The different behavior of rutile and anatase nanoparticles in forming oxy radicals upon illumination with visible light: an EPR study

Photoexcited TiO(2) has been found to generate reactive oxygen species, yet the precise mechanism and chemical nature of the generated oxy species especially regarding the different crystal phases remain to be elucidated. Visible light-induced reactions of a suspension of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) in water were investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) coupled with the spin-trapping technique. Increased levels of both hydroxyl (˙OH) and superoxide anion (˙O(2)(-)) radicals were detected in TiO(2) rutile and anatase nanoparticles (50 nm). The intensity of signals assigned to the ˙OH and ˙O(2)(-) radicals was larger for the anatase phase than that originating from rutile. Moreover, illumination with visible (nonUV) light enhanced ˙O(2)(-) formation in the rutile phase. Singlet oxygen was not detected in water suspension of TiO(2) neither in rutile nor in anatase nanoparticles, but irradiation of the rutile phase with visible light revealed a signal, which could be attributed to singlet oxygen formation. The blue part of visible spectrum (400-500 nm) was found to be responsible for the light-induced ROS in TiO(2) nanoparticles. The characterization of the mechanism of visible light-induced oxy radicals formation by TiO(2) nanoparticles could contribute to its use as a sterilization agent.     

EPR investigation of TiO2 nanoparticles with temperature-dependent properties

An in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study has been carried out for anatase (Hombikat UV100) and rutile TiO(2) nanoparticles at liquid helium (He) temperature (4.2 K) under UV irradiation. Rutile titania was synthesized by ultrasonic irradiation with titanium tetrachloride (TiCl(4)) as the precursor. XRD and Raman results evidence the crystallinity of titania phases. The nature of trapped electrons and holes has been investigated by EPR spectroscopy under air and vacuum conditions. Illumination of TiO(2) powder (anatase and rutile) at 4.2 K resulted in the detection of electrons being trapped at Ti(4+) sites within the bulk and holes trapped at lattice oxide ions at the surface. The stability of electron traps was very sensitive to temperature in both phases of TiO(2). The annealing kinetics of the EPR detected radicals has been studied from 4.2 K to ambient temperature and also for calcined titania particles from 523 to 1273 K.     

Crystallization and photovoltaic properties of titania-coated polystyrene hybrid microspheres and their photocatalytic activity

The hybrid microspheres with polystyrene core coated by titania nanoparticles were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization, and the as-prepared samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, TG-DTA, XPS, and SPS techniques. TiO2 nanoparticles experienced two processes of phase transition, i.e., amorphous to anatase and anatase to rutile at the calcining temperature range from 400 to 1000 degrees C. The phase transformation temperature of TiO2 hybrid microspheres from anatase to rutile was increased by about 300 degrees C due to the blocking function of calcined polymer remainder. SPS results present that the band-gap of hybrid microspheres is 3.2-3.4 eV, which is larger than that of pure TiO2. The maximum intensity of the SPS signal is about 3 times larger for the hybrid material as compared to the pure TiO2. In addition, the photocatalytic degradation rate of TiO2 hybrid microspheres was 15% faster than that of pure TiO2 in the experiment of the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange.     

Gold nanoparticles located at the interface of anatase/rutile TiO2 particles as active plasmonic photocatalysts for aerobic oxidation

Visible-light irradiation (λ > 450 nm) of gold nanoparticles loaded on a mixture of anatase/rutile TiO(2) particles (Degussa, P25) promotes efficient aerobic oxidation at room temperature. The photocatalytic activity critically depends on the catalyst architecture: Au particles with <5 nm diameter located at the interface of anatase/rutile TiO(2) particles behave as the active sites for reaction. This photocatalysis is promoted via plasmon activation of the Au particles by visible light followed by consecutive electron transfer in the Au/rutile/anatase contact site. The activated Au particles transfer their conduction electrons to rutile and then to adjacent anatase TiO(2). This catalyzes the oxidation of substrates by the positively charged Au particles along with reduction of O(2) by the conduction band electrons on the surface of anatase TiO(2). This plasmonic photocatalysis is successfully promoted by sunlight exposure and enables efficient and selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols at ambient temperature.     

