Influence of phonon confinement,surface stress,and zirconium doping on the Raman vibrational properties of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles

We present a comprehensive analysis of the Raman spectra of pure and zirconium‐doped anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles. To account for the wavenumber shifts of the E_g(ν₆) mode as a function of particle size (L) and dopant concentration (x), a modification of the standard phonon confinement model (PCM) is introduced, which takes into account the contribution of surface stress by means of the Laplace–Young equation. Together with X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy data, our analysis shows that the surface stress contribution to the observed blue shift of the Raman wavenumber is of the same magnitude as the spatial phonon confinement effect. Annealing experiments show that Zr‐doped nanoparticles exhibit retarded grain growth and delayed anatase‐to‐rutile phase transition by up to 200 K compared to pure anatase TiO₂. XRD shows that Zr doping leads to a unit cell expansion of the anatase structure. Applying the modified PCM to the x‐dependent variations of the E_g(ν₆) Raman mode, the mode‐Grüneisen parameter is found to increase abruptly at x > 0.07 with a concomitant mode softening. This coincides with the x range over which the Zr cations are reported to be displaced from their position in the tetrahedral lattice, and where Zr precipitation occurs upon annealing. The results have implications for the interpretation of Raman spectra of ionic metal oxide nanoparticles and how these are modified upon cation doping. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of tungsten doping concentration on the electronic and optical properties of anatase TiO2

The structural, electronic and optical properties of tungsten-doped TiO₂ have been investigated using density functional theory with plane wave basis sets and ultrasoft pseuodopotential. Substitutional W doping at Ti sites create W 5d states just below the conduction band minimum while interstitial W doping gives isolated W 5d states in the middle of forbidden region. Averaged bond lengths show that W doping at Ti sites produce minimum structural distortion as compared to the interstitial W-doped TiO₂. Substitutional W-doped TiO₂ has better visible light absorption compared to interstitial W-doped TiO₂ and has stable configuration which provide reasonable explanation for the experimental findings. Tungsten doping in TiO₂ with different doping concentrations is investigated as an enabling concept for enhancing the visible light absorption. Optical properties show that optimal W doping concentration would improve the visible light absorption. 2.08% W doping concentration gives strong visible and ultraviolet light absorption among all doped models found consistent with experiments.     

Electrical properties and defect chemistry of anatase (TiO2)

The electrical properties of pure Anatase are investigated by impedance spectroscopy as function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure. The experimental results are fully interpreted by point defect chemistry. A transition from predominant Schottky to Frenkel cation disorder is observed when the temperature increases and/or the oxygen partial pressure decreases. The reduction enthalpies are near those obtained for Rutile in previous studies.     

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.     

Different effects of cerium ions doping on properties of anatase and rutile TiO2

Pure and Ce⁴⁺ doped anatase and rutile TiO₂ were prepared by hydrothermal methods and characterized by XRD, TEM, UV-vis diffusion spectroscopy, and XPS measurements. The photocatalytic reactivity of the catalysts was evaluated by the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RB) under ultraviolet irradiation. The photocatalytic efficiency of the rutile sample doped with an appropriate amount of Ce⁴⁺ was enhanced while all Ce⁴⁺ doped anatase samples showed a much lower activity than pure anatase. The reasons were discussed     

Effects of nitrogen doping on optical properties of TiO2 thin films

The potential for extending the optical absorption range of TiO₂ by doping with nonmetallic elements was examined in nitrogen-containing TiO₂ thin films. Thin films of TiO_2-xN_x were synthesized on glass and silicon substrates by ion-beam-assisted deposition to obtain a wide range of nitrogen concentrations. The compositions of the films were determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structures of the films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The optical properties of the films were measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy and ellipsometry. A characteristic decreasing trend in band-gap values of the films was observed within a certain range of increasing dopant concentrations. As the nitrogen concentration increased, the structure of the films evolved from a well-defined anatase to deformed anatase. The reduced band gaps are associated with the N 2p orbital in the TiO_2-xN_x films. PACS 78.66.-w; 78.20.Ci     

