Thin-film TiO2 electrode surface characterization upon CO2 reduction processes

The effect of electrochemical reduction of CO₂ on the structure and morphology of titanium(IV) oxide thin films was examined after a fixed-potential bulk electrolysis process. Films deposited on ITO (Indium-Tin Oxide) substrates were used as the working electrodes and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIm][BF₄]) as solvent and as supporting electrolyte. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction analysis performed before and after the electrolysis process indicated no microstructural changes of the anatase films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed peaks associated with adsorbed carbonate ions at 288 eV and CO₂ species at 293 eV, whereas Ti2p peaks displacements for CO₂-saturated TiO₂/ITO surfaces in [BMIm][BF₄] revealed chemical bonding effects. Auger electron spectroscopy revealed a high carbon content on CO₂-exposed films, and suggested a strong chemisorption of CO₂ and CO₃²⁻ species on the TiO₂/ITO surface in [BMIm][BF₄] solvent system. A significant decrease in carbon content after bulk electrolysis indicated that the CO₂ electroreduction process is not controlled by either diffusion or by adsorption of CO₂ on the TiO₂/ITO electrode surface.     

Defect-assisted surface modification enhances the visible light photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4@C-TiO2 direct Z-scheme heterojunctions

To increase the number of active sites and defects in TiO₂ and promote rapid and efficient transfer of photogenerated charges, a g-C₃N₄@C-TiO₂ composite photocatalyst was prepared via in situ deposition of g-C₃N₄ on a carbon-doped anatase TiO₂ surface. The effects of carbon doping state and surface modification of g-C₃N₄ on the performance of g-C₃N₄@C-TiO₂ composite photocatalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and electron paramagnetic resonance. With increasing carbon doping content, the carbon doping state in TiO₂ gradually changed from gap to substitution doping. Although the number of oxygen vacancies gradually increased, the degradation efficiency of g-C₃N₄@C-TiO₂ for RhB (phenol) initially increased and subsequently decreased with increasing carbon content. The g-C₃N₄@10C-TiO₂ sample exhibited the highest apparent reaction rate constant of 0.036 min^?1 (0.039 min^?1) for RhB (phenol) degradation, which was 150 (139), 6.4 (6.8), 2.3 (3), and 1.7 (2.1) times higher than that of pure TiO₂, 10C-TiO₂, g-C₃N₄, and g-C₃N₄@TiO₂, respectively. g-C₃N₄ was grown in situ on the surface of C-TiO₂ by surface carbon hybridization and bonding. The resultant novel g-C₃N₄@C-TiO₂ photocatalyst exhibited direct Z-scheme heterojunctions with non-local impurity levels. The high photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the improved visible light response ability, higher photogenerated electron transfer efficiency, and redox ability arising from Z-type heterojunctions.     

Influence of High-energy electron-beam on photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films on carbon-fiber deposited by atomic layer deposition

High-energy electron-beam with energy of 1 MeV was used for modifying surface structure of TiO₂ thin films on carbon fiber prepared by using atomic layer deposition under atmospheric pressure. TiO₂ nanoparticles (∼20 nm) on carbon fiber underwent structural modification of the surface upon electron-beam treatment, resulting in enhanced photocatalytic activity. In contrast, a thicker film of TiO₂ did not show such changes in surface structure and photocatalytic activity by electron-beam treatment. We demonstrate that electron-beam can be used for modifying surface structure of photocatalysts consisting of nanoparticles for improvement of their activity.     

Compositing Amorphous TiO2 with N‐Doped Carbon as High‐Rate Anode Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Compositing amorphous TiO₂ with nitrogen‐doped carbon through Ti? N bonding to form an amorphous TiO₂/N‐doped carbon hybrid (denoted a‐TiO₂/C? N) has been achieved by a two‐step hydrothermal–calcining method with hydrazine hydrate as an inhibitor and nitrogen source. The resultant a‐TiO₂/C? N hybrid has a surface area as high as 108 m² g^?1 and, when used as an anode material, exhibits a capacity as high as 290.0 mA h g^?1 at a current rate of 1 C and a reversible capacity over 156 mA h g^?1 at a current rate of 10 C after 100 cycles; these results are better than those found in most reports on crystalline TiO₂. This superior electrochemical performance could be ascribed to a combined effect of several factors, including the amorphous nature, porous structure, high surface area, and N‐doped carbon.     

