负载型V2O5/TiO2催化剂表面分散状态和性质对氨选择性催化还原NO性能的影响（英文）

采用多种物理化学手段研究了不同负载量V2O5/TiO2催化剂的VOx物种分散状态、表面酸性、可还原性及其选择性催化还原(SCR)NO性能.结果表明,V2O5在锐钛矿TiO2表面的实测单层分散容量约为1.14mmol V/100m2TiO2,与"嵌入模型"的估算值相符,表明分散态的钒离子应键合在TiO2表面的八面体空位上.随着V2O5负载量的增加,V2O5/TiO2催化剂上NO转化频率(TOF)先急剧增加,至0.70mmol V/100m2TiO2(略超过分散容量的一半)时达到极大(约8.3×10-3s-1),然后又急剧下降;同时,孤立VOx物种可能倾向于分散在相邻的八面体空位上,且通过V-O-V化学键相连形成聚合的VOx物种,V-O-V键所占比例增加而V-O-Ti键所占比例减小,催化剂表面单位钒离子的Brnsted酸中心量增加,故催化剂的TOF急剧增加.随着负载量进一步增加,虽然催化剂表面单位钒离子的Brnsted酸中心量仍缓慢增加,但V-O-Ti键所占比例减少,导致钒离子的可还原性下降,另外,分散容量以上时晶相V2O5的形成也导致钒离子表面利用率下降,从而导致催化剂的TOF下降.桥式Brnsted酸位(V-O(H)-V)也是SCR反应活性中心之一,不同负载量V2O5/TiO2催化剂上SCR活性与表面VOx物种的分散状态、表面酸性和钒离子可还原性密切相关.     

Dispersion state and catalytic properties of vanadia species on the surface of V_2O_5/TiO_2 catalysts

The dispersion state and catalytic properties of anatase-supported vanadia species are studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and the selective oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride. The almost identical values of the experimental dispersion capacity of V2O5 on anatase and the surface vacant sites available on the preferentially exposed (001) plane of anatase suggest that the highly dispersed vanadium cations are bonded to the vacant sites on the surface of anatase as derived by the incorporation model. When the loading amount of V2O5 is far below its dispersion capacity, the dispersed vanadia species might mainly consist of isolated VOx species bridging to the surface through V-O-Ti bonds. With the increase of V2O5 loading the isolated vanadia species interact with their nearest neighbors (either isolated or polymerized vanadia) through bridging V-O-V at the expenses of V-O-Ti bonds, resulting in the increase of the ra     

Density functional theory study of formic acid adsorption on anatase TiO2(001): geometries, energetics, and effects of coverage, hydration, and reconstruction

We present density functional theory calculations and first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of formic acid adsorption on anatase TiO(2)(001), the minority surface exposed by anatase TiO(2) nanoparticles. A wide range of factors that may affect formic acid adsorption, such as coverage, surface hydration, and reconstruction, are considered. It is found that (i) formic acid dissociates spontaneously on unreconstructed clean TiO(2)(001)-1 x 1, as well as on the highly reactive ridge of the reconstructed TiO(2)(001)-1 x 4 surface; (ii) on both the 1 x 1 and 1 x 4 surfaces, various configurations of dissociated formic acid exist with adsorption energies of about 1.5 eV, which very weakly depend on the coverage; (iii) bidentate adsorption configurations, in which the formate moiety binds to the surface through two Ti-O bonds, are energetically more favored than monodentate ones; (iv) partial hydration of TiO(2)(001)-1 x 1 tends to favor the bidentate chelating configuration with respect to the bridging one but has otherwise little effect on the adsorption energetics; and (v) physical adsorption of formic acid on fully hydrated TiO(2)(001)-1 x 1 is also fairly strong. Comparison of the present results for formic acid adsorption with those for water and methanol under similar conditions provides valuable insights to the understanding of recent experimental results concerning the coadsorption of these molecules.     

