcrystals, showed that it was located, in the tetravalent state, in somewhat distorted octahedral sites of a unique type. On the contrary, the reduced tin species, formed upon subsequent hydrogen annealing the Sn⁴⁺-doped samples, are found to occupy different sites being characterized by two sets of the isomer shift δ and quadrupole splitting ΔE_Q values (δ_I = 3.25 mm s⁻¹, ΔE_QI = 1.75 mm s⁻¹; and δ_II = 2.85 mm s⁻¹, ΔE_QII = 1.71 mm s⁻¹). Either of them implies both the divalent state of tin atoms and their presence at low-coordination sites that can be assigned to the surface of crystallites. Mössbauer spectra of Sn^4+←2+ daughter ions, formed upon contact with air of Sn²⁺, consist of a symmetrically broadened peak characterized by only slightly different average values of both the isomer shift (<δ> = 0.07 mm s⁻¹) and quadrupole splitting (<ΔE_Q> = 0.50 mm s⁻¹), as compared to the δ and ΔE_Q values for the bulk-located Sn⁴⁺. However, considerable broadening of Sn^4+←2+ doublet components (Γ = 0.97 mm s⁻¹) allows one to suggest that these secondary formed ions remain distributed over the non equivalent sites inherited from their Sn²⁺ precursors. The occurrence of Sn^4+←2+ at surface sites is independently proven by XPS measurements that revealed a greater than 10-fold enrichment with tin of 3–5 nm thick surface layers.     

Structural characteristics and residual stresses in oxide films produced on Ti by pulsed unipolar plasma electrolytic oxidation

Oxide films, 7–10 µm thick, were produced on commercially pure titanium by plasma electrolytic oxidation in a sodium orthophosphate electrolyte using a pulsed unipolar current with frequency (f) and duty cycle (δ) varying within f = 0.1–10 kHz and δ = 0.8–0.2, respectively. The coatings comprised a mixture of an amorphous phase with nanocrystalline anatase and rutile phases, where the relative rutile content range was 17–25 wt%. Incorporation of phosphorus from the electrolyte into the coating in the form of PO₂ ^–, PO₃ ^2– and PO₄ ^3–, as demonstrated by EDX and FT-IR analyses, contributed to the formation of the amorphous phase. Residual stresses associated with the crystalline coating phase constituents were evaluated using the X-ray diffraction sin² ψ method. It was found that, depending on the treatment parameters, internal direct and shear stresses in anatase ranged from–205 (±17) to–431 (±27) MPa and from–98 (±6) to–145 (±10) MPa, respectively, whereas the rutile structure is comparatively stress-free.     

单斜与锐钛矿双晶相TiO2/MWNTs复合材料的制备及其可见光光催化活性

以超强耐酸碱的表面活性剂-丁基封端脂肪醇聚氧乙烯醚作为晶型调节剂,利用钛酸丁酯和氢氧化钠的水热反应制备了单斜相与锐钛矿相双晶相TiO₂/多壁碳纳米管(简称MWNTs)复合材料,并考察了复合材料的可见光光催化活性。结果显示:MWNTs的加入可调控TiO₂的晶相组成,增强TiO₂的光催化活性,其中含5%MWNTs的样品具有较高的催化降解效率;随煅烧温度的升高,样品的光催化活性大幅提升。其机理归因于(1)促进单斜相和锐钛矿相双晶相结构的形成;(2)碳纳米管优良的导电作用及碳纳米管/TiO₂间的异质结效应;(3)高温下碳纳米管分解产生的碳元素掺杂作用。