High ethanol sensitivity of Palladium/TiO2 nanobelt surface heterostructures dominated by enlarged surface area and nano-Schottky junctions

TiO₂ nanobelts were prepared by the hydrothermal growth method. The surface of the nanobelts was coarsened by selective acid corrosion and functionalized with Pd catalyst particles. Three nanobelt samples (TiO₂ nanobelts, surface-coarsened TiO₂ nanobelts and Pd nanoparticle/TiO₂ nanobelt surface heterostructures) were configured as gas sensors and their sensing ability was measured. Both the surface-coarsened nanobelts and the Pd nanoparticle-decorated TiO₂ nanobelts exhibited dramatically improved sensitivity to ethanol vapor. Pd nanoparticle-decorated TiO₂ nanobelts with surface heterostructures exhibited the best sensitivity, selectivity, working temperature, response/recovery time, and reproducibility. The excellent ethanol sensing performance is attributed to the large surface area and enhancement by Schottky barrier-type junctions between the Pd nanoparticles and TiO₂ nanobelts.     

IR-study of hydrated surface of oxide photocatalysts

IR spectroscopy combined with thermogravimetry was used to investigate the effect of the pretreatment temperature on the degree of coverage of the surface of oxide photocatalysts, TiO₂, ZnO, CeO₂, and Zn²⁺/TiO₂, with water. At room temperature, the amount of adsorbed water per unit area of photocatalysts in the air decreases in the row: ZnO ≥ CeO₂ > TiO₂, whereas the temperature needed for complete removal of physically adsorbed water from the studied oxides decreases in the reverse order. Water is removed from the ZnO surface by evacuation at room temperature; in the case of CeO₂ and TiO₂, it desorbs at 200 and 300 °С, respectively. The terminal OH groups on the oxide surface are the most strongly bonded with adsorbed water. In the zinc modified TiO₂, the terminal OH groups are firstly replaced by Zn cations, which causes both hydrophobization of the samples under atmospheric conditions and a decrease in the temperature at which physically adsorbed water is released from the surface. Evacuation of ZnO at 350 °C removes the surface oxygen and results in the generation of the surface defect sites. This causes strong absorption in the IR spectra in the region of 1000—4000 cm^–1. The formation of surface defects probably causes the appearance of donor levels in the band gap. The energy of the transition of electrons from these levels to the conduction band corresponds to the energy of the IR radiation. After oxidation of such samples in O₂ at 350 °C, strong absorption in the IR spectra disappears.     

Influence of surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles by gallates on the properties of PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized by in situ radical polymerization of MMA in solution. The surface of TiO₂ nanoparticles was modified with four gallic acid esters (octyl, decyl, lauryl and cetyl gallate). The content of gallates present on the surface of TiO₂ was calculated from the TGA results. The influence of length of hydrophobic tail of amphiphilic alkyl gallates on dispersability of surface modified TiO₂ nanoparticles in PMMA matrix, the molecular weight and glass transition temperature of PMMA, as well as the thermal stability of the prepared PMMA/TiO₂ nanocomposites in nitrogen and air was investigated. The influence of content of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the properties of these nanocomposites was also examined. The formation of a charge transfer complex between the surface Ti atoms and the gallates was confirmed by FTIR and UV spectroscopy. TEM micrographs of the PMMA/TiO₂ nanocomposites revealed that degree of TiO₂ aggregation can be significantly lowered by increasing the length of aliphatic part of the used gallates. The molecular weight of PMMA slightly decreases with the increase of TiO₂ content, indicating that used TiO₂ nanoparticles act as radical scavengers during the polymerization of MMA. The presence of surface modified TiO₂ nanoparticles do not have an influence on the mobility of PMMA chain segments leading to the same values of glass transition temperature for all investigated samples. Thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of the PMMA matrix are improved by introducing TiO₂ nanoparticles modified with gallates.     

Synthesis of visible light-activated TiO2 photocatalyst via surface organic modification

A visible light-activated TiO₂ photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by the surface organic modification to sol-gel-hydrothermal synthesized TiO₂. The surface hydroxyls of TiO₂ nanoparticles reacted with the active -NCO groups of tolylene diisocyanate (TDI) to form a surface complex that was confirmed by the FT-IR and XPS spectra. Due to the existence of surface complex, the absorption edge of as-prepared TDI-modified TiO₂ nanomaterial extended well into visible region. Compared with unmodified TiO₂ and Degussa P25, the TDI-modified TiO₂ photocatalysts showed higher activity for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation.     

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.     

Effect of polyaniline as a surface modifier of TiO2 nanoparticles on the properties of polyvinyl chloride/TiO2 nanocomposites

Surface of TiO2 nanoparticles was modified with the in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. Polyaniline modified TiO2 nanoparticles (PANI-TiO2 ) were characterized with the FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. Results confirmed that PANI was grafted successfully on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles, therefore agglomeration of nanoparticles decreased dramatically. Polyvinyl chloride nanocomposites filled with 1 wt% 5 wt% of PANI-TiO2 and TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared via the solution blending method. PVC nanocomposites were analyzed with FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TG/DTA, DSC and tensile test techniques. Effect of PANI as surface modifier of nanoparticles was discussed according to the final properties of PVC nanocomposites. Results demonstrated that deposition of PANI on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles improved the interfacial adhesion between the constituents of nanocomposites, which resulted in better dispersion of nanoparticles in the PVC matrix. Also PVC/PANI-TiO2 nanocomposites showed higher thermal resistance, tensile strength and Young’s modulus compared to those of unfilled PVC and PVC/TiO2 nanocomposites.     