Pyrogenic iron(III)-doped TiO2 nanopowders synthesized in RF thermal plasma: phase formation, defect structure, band gap, and magnetic properties

Iron(III)-doped TiO(2) nanopowders, with controlled iron to titanium atomic ratios (R(Fe/Ti)) ranging from nominal 0 to 20%, were synthesized using oxidative pyrolysis of liquid-feed metallorganic precursors in a radiation-frequency (RF) thermal plasma. The valence of iron doped in the TiO(2), phase formation, defect structures, band gaps, and magnetic properties of the resultant nanopowders were systematically investigated using M?ssbauer spectroscopy, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TEM/HRTEM, UV-vis spectroscopy, and measurements of magnetic properties. The iron doped in TiO(2) was trivalent (3+) in a high-spin state as determined by the isomer shift and quadrupole splitting from the M?ssbauer spectra. No other phases except anatase and rutile TiO(2) were identified in the resultant nanopowders. Interestingly, thermodynamically metastable anatase predominated in the undoped TiO(2) nanopowders, which can be explained from a kinetic point of view based on classical homogeneous nucleation theory. With iron doping, the formation of rutile was strongly promoted because rutile is more tolerant than anatase to the defects such as oxygen vacancies resulting from the substitution of Fe(3+) for Ti(4+) in TiO(2). The concentration of oxygen vacancies reached a maximum at R(Fe/Ti) = 2% above which excessive oxygen vacancies tended to concentrate. As a result of this concentration, an extended defect like crystallographic shear (CS) structure was established. With iron doping, red shift of the absorption edges occurred in addition to the d-d electron transition of iron in the visible light region. The as-prepared iron-doped TiO(2) nanopowders were paramagnetic in nature at room temperature.     

Influence of Sn4+ on the structural and electronic properties of Ti1-xSnxO2 nanoparticles used as photocatalysts

Ti(1-x)Sn(x)O(2) nanocrystalline materials employed for photocatalysis have been characterised by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman, X-ray absorption (XANES and EXAFS) and UV-Vis spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Single-phase samples with anatase or rutile type structures and similar tin contents permitted a separate study of the effect of Sn(4+) ions on these crystalline forms, whereas materials composed of anatase and rutile mixtures were used to investigate the distribution of the dopant cations when both phases coexist. The results obtained from the single-phase doped TiO(2) samples indicate that the presence of tin causes a different effect when doping anatase or rutile in both their structural and electronic properties. While a random substitution of Sn(4+) for Ti(4+) seems plausible for the rutile phase, some kind of gradient in Sn(4+) concentration is possible in anatase. On the other hand, when anatase and rutile coexist, effects of doping are visible in both phases. Regarding chemical composition, a homogeneous distribution of tin was found in both calcined and hydrothermal multiphase samples. Photocatalytic experiments show that both tin-doping and coexistence of different phases have a beneficial effect on the activity of the catalysts.     

C-N-S-TiO2光催化剂的制备、表征及其性能

以钛酸四丁酯为钛源、功能生物小分子胱氨酸为掺杂剂,采用溶胶-凝胶法同步合成了C-N-S-TiO2光催化剂,利用XRD、XPS、FT-IR和DRS等测试技术对样品的结构及物化性能进行了表征。XRD和DRS分析表明,共掺杂抑制了TiO2晶粒的生长,提高了晶相转变温度,且C-N-S-TiO2样品的吸收带边明显"红移",光吸收范围一直延长至800 nm左右。XPS分析结果显示,C-N-S-TiO2样品表面产生了杂质能级,C、S元素分别取代部分晶格Ti4+以CO23-和S6+形式存在;而N峰呈宽化状态,以O—Ti—N和Ti—O—N键存在,且样品表面羟基含量明显增加。以罗丹明B染料为模型污染物,考察了该催化剂的可见光催化活性。结果表明,与P25 TiO2比较,C-N-S-TiO2光催化剂活性得到改进,C-N-S-TiO2光催化剂在470～800 nm波长下辐射120 min后对罗丹明B的降解率可高达83%。     

二氧化钛纳米微粒的制备与光催化活性

本文采用溶液－凝胶法制备了粒径为１０－２０ｎｍ左右的二氧化钛纳米微粒。用ＸＲＤ研究了二氧化钛溶胶的热处理过程,研究表明温度在４７３Ｋ－６７３Ｋ左右ＴｉＯ２向量 粒呈不规整锐钛矿结构,粒径约为１０－２０ｎｍ。在８７３Ｋ左右ＴｉＯ２微粒出现锐钛矿与金红石型混晶结构。     

Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12纳米线的可见光催化性能

研究了用一步水热法制备的掺镧钛酸铋(Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂, BLT)纳米线的光学和可见光催化性能, 并对其晶体结构和微观结构用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)等手段进行了表征. 结果表明, 制备的纳米线为纯相的Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂, 平均直径约为25 nm. 室温光致发光谱(PL)显示BLT纳米线在433和565 nm附近有较强的发射峰, 分别对应激子发射和表面缺陷发光. 紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)表明BLT样品的带隙能约为2.07 eV. 利用可见光(λ>420 nm)照射下的甲基橙降解实验评价了BLT样品的光催化性能. 结果表明, BLT的光催化活性比商用TiO₂催化剂P25、掺氮TiO₂和纯相钛酸铋(Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂, BIT)高得多. BLT光催化剂具有更高催化活性的原因是La³⁺离子掺杂拓展了BIT对可见光的吸收范围, 同时抑制了BIT的光生电子-空穴的复合.     

Density functional theory calculations of dense TiO2 polymorphs: implication for visible-light-responsive photocatalysts

Structural parameters and electronic band gaps of dense TiO(2) polymorphs, i.e., alpha-PbO(2), baddeleyite, fluorite, and cotunnite types of structures, were calculated using a first-principles density functional method with local-density approximation. The ambient phases, i.e., rutile and anatase, with known theoretical and experimental data were used to ensure the validity of the calculations. The fluorite-type TiO(2) turned out to have the narrowest band gap, 1.08 or 2.18 eV after applying a very approximate band gap correction, due to highly symmetrical TiO(8) polyhedra with Ti(3d) and O(2p) orbitals in the most mixed state. Ti with eight coordinated oxygens, as feasible under high pressure or residual stress, may have potential applications as a visible-light-responsive photocatalyst.     

Synthesis of highly active sulfate-promoted rutile titania nanoparticles with a response to visible light

Highly active sulfate-promoted rutile titania (SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)) with smaller band gap was prepared by an in situ sulfation method, that is, under moderate conditions, sulfate-promoted rutile titania was directly obtained via precipitating Ti(SO(4))(2) in NaOH solution followed by peptizing in HNO(3) without the phase transformation from anatase to rutile. Thus, the negative impacts of phase transformation from anatase to rutile on the structure, surface, and photoactivity properties of the catalysts due to higher calcination temperature can be avoided. The catalysts were characterized by means of thermal analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR pyridine adsorption, and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The results show sulfate species are sensitive to the variation of calcination temperature. In the process of peptizing, sulfate species are homogeneously dispersed throughout the bulk of catalysts, allowing sulfate species to penetrate into the network of TiO(2) effectively. After being calcined at 300 degrees C, sulfate species occupy oxygen sites to form Ti-S bonds, as evidenced by XPS results. As calcination temperature is further increased to 600 degrees C or above, the active sulfate species on the catalyst surface are destroyed, and the sulfate species in the network of TiO(2) are expelled out onto the surface to form inactive sulfate species. Thus, Ti(3+) defects will be produced on the catalyst surface. Accompanying this process, surface area is decreased promptly, and crystalline size is greatly increased via two fast growth phases due to the decomposition of sulfate species with different binding forces. Most importantly, the band gap of SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2) is remarkably shifted to the visible light region due to the formation of Ti-S bonds, and with increasing calcination temperature the visible light absorption capability is reduced due to breakage of Ti-S bonds. The excellent photoactivity of 300 degrees C calcined SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2) can be explained by its small crystalline size, high surface area, loose and porous microstructure, and the generation of Br?nsted acidity on its surface.     

Size control synthesis of sulfur doped titanium dioxide （anatase） nanoparticles, its optical property and its photo catalytic reactivity for CO2 ＋ H2O conversion and phenol degradation

Sulfur doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (3 nm−12 nm) were synthesized by the reaction of titanium tetrachloride, water and sulfuric acid with addition of 3M NaOH at room temperature. The electro-optical and photocatalytic properties of the synthesized sulfur doped TiO2 nanoparticles were studied along with Degussa commercial TiO2 particles (24 nm). The results show that band gap of TiO2 particles decreases from 3.31 to 3.25 eV and for that of commercial TiO2 to 3.2 eV when the particle sizes increased from 3 nm to 12 nm with increase in sulfur doping. The results of the photocatalytic activity under UV and sun radiation show maximum phenol conversion at the particle size of 4 nm at 4.80% S-doping. Similar results are obtained using UV energy for both phenol conversion and conversion of CO2+H2O in which formation of methanol, ethanol and proponal is observed. Production of methanol is also achieved on samples with a particle size of 8 and 12 nm and sulfur doping of 4.80% and 5.26%. For TiO2 particle of 4 nm without S doping, the production of methanol, ethanol and proponal was lower as compared to the S-doped particles. This is attributed to the combined electronic effect and band gap change, S dopant, specific surface area and the light source used.     