V2O5／TiO2催化剂的表面结构和酸碱性及氧化还原性

 研究了一系列锐钛矿担载的钒氧化物催化剂的表面性质．X射线衍射和Raman光谱表明，8％V2O5／TiO2催化剂上的V2O5处于单层分散状态．程序升温还原研究表明，单层分散的钒物种较易被还原，而形成多聚态和晶态后钒物种的还原温度升高．NH3吸附量热结果表明，在钒物种达到单层分散前，催化剂的表面酸性随钒担载量的增加而减弱，超过单层分散后，表面酸位的数目和强度基本不变．异丙醇脱氢／脱水反应结果表明，有O2时V2O5／TiO2催化剂显示出很强的氧化还原性，无O2时催化剂的脱水选择性较高．通过异丙醇的脱氢／脱水反应，将V2O5／TiO2催化剂的表面结构与其酸碱性和氧化还原性进行了初步的关联．     

氧化钛负载脱硝催化剂的碱中毒过程：氧化钒的保留和氧化钨的牺牲

V2O5-WO3/TiO2催化剂目前已广泛用于电厂和工业锅炉燃烧废气脱硝,但燃烧原料煤及石油中含有的杂质元素碱金属与碱土金属元素可吸附在催化剂上,不仅会减少催化剂酸性位的数量,还会与催化活性元素结合生成惰性物种,导致催化剂失活。因此,已有许多有关钒钨钛催化剂碱中毒的研究,从催化剂的氧化还原能力、酸性位损失及表面孔结构等方面进行了讨论。但这些研究大多集中在碱中毒对活性组分V2O5的影响及中毒催化剂的活性变化,很少涉及催化剂中WO3的作用,也缺乏有关不同活性元素与钾盐反应的实验证据。本文采用过量浸渍法制备了不同钒和钨含量的钒钨钛催化剂,研究了氯化钾对其氨法选择性催化还原(NH3-SCR)活性的失活效应。利用感应耦合等离子体、N2吸附、拉曼光谱、H2程序升温还原、NH3吸附红外光谱和NH3氧化活性等手段对新鲜和中毒催化剂的性质进行了表征,特别探讨了V2O5和WO3对催化剂抗碱中毒能力的贡献。
　　催化剂活性测试结果表明, V2O5含量越高,活性温度窗口越宽,而且含有WO3的三元催化剂活性高于V2O5/TiO2二元催化剂。催化剂的BET比表面积和孔结构取决于TiO2载体,随活性组分配比变化不大,说明催化剂物理结构性质并非影响活性的主要因素。原位红外光谱及H2程序升温还原测试结果表明,随V2O5含量提高,催化剂表面Br?nsted酸性位数量及氧化还原能力提高。作为反应的主要活性物种, V2O5在碱中毒处理后变成惰性的偏钒酸钾KVO3,使催化剂中Br?nsted酸性位减少,热稳定性下降,并削弱了催化剂的氧化还原能力,因此低钒含量的催化剂容易严重中毒失活。在高钒负载量(3%)时,部分V2O5在碱中毒后得以保留,从而使催化剂保持了一定的脱硝催化活性。
　　另外, WO3能给催化剂表面提供热稳定的酸性位,虽然WO3自身的氧化还原能力差,但其能改善V2O5的分散性,从而提高V2O5-WO3/TiO2催化剂的活性。除此之外, WO3在催化剂碱中毒过程中还能扮演牺牲剂,与钾反应生成钨酸钾(K2WO4),即在V2O5与钾离子结合形成KVO3的同时,部分WO3也会与钾反应形成K2WO4,可以使三元催化剂保留更多的活性V物种。因此,在所研究的催化剂中,高钒负载量的V2O5-WO3/TiO2催化剂表现出最好的抗碱中毒能力。
　　活性影响因素分析表明,对于新鲜催化剂,其表面吸附的NH3量足够多,催化剂活性与表面酸性相关度不大,脱硝效率主要取决于催化剂的氧化还原能力。但是,对于碱中毒处理后的催化剂,其表面吸附NH3的能力大大削弱,这时脱硝效率除了受催化剂氧化还原能力影响,在很大程度上也依赖于催化剂的表面酸性。     

The role of crystal phase in determining photocatalytic activity of nitrogen doped TiO2

Two series of nitrogen doped TiO(2) samples with different ratios of anatase to rutile phases were prepared by milling the mixture of P25 TiO(2) and C(6)H(12)N(4) in air and gaseous NH(3) atmosphere, respectively. Compared to air, NH(3) atmosphere plays an important role in delaying the crystallite transformation from anatase to rutile in the mechanochemical reaction of TiO(2) and C(6)H(12)N(4). In contrast to the previously reported results for pure TiO(2), it is found that nitrogen doped TiO(2) with higher content of rutile phase demonstrates higher photocatalytic activity in photodegrading pollutant Rhodamine B under both UV light and visible light irradiation (lambda>420 nm), and the amount of the surface-adsorbed water and hydroxyl groups on nitrogen doped TiO(2) have little correlations with their crystallite phases (anatase or rutile) and photocatalytic activity. The more abundant surface states characterized by photoluminescence spectroscopy together with the lowered valence band maximum of rutile TiO(2) by nitrogen doping are considered as the key factors for the higher activity of nitrogen doped TiO(2) with higher content of rutile phase.     

