A DFT study of acetonitrile adsorption and decomposition on the TiO2 (110) surface

The adsorption and decomposition of acetonitrile on the TiO₂ (110) surface have been investigated with first principles calculations. Our results reveal that both C?N and C? C bonds of acetonitrile become weakened after adsorption. Acetonitrile behaves as an electron donor, and electrons transfer from acetonitrile to substrate is obvious. The reaction mechanism of further decomposition of acetonitrile on TiO₂ (110) surface is also investigated, and the result shows that acetonitrile can decompose into CH₃ and CN fragments and form OCH₃ and NCO groups on the TiO₂ (110) surface, which consists with the experimental results. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

NO adsorption on the stoichiometric and reduced SnO2(110) surface

The adsorption of NO molecules on the perfect and defective (110) surfaces of SnO₂ was studied with first-principles methods at the density-functional theory level. It was found that NO mainly interacts via the nitrogen atom with the bridging oxygens of the stoichiometric surface while the coordinatively unsaturated surface Sn atoms are less reactive. On the oxygen-deficient surface, NO is preferentially adsorbed at the vacancy positions, with the nitrogen atom close to the former surface oxygen site. Regardless of the adsorption site, the unpaired electron is located mainly on the NO molecule and only partly on surface Sn atoms. The results for the SnO₂ surface are compared to literature results on the isostructural TiO₂ rutile (110) surface. Dedicated to Professor Karl Jug on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Investigation on the photophysical processes in nanosized photocatalytic thin films using planar solid-state devices

The photophysical processes for three nanosized photocatalytic oxides, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin film, tin dioxide (SnO₂) thin film, and layered TiO₂/SnO₂ thin film, have been examined in planar solid-state devices. It is found that, for SnO₂ thin film, the dissociation of the photogenerated excitons can take place both on the film surface and inside the film, while for TiO₂ thin film, almost all excitons dissociate on the film surface. Such a difference is proposed to account for the higher photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ over SnO₂, since it is experimentally shown that the excitons dissociate in SnO₂ thin film as efficiently as they do in TiO₂ thin film. For layered TiO₂/SnO₂ thin film, when it is illuminated by a beam of UV light, it is suggested that there exists a local electrostatic field at the SnO₂ side of the interface, mainly formed by those holes efficiently photogenerated and then localized in SnO₂ thin film. The photo-induced local electrostatic field is believed to facilitate hole–electron separation on TiO₂ thin film and therefore increase the photocatalytic activity of the layered thin film over single TiO₂ thin film.     

Rapid Synthesis of Nanocrystalline TiO2/SnO2 Binary Oxides and Their Photoinduced Decomposition of Methyl Orange

A rapid and simple method, the so-called stearic acid method (SAM) was developed to prepare nanostructured TiO₂/SnO₂ binary oxides by combustion of stearic acid precursors. The preparative process was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). During the preparative process, metal precursors were dispersed in stearic acid at molecular level. Microstructure of the samples was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), BET specific surface area measurement and the results were compared with those obtained by conventional sol-gel method. The photocatalytic decomposition of methyl orange was used as a model system to determine the relative influences of the preparation method and the concentration of SnO₂ on the photocatalytic activities. It was found that preparative methods affected the crystalline structure of TiO₂/SnO₂ powders and the anatase phase of TiO₂ was stabilized by the addition of SnO₂ in SAM. The samples prepared by SAM showed better dispersity, larger specific surface area and the TiO₂/SnO₂ (r=0.15, SAM) catalyst showed higher photocatalytic activity than Degussa P25.     

SnO2/TiO2纳米管复合光催化剂的性能及失活再生

基于微波水热法和微乳液法合成SnO₂/TiO₂纳米管复合光催化剂. 通过X射线衍射（XRD）、配有能量色散X射线光谱仪（EDX）的透射电镜（TEM）和电化学手段对光催化剂进行表征. 以甲苯为模型污染物,考察光催化剂在紫外光（UV）和真空远紫外光（VUV）下的性能及失活再生. 结果表明,SnO₂/TiO₂纳米管复合光催化剂形成三元异质结（锐钛矿相TiO₂（A-TiO₂）/金红石相TiO₂（R-TiO₂）、A-TiO₂/SnO₂和R-TiO₂/SnO₂异质结）,促使光生电子-空穴对的有效分离,提高光催化活性. SnO₂/TiO₂表现出最佳的光催化性能,UV和VUV条件下的甲苯降解率均达100%,CO₂生成速率（k₂）均为P25的3倍左右. 但由于UV光照矿化能力不足,中间产物易在催化剂表面累积. 随着UV光照时间的增加,SnO₂/TiO₂逐渐失活,20 h 后k₂由138.5 mg·m^-3·h^-1下降到76.1 mg·m^-3·h^-1. 利用VUV再生失活的SnO₂/TiO₂,过程中产生的·OH、O₂^-·、O（¹D）、O（³P）、O₃等活性物质可氧化吸附于催化剂活性位的难降解中间产物,使催化剂得以再生,12 h后k₂恢复到143.6 mg·m^-3·h^-1. UV和VUV的协同效应使UV降解耦合VUV再生成为一种可持续的光催化降解污染物模式.     