金红石相和锐钛矿相TiO2本征缺陷的第一性原理计算

采用第一性原理的计算方法, 分别研究了金红石相和锐钛矿相TiO₂各种缺陷态形成的类型, 以及几何结构、生长气氛和Fermi能级位置对缺陷形成能的影响, 从理论上预测产生点缺陷的实验条件. 重点是讨论带电点缺陷的形成能, 并对结果进行适当修正. 研究发现, 本征缺陷的类型和浓度对 TiO₂的性能有一定的影响: 在富O条件下, TiO₂容易形成V_Ti(Ti空位)缺陷; 在富Ti条件下, TiO₂的Ti_i⁴⁺和V_O(O空位)缺陷将大量出现, 形成Schottky缺陷.     

Influence of oxygen vacancies on optical properties of anatase TiO2 thin films

This paper presents an investigation into the relaxation process of photo-excited carriers in anatase TiO₂ thin films, in which the concentration of oxygen vacancy is controlled by annealing at various temperatures in an oxygen atmosphere. The influence of oxygen vacancies on absorption spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and PL decay dynamics are discussed.     

Al-N共掺杂金红石相TiO_2的第一性原理研究

本文采用了基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理平面波超软赝势法对金红石相TiO_2进行了计算,其中内容包括未掺杂与单掺杂Al、单掺杂N以及共掺杂Al-N这四种不同情况下TiO_2的能带结构与态密度和光吸收系数的研究.计算结果表明:单掺杂Al和N时,均不同程度地改变了其能带结构,光吸收能力均有提高但效果不佳.在共掺杂Al-N时,TiO_2晶格常数产生了改变,并出现了新的杂质能级.由于杂质能级存在于TiO_2禁带范围内,减小了电子跃迁至导带所需能量,从而提高了其光吸收能力,其效果相对于单掺杂来说更有明显提高.     

First-principles study on with nitrogen and anatase TiO2 codoped praseodymium

<正>The crystal structures,electronic structures and optical properties of nitrogen or/and praseodymium doped anatase TiO₂ were calculated by first principles with the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method based on density functional theory.Highly efficient visible-light-induced nitrogen or/and praseodymium doped anatase TiO₂ nanocrystal photocatalyst were synthesized by a microwave chemical method.The calculated results show that the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ can be enhanced by N doping or Pr doping,and can be further enhanced by N+Pr codoping.The band gap change of the codoping TiO₂ is more obvious than that of the single ion doping,which results in the red shift of the optical absorption edges.The results are of great significance for the understanding and further development of visible-light response high activity modified TiO₂ photocatalyst.The photocatalytic activity of the samples for methyl blue degradation was investigated under the irradiation of fluorescent light.The experimental results show that the codoping TiO₂ photocatalytic activity is obviously higher than that of the single ion doping.The experimental results accord with the calculated results.     

Laser-induced crystalline phase transition from rutile to anatase of niobium doped TiO2

The investigation of the laser-induced crystalline phase transition of niobium doped TiO₂ single crystal is discussed in this paper. The TiO₂ single crystal was studied by using Raman spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction before and after irradiation by 266?nm?ns laser at the threshold intensity of 56?MW/cm². Experimental results show an evidence of anatase phase formation from rutile single crystal. Moreover, the analysis of the experimentally obtained and calculated crystallographic texture indicates that the converted TiO₂ layer has a polycrystalline structure with the preferred orientations. According to the Raman spectroscopy the amount of anatase phase increases with the number of laser pulses indicating the dose-dependent conversion process.     

Optimized monolayer grafting of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane onto amorphous,anatase and rutile TiO2

Experimental conditions were studied for optimized attachment of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) onto amorphous, anatase and rutile titanium dioxide (TiO₂) surfaces. The attachment process and extent was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In particular, the effect of attachment time, silane concentration, reaction temperature and the TiO₂ crystalline structure on the growth kinetics of the silane layers was studied. The measurements reveal that typically monolayers are more dense on amorphous than on crystalline TiO₂. The results show that critical experimental conditions exist where APTES attachment to the TiO₂ surface changes from a monolayer to a multilayer growth mode. The obtained results and parameters to produce optimized APTES layers are of a high practical relevance as APTES attachment often constitutes the initial step for organic modification of TiO₂ surface with biorelevant molecules such as proteins, enzymes or growth factors.     