Reactivity of anatase TiO(2) nanoparticles: the role of the minority (001) surface

Methanol adsorption on clean and hydrated anatase TiO(2)(001)-1 x 1 is studied using density functional theory calculations and first principles molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that (i) dissociative adsorption is favored on clean TiO(2)(001) at both low and high methanol coverages; (ii) on the partially hydrated surface, methanol dissociation is not affected by the coadsorbed water and can still occur very easily; (iii) the dissociative adsorption energy of methanol is always larger than that of water under similar conditions. This implies that water replacement by methanol is energetically favored, in agreement with recent experimental observations on colloidal anatase nanoparticles.     

The structure and catalytic activity of anatase and rutile titania supported manganese oxide catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3

The structure and catalytic properties of anatase and rutile supported manganese oxide catalysts prepared by impregnation method have been studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H(2) temperature-programmed reduction (H(2)-TPR) and BET surface area measurements combined with activity testing of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH(3). It has been shown that the manganese oxide loadings on the two TiO(2) supports exert great influences on the SCR activity. For the rutile supported manganese oxide catalysts, increasing manganese oxide loading leads to the increase of reducibility of dispersed manganese oxide species and the rate constant k, which reaches a maximum around 9.6 × 10(-6) mol g(Mn)(-1) s(-1) at 0.5 mmol Mn per 100 m(2) TiO(2). When the manganese oxide loading is beyond this value, the existence of amorphous MnO(x) multiple layers will certainly reduce the ratio of manganese oxide species exposed on the surface and the reducibility of dispersed manganese oxide species, resulting in the rapid decrease of rate constant k. The LRS and XPS results have revealed that for the anatase supported manganese oxide catalysts manganese oxide species exist in Mn(+4) as a major species with Mn(+3) species and partially undecomposed Mn-nitrate as the minor species. Under the SCR reaction conditions, Mn(+3) species on anatase are oxidized to Mn(+4) species, inserting in the surface of anatase and promoting the anatase-to-rutile transformation in the surface layers of the anatase support. Since these Mn(4+) cations are actually dispersed on the support with a rutile shell-anatase core structure and its concentration is very near to that of MnO(x)/TiO(2) (R) catalyst, the relation between the rate constant k and the MnO(x) loading on the anatase support is similar to that on the rutile support, and that the rate constant k values for anatase and rutile supported manganese oxide catalysts are very close at the same MnO(x) loading.     

Synthesis of uniform anatase TiO2 nanoparticles by the gel-sol method 2. Adsorption of OH- Ions to Ti(OH)4 gel and TiO2 particles

The pH value in the gel-sol system for the preparation of uniform anatase TiO2 nanoparticles, as a decisive factor for controlling the size and shape of the final product, was found to be significantly changed during the formation process of the anatase TiO2 particles from a condensed Ti(OH)4 gel. The dramatic evolution of pH with the progress of the synthetic process has clearly been explained in terms of the adsorption and desorption of a hydroxide ion (OH-) ora proton (H+) on the solids transforming with time. The adsorption and desorption of OH- or H+ were enhanced by the presence of an inert electrolyte such as NaClO4, as explained by its shielding effect on the electrical interactions between the electrically charged precipitates and free OH- and H+ ions. The electrolyte also hampered the phase transformation of Ti(OH)4 precipitate to anatase TiO2. This effect of electrolytes was explained in terms of the inhibited nucleation of anatase TiO2 by enhanced adsorption of OH- ions toTiO2 embryos. The points of zero charge (PZC) of the amorphous Ti(OH)4 precipitate and the anatase TiO2 particles at 25 degrees C were obtained from the change in pH associated with the adsorption and desorption of OH- or H+, i.e., 4.6 for Ti(OH)4 precipitate and 6.0 for anatase TiO2 in the presence of 0.1 mol dm(-3) NaClO4. The PZCof the Ti(OH)4 precipitate measured at 25 degrees C after additional aging at 100 degrees C for 30 min was shifted to 4.1, owing to the promoted adsorption of OH-.     