TiO2/EDTA-rich carbon composites: Synthesis,characterization and visible-light-driven photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

TiO₂/EDTA-rich carbon composites exhibits excellent photoreduction of Cr(VI) activity via ligand-to-metal charge transfer process.     

First‐principles study of the (001) surface of cubic PbTiO3

We present first‐principles calculations on the (001) surfaces of cubic PbTiO₃ with PbO and TiO₂ terminations. The cleavage energy, surface energy, surface grand potential, surface relaxation and surface electronic structure have been investigated by using the projector‐augmented wave method under generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The results show that surface energy of a TiO₂‐terminated surface is a little lower than that of a PbO‐terminated one, thus allowing both terminations to coexist. The PbO‐termination is stable in O‐ and Pb‐rich environments, while on the contrary, the TiO₂‐termination is stable in O‐ and Pb‐poor conditions. In addition, the surface rumpling S of a PbO‐terminated surface is slightly larger than that of a TiO₂‐terminated one. The relaxations dominantly take place on the outermost three layers, and an oscillatory (? + ?) damping (|Δd₁₂ | > | Δd₂₃ | > | Δd₃₄|) relaxation phenomenon appears for both terminations. The band gaps of both PbO‐ and TiO₂‐terminations are slightly lower than that of the bulk. Moreover, the DOS curves of each layer show that for the TiO₂‐termination, the top of the valence band of the first and third TiO₂ layers moves toward Fermi level. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal-, photo- and electron-induced reactivity of hydrogen species on rutile TiO2(110) surface: Role of oxygen vacancy

The formation and reactivity of various types of hydrogen species on rutile TiO₂(110), including surface hydroxyl group, surface hydride species and bulk hydrogen species sensitively depend on the oxygen vacancy concentration and structure.     

Heterogeneous reaction of formaldehyde on the surface of TiO2 particles

The heterogeneous reaction of formaldehyde (HCHO) on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was investigated in situ using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) combined with ion chromatography (IC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Formate, dioxymethylene, methoxy, and polyoxymethylene were observed in the infrared spectra of TiO₂ particles during the reaction. On the surface of TiO₂, the adsorbed HCHO was first oxidized to dioxymethylene and further oxidized to formate. The effects of temperature and ultraviolet radiation (UV) on the reaction products and reactive uptake coefficients were studied, and the results indicate that the reaction rate can be accelerated at increasing temperatures as well as under UV. The heterogeneous reaction mechanisms of HCHO on the surface of TiO₂ in the dark and under UV irradiation are proposed. Kinetic measurements show that formate formation on TiO₂ is second order in HCHO concentration and the initial reactive uptake coefficients at room temperature calculated with the Brunauer-Emmett- Teller specific surface area are (0.5–5) × 10^?8 ([HCHO]: 1 × 10¹³?2 × 10¹⁴ molecules/cm³). A linear function relationship exists between the uptake coefficient and the concentration. The apparent activation energy of the reaction was also determined.     

Synthesis of TiO2 on different substrates by chemical vapor deposition for photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) in water

TiO₂ loaded on several substrates such as carbon fiber, aluminum plate, silica plate, and glass plate was prepared using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) in water with the presence of ethanol under Ultraviolet (UV) illumination. As‐prepared samples were characterized by X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The catalyst with TiO₂ loaded on carbon fiber possessed an extremely large surface area (1,463,91 m²/g), while the other catalysts possessed small surface areas (0.05–0.21 m²/g). The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ loaded on carbon fiber, which was determined by the conversion of Cr(VI) and the degradation of chemical oxygen demand (COD), was much higher than that of other catalysts. The reusability of TiO₂ loaded on carbon fiber catalyst exhibited almost the same activity as the fresh catalyst. The results indicated that TiO₂ loaded on carbon fiber is feasible for practical application.     

Biomimetic Sensor for Dobutamine Employing Nano‐ TiO2/Nafion/Carbon Nanoparticles Modified Electrode

A novel voltammetric biosensor based on nano‐TiO₂/nafion/carbon nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode (TiO₂/N/CNP/GCE) was developed for the determination of dobutamine (DBA). Characterization of the surface morphology and property of TiO₂/N/CNP layer was carried out by the scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The electrochemical performance of the modified electrode was investigated by means of the cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. Effective experimental variables, such as the scan rate, pH of the supporting electrolyte, drop size of the casted modifier suspension and accumulation conditions of DBA on the surface of TiO₂/N/CNP/GCE were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a significant electrochemical improvement was observed toward the electro‐oxidation of DBA on the surface of TiO₂/N/CNP/GCE compared to the bare GCE. Under the optimized conditions, a wide linear dynamic range (6 nM–1 µM) with a low detection limit of 2 nM for DBA was resulted. The prepared modified electrode shows high sensitivity, stability and good reproducibility in the determination of DBA concentrations. Satisfactory results were obtained for DBA analysis in the pharmaceutical and clinical preparations using TiO₂/N/CNP/GCE.     