Engineering of SnO2/TiO2 heterojunction compact interface with efficient charge transfer pathway for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Fabricating an efficient charge transfer pathway at the compact interface between two kinds of semiconductors is an important strategy for designing hydrogen production heterojunction photocatalysts. In this work, we prepared a compact, stable and oxygen vacancy-rich photocatalyst (SnO₂/TiO₂ heterostructure) via a simple and reasonable in-situ synthesis method. Briefly, SnCl₂–2H₂O is hydrolyzed on the TiO₂ precursor. After the pyrolysis process, SnO₂ nanoparticles (5 nm) were dispersed on the surface of ultrathin TiO₂ nanosheets uniformly. Herein, the heterojunction system can offer abundant oxygen vacancies, which can act as active sites for catalytic reactions. Meanwhile, the interfacial contact of SnO₂/TiO₂ grading semiconductor oxide is uniform and tight, which can promote the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers. As shown in the experimental results, the hydrogen production rate of SnO₂/TiO₂ is 16.7 mmol h^?1 g^?1 (4.4 times higher than that of TiO₂), which is owing to its good dynamical properties. This work demonstrates an efficient strategy of tight combining SnO₂/TiO₂ with abundant oxygen vacancies to improve catalytic efficiency.     

Deposition of SnO2 on the Anatase TiO2 {105} Facets with High Photocatalytic Performance

Anatase TiO2 as a promising photocatalyst has been widely employed in the decontamination treatment of polluted water, air purification and water splitting. Coupling TiO2 with other semiconductor materials could further enhance the photocatalytic activity. Here, we successfully synthesized the SnOz/TiO2 catalyst by depositing SnO2 particles on the anatase TiO2 {105} facets through a gas phase oxidation process. The SnOz/TiO2 catalyst shows higher photocatalytic activity for decomposition of MB than that of the pure YiO2 catalyst. The enhanced photo- catalytic activity can be attributed to the efficient charge separation since TiO2 and SnO2 catalyst have staggered energy level.     

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.     

Chemisorbed Oxygen Species over the (110) Face of SnO2

The electronic states of chemisorbed oxygen species on the (110) face of SnO₂ and their variations caused by heat treatments and/or O₂ exposure have been investigated. The reactivities of the chemisorbed oxygen species for methane oxidations were also examined.Four different chemisorbed oxygen species (O₂ ^2-, O_2-, O^-, O_b) were observed, in addition to the lattice oxygen (O^2-), on the surface of the stabilized (110) surface of SnO₂ after O₂ exposure. The O_b species was assumed to be the bridging oxygen at the topmost layer of the SnO₂ (110) surface having no neighboring oxygen vacancies. The electronic state of O_b was converted to O^- upon CH₄ exposure at 473 K by coupling with newly produced vacancies at the bridging site of the SnO₂ (110) surface.     

CO\begin{document}$ _{2} $\end{document} Reduction on Metal-Doped SnO\begin{document}$ _{2} $\end{document}(110) Surface Catalysts: Manipulating the Product by Changing the Ratio of Sn:O

The electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) producing HCOOH and CO is one of the most promising approaches for storing renewable electricity as chemical energy in fuels. SnO₂ is a good catalyst for CO₂-to-HCOOH or CO₂-to-CO conversion, with different crystal planes participating the catalytic process. Among them, (110) surface SnO₂ is very stable and easy to synthesisze. By changing the ratio of Sn: O for SnO₂(110), we have two typical SnO₂ thin films: fully oxidized (stoichiometric) and partially reduced. In this work, we are concerned with different metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir, Pt, and Au)-doped SnO₂(110) with different activity and selectivity for CO₂RR. All these changes are manipulated by adjusting the ratio of Sn: O in (110) surface. The results show that stochiometric and reduced Cu/Ag doped SnO₂(110) have different selectivity for CO₂RR. More specifically, stochiometric Cu/Ag-doped SnO₂(110) tends to generate CO(g). Meanwhile, the reduced surface tends to generate HCOOH(g). Moreover, we also considered the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The catalysts SnO₂(110) doped by Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, and Pt have high activity for HER, and others are good catalysts for CO₂RR.     

Platinum nanoparticles on different types of titanium dioxide surface: A quantum-chemical modeling

The interaction of a Pt₂₉ nanoparticle with pristine and reduced TiO₂ (110), (100), (101), and (100) surfaces in the rutile and anatase modifications has been modeled by the density functional theory method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). It has been demonstrated that the interaction energy of platinum particles with stoichiometric surfaces of titanium dioxide crystals is noticeably lower than for tin dioxide crystals. Like for SnO₂, the reduction of the surface leads in some cases to a significant increase in the energy of interaction with platinum. The reoxidation of such structures should result in platinum fixation on the surface.     