金红石/锐钛矿混晶结构的TiO2薄膜光催化活性

采用磁控溅射法制备出一组金红石/锐钛矿混晶结构的纳米TiO2薄膜催化剂,并通过光催化降解苯酚实验考察该薄膜的催化性能. 光催化实验证明, 随着催化剂中金红石含量减少, 催化剂的光催化活性逐渐提高. X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、表面光电压谱(SPS)和原子力显微镜(AFM)结果表明, 催化剂为金红石和锐钛矿混晶结构, 并随着金红石含量减少, 催化剂的表面羟基(OH)和桥氧(—O—)的含量逐渐增加, 而且费米能级逐渐提高. 表面羟基和桥氧是有利于光催化的“活性物种”; 费米能级的提高使TiO2/H2O 面处TiO2的表面带弯增大, 导致了价带光生空穴参加光催化反应的几率增大, 有效地促进了光生载流子的分离; 这些因素是催化剂光催化活性逐渐提高的主要原因.     

PFOS在锐钛型TiO2表面吸附行为的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)B3LYP方法对全氟辛烷磺酸(PFOS)在锐钛型TiO2表面的化学吸附和物理吸附行为进行了研究,其中化学吸附包含双齿双核(BB)和单齿单核(MM)在内的4种可能的吸附构型.吸附能(Eads)及反应吉布斯自由能(ΔGads)的计算结果表明,PFOS分子易于与TiO2表面发生氢键作用吸附;化学吸附表现为PFOS分子与TiO2表面的水分子(H2O)和羟基(—OH)反应,且与取代—OH相比,H2O取代相对更容易发生,其中,MM1构型(取代一个表面水分子)为化学吸附中的优势构型.PFOS在锐钛矿表面吸附的热力学稳定性和反应自发性顺序如下:H-Bonded(氢键吸附)>MM1(取代一个表面水分子)>BB1(取代两个表面水分子)>MM2(取代一个表面羟基)>BB2(取代一个表面水分子和一个表面羟基).成键结构分析表明,TiO2表面H2O/—OH官能团与PFOS上的磺酸基之间形成了中等强度的氢键;在化学吸附过程中,电荷从PFOS分子向TiO2表面发生转移,生成Ti—O—S化学键,电荷转移主要来自PFOS分子的O和F原子.     

The adsorption and reaction of a titanate coupling reagent on the surfaces of different nanoparticles in supercritical CO2

The adsorption and reaction in supercritical CO2 of the titanate coupling reagent NDZ-201 on the surfaces of seven metal oxide particles, SiO2, Al2O3, ZrO2, TiO2 (anatase), TiO2 (rutile), Fe2O3, and Fe3O4, was investigated. FTIR and TG analysis indicated that the adsorption and reaction were different on different particle surfaces. On SiO2 and Al2O3 particles, there was a chemical reaction of the titanate coupling reagent on the surfaces. On the surfaces of ZrO2 and TiO2 (anatase) particles, there were two kinds of adsorption, weak and strong adsorption. On the surfaces of TiO2 (rutile), Fe2O3, and Fe3O4 particles, there was only weak adsorption. The acidity or basicity of the OH groups on the particle surface was the key factor that determined if a surface reaction occurred. When the OH groups were acidic, the titanate coupling reagent reacted with these, but otherwise, there was no reaction. The surface density of OH groups on the original particles and the amount of titanate coupling reagent adsorbed and reacted were estimated from TG analysis. The reactivity of the surface OH groups of Al2O3 particles was higher than that of the SiO2 particles.     