Selective Hydrogenation of Citral over a Carbon‐titania Composite Supported Palladium Catalyst

A novel carbon‐titania composite material, C/TiO₂, has been prepared by growing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on TiO₂ surface via methane decomposition using Ni‐Cu as a catalyst. The C/TiO₂ was used for preparing supported palladium catalyst, Pd/C/TiO₂. The support and Pd/C/TiO₂ catalyst were characterized by BET, SEM, XRD and TG‐DTG. Its catalytic performance was evaluated in selective hydrogenation of citral to citronellal, and compared with that of activated carbon supported Pd catalyst. It was found that the Pd/C/TiO₂ catalyst contains 97% of mesopores. And it exhibited 88% of selectivity to citronellal at citral conversion of 90% in citral hydrogenation, which was much higher than that of activated carbon supported Pd catalyst. This result may be attributed to elimination of internal diffusion limitations, which were significant in activated carbon supported Pd catalyst, due to its microporous structure.     

Effect of urea surface modification and photocatalytic cleaning on surface‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry with amorphous TiO2 nanoparticles

We have investigated the effect of urea surface modification and the photocatalytic cleaning on surface‐assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI‐MS) with amorphous TiO₂ nanoparticles for the reduction of the background noise and the improvement of the sensitivity. In the use of nanoparticles of high surface area, chemical background signals arising from ambient environments and organic contaminants can frequently be serious problems below 500 Da, possibly reducing the advantages of the matrix‐free approach. In this study, removal of contaminants and enhanced SALDI efficiency were easily achieved with UV irradiation via the photocatalyst effect of TiO₂ before SALDI‐MS measurements. The surface cleaning achieved by the UV photocatalytic procedure reduced the background noise and increased the peak intensities of peptides. In addition, we found that urea surface modification of TiO₂ nanoparticles increased the performance of the TiO₂‐SALDI‐MS. (1) The urea‐surface modification of TiO₂ made it possible to produce proton‐adduct forms without citrate buffer, resulting in low background noises below 500 Da, in contrast to the essential use of a citrate buffer in the bare TiO₂‐SALDI‐MS. (2) The detection sensitivity of angiotensin I increased to 0.3 fmol with the urea‐surface modification, as compared to the use of bare TiO₂ nanoparticles (6 fmol). The urea‐TiO₂ could ionize proteins of more than 20 000 Da such as trypsinogen (600 fmol). (3) The urea modification of TiO₂ had the advantage of selective detection of phosphopeptides without sample clean up, or prefractionation in tryptic digest products of bovine hemoglobin. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

介孔钛纳米复合团簇应用于光热-光动力疗法

在本文,采用水热法合成了一种新型的介孔二氧化钛/碳/亚甲蓝复合纳米团簇(TiO₂@C-MB),并应用于肿瘤细胞的光动力(PDT)和光热治疗(PTT)。系统中介孔二氧化钛作为有效的光敏剂,MB作为重要的光敏添加剂以改善二氧化钛纳米晶的光化学效应,并将其光响应区域拓宽至光动力学疗法的理想治疗窗(650~900 nm)。柠檬酸在水热条件下被还原成碳并裹覆在二氧化钛表面。碳层表现出良好的光热效果,也充当多功能的电子受体以加速生成单线态氧。该纳米团簇不仅可以保持肿瘤细胞内部高浓度的MB和二氧化钛以产生大量的单线态氧杀死肿瘤细胞,而且可以避免MB退化失活。     

Vacuum activation-induced Ti<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and carbon co-doped TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> with enhanced solar light photo-catalytic activity

Ti³⁺ and carbon co-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts were prepared hydrothermally to introduce the carbon, and followed by simple vacuum activation to achieve the Ti³⁺ self-doping. The prepared co-doped photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, UV–Vis absorption spectra, EPR, and XPS. It was found that the co-doped TiO₂ has dispersed nanoparticles and a narrower band-gap compared with the un-doped TiO₂ and single-doped TiO₂. The experimental results displayed that the coke carbon generated on the surface of co-doped TiO₂ acts as a photosensitizer and has the photosensitization effect under solar light irradiation. Except for the carbon sensitization effect, the Ti³⁺ self-doping modification has a synergistic effect which is the reason for the effective photo-degradation of methyl orange under simulated solar light irradiation.