SnO2 Transparent Printing Pastes from Powders for Photon Conversion in SnO2-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Tin oxide (SnO₂) is the most attractive alternative to titanium oxide (TiO₂) with the aim of identifying a more positive conduction band material for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). This study puts forward a protocol based on grinding, sonication, and centrifuge to generate transparent SnO₂ pastes to minimize light reflectance losses from the metal oxide. Under optimized conditions, a highly transparent film with substantially enhanced light penetration depth through active layer SnO₂ is realized for efficient light harvesting from two different commercially available powders (18 and 35 nm nanoparticle sizes). A ruthenium sensitizer ( B11 ) and two organic sensitizers ( NL3 and MK2 ) are shown to achieve higher or comparable photocurrent densities with SnO₂ relative to standard TiO₂-based DSCs. SnO₂-based DSCs show minimum recombination losses, comparable charge collection efficiencies, and minimal photovoltage losses relative to TiO₂ DSCs. Thus, the option of a transparent metal oxide, which can facilitate high photocurrents (>16 mA cm⁻² observed) and lower recombination rates than TiO₂ is an attractive material for DSC applications.     

Preparation of SnO2–TiO2/Fly Ash Cenospheres and its Application in Phenol Degradation

SnO₂–TiO₂/fly ash cenospheres (FAC) were prepared via hydrothermal method and used as an active photocatalyst in a photocatalytic system. Scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements were used to determine the structure and optical property of SnO₂–TiO₂/FAC. Phenol was selected as the model substance for photocatalytic reactions to evaluate catalytic ability. Results showed that the degradation efficiency of phenol by SnO₂–TiO₂/FAC was 90.7% higher than that decomposed by TiO₂/FAC. Increased efficiency could be due to the enhanced synergistic effect of semiconductors and FAC could provide more adsorption sites for the pollutant in the photocatalytic reaction. Furthermore, SnO₂–TiO₂/FAC composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic stability in four reuse cycles. Radical‐trapping experiments further revealed the dominating functions of holes in the photocatalytic reaction.     

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.     

Snx.Ti1‐xO2 solid solution catalysts for nitrogen oxide selective catalytic reduction by propene in presence of oxygen

A series of SnO₂‐TiO₂ binary oxide catalysts prepared by co‐current precipitation method was found to be a novel and good system for the selective catalytic reduction of NO by propene in the presence of oxygen with high activity and good selectivity to N₂. The NO conversion to N₂ over SnO₂‐TiO₂ oxide catalysts varied with SnO₂ content and attainted a maximum at 65% over the catalyst with SnO₂ content at 40wt% for a feed with 1186 ppm NO, 948 ppm propene and 2.23% O₂, in He and a space velocity of 15000 h^?1 at 350°C. The SnO₂TiO₂ catalysts could sustain moderate activity in the presence of 10% steam. Because of the identical valence and the similar radius of Sn⁴⁺ and Ti⁴⁺, SnO₂‐TiO₂ binary oxides can form solid solution in three different phases as proved by XRD, electron diffraction and TPR. Sn⁴⁺ is the main active species in the SnO₂‐TiO₂ catalysts, and it is enriched on the solid solution surface as tested by XPS analysis. H₂‐TPR, NH₃‐TPD and BET tests show that SnO₂‐TiO₂ solid solution can dilute SnO₂ and suppress the activity of propene complete oxidation over SnO₂. This may be beneficial to the reactivity enhancement of NO conversion.     

Photosensitization of TiO2 colloids by Erythrosin B in acetonitrile

Photosensitization by Erythrosin B of a TiO₂ colloidal dispersion in acetonitrile has been studied by fast kinetic spectroscopy. The dye molecules adsorbed on the TiO₂ surface had a significantly shorter lifetime (2̃ 250 ps) compared to those in homogeneous solution (≈ 1.6 ns) in acetonitrile. The photosensitization of TiO₂ occurred more efficiently from the singlet than from the triplet state of the dye.     

Highly efficient dye-sensitized SnO2 solar cells having sufficient electron diffusion length

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) were fabricated from mesoporous SnO₂ electrodes, which were prepared from nano-sized SnO₂ particles. Current–voltage characteristics of the DSCs were compared with DSCs prepared from conventional TiO₂ electrodes, which have similar amount of adsorbed dye with the SnO₂. As a result, short-circuit current of the SnO₂DSC were comparable with that of the TiO₂DSCs, and more than 15 mA/cm² was obtained with the SnO₂ at the thickness of 10 μm under one sun conditions. Electron diffusion coefficients and lifetimes in the SnO₂ and TiO₂ electrodes were measured, showing slower diffusion and longer lifetime in the SnO₂DSC than in the TiO₂. The results imply that the electron transport and transfer dynamics in such electrodes is dominated by the influence of intra-band charge traps, and the control of the trap conditions would be the key strategy to employ various metal oxides for such solar cells.     

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.     

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.     

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.