Computational study on the reactions of H2O2 on TiO2 anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces

This study investigates the adsorption and reactions of H(2)O(2) on TiO(2) anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces by first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory in conjunction with the projected augmented wave approach, using PW91, PBE, and revPBE functionals. Adsorption mechanisms of H(2)O(2) and its fragments on both surfaces are analyzed. It is found that H(2)O(2) , H(2)O, and HO preferentially adsorb at the Ti(5c) site, meanwhile HOO, O, and H preferentially adsorb at the (O(2c))(Ti(5c)), (Ti(5c))(2), and O(2c) sites, respectively. Potential energy profiles of the adsorption processes on both surfaces have been constructed using the nudged elastic band method. The two restructured surfaces, the 1/3 ML oxygen covered TiO(2) and the hydroxylated TiO(2), are produced with the H(2)O(2) dehydration and deoxidation, respectively. The formation of main products, H(2)O(g) and the 1/3 ML oxygen covered TiO(2) surface, is exothermic by 2.8 and 5.0 kcal/mol, requiring energy barriers of 0.8 and 1.1 kcal/mol on the rutile (110) and anatase (101) surface, respectively. The rate constants for the H(2)O(2) dehydration processes have been predicted to be 6.65 × 10(-27) T(4.38) exp(-0.14 kcal mol(-1)/RT) and 3.18 × 10(-23) T(5.60) exp(-2.92 kcal mol(-1)/RT) respectively, in units of cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1).     

Comparisons of multilayer H2O adsorption onto the (110) surfaces of alpha-TiO2 and SnO2 as calculated with density functional theory

Mono- and bilayer adsorption of H2O molecules on TiO2 and SnO 2 (110) surfaces has been investigated using static planewave density functional theory (PW DFT) simulations. Potential energies and structures were calculated for the associative, mixed, and dissociative adsorption states. The DOS of the bare and hydrated surfaces has been used for the analysis of the difference between the H2O interaction with TiO2 and SnO 2 surfaces. The important role of the bridging oxygen in the H2O dissociation process is discussed. The influence of the second layer of H2O molecules on relaxation of the surface atoms was estimated.     

氮和碳共掺杂TiO2纳米晶的制备及可见光催化性能

以钛酸四丁酯为钛源, 冰醋酸为抑制剂, 超细铵盐为固体载体, 采用新型溶胶-凝胶法制备了氮和碳共掺杂TiO2纳米晶(N-C-TiO2) 光催化剂. 透射电子显微镜(TEM)结果表明, N-C-TiO2样品颗粒均匀, 尺寸细小, 且分散性好; 热失重分析(TGA)、 X射线粉末衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)研究结果表明, 复合干凝胶经低温热处理, 使铵盐载体分解、 挥发去除, 样品为单一的锐钛矿相, N和C原子扩散进入晶格结点或间隙位置, 与TiO2化学键结合; 氮气等温吸附-脱附结果表明, 样品比表面积高达356 m2/g, 孔体积为0.27 mL/g. 以氙灯为可见光光源, 罗丹明B水溶液为模拟污染物, P25为参比催化剂, 在辐射强度为100 mW/cm2的可见光照射条件下, N-C-TiO2具有很高的光催化活性, 其可见光催化活性明显高于P25.     

Y掺杂纳米TiO2的合成及晶型转变过程

溶胶-凝胶;锐钛型;金红石型;Y掺杂纳米TiO2的合成及晶型转变过程     

Physicochemical characterization of an anatase TiO2 surface and the adsorption of a nonionic surfactant: an atomic force microscopy study

Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize an anatase TiO2 surface, prepared by the helical vapor preparation method. The forces between two bare TiO2 surfaces were measured in the presence of water at various pH values. This TiO2 isoelectric point (iep) was characterized by the presence of only a van der Waals attraction and was measured at pH 5.8; this value is similar to that for a rutile TiO2 surface. The adsorption mechanism of a nonionic surfactant molecule to this anatase TiO2 surface was investigated by measuring the forces between two such TiO2 surfaces at their iep pH in the presence of linear dodecanol tetraethoxylate (C12E4), a poly(ethoxylene oxide) n-alkyl ether. C12E4 was seen by the presence of steric forces to adsorb to the uncharged TiO2 surface. For low surfactant concentrations, C12E4 adsorbed with its hydrophobic tail facing the TiO2 substrate, to reduce its entropically unfavorable contacts with water. Additional surfactant adsorption occurred at higher surfactant concentrations by the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions between the surfactant tails and heads, respectively, and gave sub-bilayers. A two-step adsorption isotherm was subsequently proposed with four regions: (1) submonolayer, (2) complete monolayer, (3) sub-bilayer, and (4) bilayer. The absence of a long-range repulsive force between the two TiO2 surfaces in the presence of the C12E4 surface aggregates indicated that a C12E4 nonionic surfactant aggregate did not possess charge.     