Photocatalytic activity of bulk TiO2 anatase and rutile single crystals using infrared absorption spectroscopy

A systematic study on the photocatalytic activity of well-defined, macroscopic bulk single-crystal TiO(2) anatase and rutile samples has been carried out, which allows us to link photoreactions at surfaces of well-defined oxide semiconductors to an important bulk property with regard to photochemistry, the life time of e-h pairs generated in the bulk of the oxides by photon absorption. The anatase (101) surface shows a substantially higher activity, by an order of magnitude, for CO photo-oxidation to CO(2) than the rutile (110) surface. This surprisingly large difference in activity tracks the bulk e-h pair lifetime difference for the two TiO(2) modifications as determined by contactless transient photoconductance measurements on the corresponding bulk materials.     

Influence of nitrogen and magnesium doping on the properties of ZnO films

Undoped ZnO and doped ZnO films were deposited on the MgO(111) substrates using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam expitaxy. The orientations of the grown ZnO thin film were investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction and ex situ x-ray diffraction(XRD). The film roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy, which was correlated with the grain sizes determined by XRD. Synchrotron-based x-ray absorption spectroscopy was performed to study the doping effect on the electronic properties of the ZnO films, compared with density functional theory calculations.It is found that, nitrogen doping would hinder the growth of thin film, and generate the NOdefect, while magnesium doping promotes the quality of nitrogen-doped ZnO films, inhibiting(N_2)Oproduction and increasing nitrogen content.     

Optical properties of anatase and rutile TiO_2 studied by GGA + U

The optical properties of thermally annealed TiO_2 samples depend on their preparation process, and the TiO_2 thin films usually exist in the form of anatase or rutile or a mixture of the two phases. The electronic structures and optical properties of anatase and rutile TiO_2 are calculated by means of a first-principles generalized gradient approximation(GGA) +U approach. By introducing the Coulomb interactions on 3d orbitals of Ti atom(U~d) and 2p orbitals of O atom(U~p), we can reproduce the experimental values of the band gap. The optical properties of anatase and rutile TiO_2 are obtained by means of the GGA+U method, and the results are in good agreement with experiments and other theoretical data. Further, we present the comparison of the electronic structure, birefringence, and anisotropy between the two phases of TiO_2. Finally,the adaptability of the GGA+U approach has been discussed.     

Defects in rutile and anatase polymorphs of TiO2: kinetics and thermodynamics near grain boundaries

The direct consequence of irradiation on a material is the creation of point defects-typically interstitials and vacancies, and their aggregates-but it is the ultimate fate of these defects that determines the material's radiation tolerance. Thus, understanding how defects migrate and interact with sinks, such as grain boundaries, is crucial for predicting the evolution of the material. We examine defect properties in two polymorphs of TiO(2)-rutile and anatase-to determine how these materials might respond differently to irradiation. Using molecular statics and temperature accelerated dynamics, we focus on two issues: how point defects interact with a representative grain boundary and how they migrate in the bulk phase. We find that grain boundaries in both polymorphs are strong sinks for all point defects, though somewhat stronger in rutile than anatase. Further, the defect kinetics are very different in the two polymorphs, with interstitial species diffusing quickly in rutile while oxygen defects-both interstitials and vacancies-are fast diffusers in anatase. These results allow us to speculate on how grain boundaries will modify the radiation tolerance of these materials. In particular, grain boundaries in rutile will lead to a space charge layer at the boundary and a vacancy-rich damage structure, while in anatase the damage structure would likely be more stoichiometric, but with larger defects consisting primarily of Ti ions.     

Density functional theory studies on the structural and physical properties of Cu-doped anatase TiO2(101) surface

Structure and physical properties of anatase TiO₂ (101) surface doped with copper have been studied by using density functional theory. Results show that Cu@Ti and Cu@O systems behave as p and n type semiconductors, respectively. Anatase TiO₂ (101) surface exhibits a blue shift in optical absorption spectra compared with pure TiO₂ bulk materials. Enhanced photocatalytic activity at wavelength around 400 nm could be contributed by the change in electronic structure.