Photogenerated defects in shape-controlled TiO2 anatase nanocrystals: a probe to evaluate the role of crystal facets in photocatalytic processes

The promising properties of anatase TiO(2) nanocrystals exposing specific surfaces have been investigated in depth both theoretically and experimentally. However, a clear assessment of the role of the crystal faces in photocatalytic processes is still under debate. In order to clarify this issue, we have comprehensively explored the properties of the photogenerated defects and in particular their dependence on the exposed crystal faces in shape-controlled anatase. Nanocrystals were synthesized by solvothermal reaction of titanium butoxide in the presence of oleic acid and oleylamine as morphology-directing agents, and their photocatalytic performances were evaluated in the phenol mineralization in aqueous media, using O(2) as the oxidizing agent. The charge-trapping centers, Ti(3+), O(-), and O(2)(-), formed by UV irradiation of the catalyst were detected by electron spin resonance, and their abundance and reactivity were related to the exposed crystal faces and to the photoefficiency of the nanocrystals. In vacuum conditions, the concentration of trapped holes (O(-) centers) increases with increasing {001} surface area and photoactivity, while the amount of Ti(3+) centers increases with the specific surface area of {101} facets, and the highest value occurs for the sample with the worst photooxidative efficacy. These results suggest that {001} surfaces can be considered essentially as oxidation sites with a key role in the photoxidation, while {101} surfaces provide reductive sites which do not directly assist the oxidative processes. Photoexcitation experiments in O(2) atmosphere led to the formation of Ti(4+)-O(2)(-) oxidant species mainly located on {101} faces, confirming the indirect contribution of these surfaces to the photooxidative processes. Although this work focuses on the properties of TiO(2), we expect that the presented quantitative investigation may provide a new methodological tool for a more effective evaluation of the role of metal oxide crystal faces in photocatalytic processes.     

Dispersion behaviors of molybdena on titania (rutile and/or anatase)

Raman and FT-IR spectra were employed to investigate the dispersion of molybdena on mixed TiO2 (rutile and anatase, signed as R and A) with different BET surface ratios of rutile/TiO2(R + A). The results showed that (1) molybdena would preferentially disperse on the rutile surface in mixed TiO2; (2) for MoO3/rutile with low molybdena loading (e.g., 0.20 mmol/100 m2 rutile), a dispersed molybdena species existed on the rutile surface in an isolated tetrahedral coordination environment, while for MoO3/rutile with high molybdena loading (e.g. 0.82 mmol/100 m2 rutile), a polymeric molybdena species could be detected on the rutile surface; (3) for the MoO3/anatase sample, a dispersed molybdena species existed on the anatase surface in a polymeric coordination environment; and (4) the formation of the Bronsted acid site on the surface of rutile and anatase should be related to the polymeric molybdena species. All these results have been discussed via the interaction between OH groups of molybdena and OH groups of rutile and anatase, and it seems reasonable to suggest that, for the lower molybdena loading, the different states of the dispersed molybdena species should result from the different dehydration orders of OH groups of the molybdena and surface OH groups of rutile and anatase.     

Tin oxide-surface modified anatase titanium(IV) dioxide with enhanced UV-light photocatalytic activity

[Sn(acac)(2)]Cl(2) is chemisorbed on the surfaces of anatase TiO(2)via ion-exchange between the complex ions and H(+) released from the surface Ti-OH groups without liberation of the acetylacetonate ligand (Sn(acac)(2)/TiO(2)). The post-heating at 873 K in air forms tin oxide species on the TiO(2) surface in a highly dispersed state on a molecular scale ((SnO(2))(m)/TiO(2)). A low level of this p block metal oxide surface modification (~0.007 Sn ions nm(-2)) accelerates the UV-light-activities for the liquid- and gas-phase reactions, whereas in contrast to the surface modification with d block metal oxides such as FeO(x) and NiO, no visible-light response is induced. Electrochemical measurements and first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations for (SnO(2))(m)/TiO(2) model clusters (m = 1, 2) indicate that the bulk (TiO(2))-to-surface interfacial electron transfer (BS-IET) enhances charge separation and the following electron transfer to O(2) to increase the photocatalytic activity.