均相水解法制备金红石含量可控的纳米TiO2

用均相水解法通过调节对甲苯磺酸的添加量制备了金红石含量线性可控的纳米TiO2粒子,相同条件下,没有加入对甲苯磺酸时,制备的TiO02颗粒为纯锐钛矿晶型．制备的纳米TiO2颗粒,其单晶尺寸为19．5mm(金红石),13．5mm(锐钛矿),比表面积72．7m^2／g,通过公式计算得到了制备的TiO2纳米颗粒带隙能为2．83eV,比P25和纯锐钛矿纳米TiO2颗粒的带隙能均低．     

一步低温法制备可见光响应的棕色纳米TiO2及其光催化性能

光催化作为一种具有前景的技术,被广泛运用于有机物降解、废水处理、空气净化、抗菌、太阳能电池等领域.在众多的光催化材料中,纳米TiO2因具有性质稳定、耐腐蚀、廉价和无毒等优点而受到广泛关注.但纳米TiO2禁带宽度较大(3.2 eV)、只对紫外光有响应及电子-空穴对易复合等特性限制了它的应用.因此,提高纳米TiO2的可见光响应一直是研究的热点.本文发展了一种在低温下制备棕色纳米TiO2的改良溶胶-凝胶法.该法以钛酸四丁酯为钛源,无水乙醇为溶剂,形成溶胶后无需陈化和高温高压,在简单温和的条件下即可制备出棕色纳米TiO2.比较了低温干燥和高温焙烧两种处理方法,结果表明,随着制备温度的升高,样品的粒子尺寸增大,比表面积减小,颜色从白色转变为棕色,在更高的温度又变浅.样品的可见光吸收在180℃时达到最大,随后减弱.在优化温度180℃下制备的TiO2-180℃纳米粒子不仅具有较小的粒径(5.0 nm),较大的比表面积(213.45 m2/g),且在整个紫外-可见光区都具有较强的吸收,其禁带宽度低至1.84 eV.X-射线光电子能谱结果表明,TiO2粒子表面的–OH/H2O含量随制备温度升高而先增加后下降.Raman光谱中Eg峰的移动和变宽表明TiO2晶格可能存在缺陷或氧空位,而TiO2-180℃纳米粒子的电子顺磁共振图谱的g值在2.003左右,对应氧空位中的未成对电子,验证了以上推测.其中TiO2-180℃纳米粒子呈现为最强的EPR信号,表明其晶格内存在最高浓度的氧空位,这是其具有强可见光吸收的原因.光催化实验结果表明,在可见光照射下,TiO2-180℃可高效降解亚甲基蓝(MB).当C(MB)=10 mg/L,pH=4,催化剂添加量为0.07 g时,TiO2-180℃催化剂的光催化活性达到最佳,光照1 h后MB降解率达到99.33%,反应速率常数(0.08287 mg/(L·min))约为同条件下P25(0.01342 mg/(L·min))的6倍.同时,TiO2-180℃催化剂在不同单色光下的光催化活性与它对单色光的光响应大致相符.循环降解实验证明TiO2-180℃催化剂具有很好的稳定性.光猝灭实验表明,·OH在光催化降解过程占主导作用,而TiO2-180℃样品表面含有较多的–OH,有利于·OH的产生,乃至光催化反应.研究表明,晶格内高浓度的氧空位导致的强可见光响应,得益于低温制备条件而保留了大量–OH/H2O的纳米粒子表面以及更大的比表面积,共同促成了TiO2-180℃优越的光催化活性.所制备的棕色纳米TiO2经过进一步修饰后有望运用于实际应用中.     

Adsorption configurations and energetics of BClx (x=0-3) on TiO2 anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces

This study investigates the adsorption and reactions of boron trichloride and its fragments (BClx) on the TiO2 anatase (101) and rutile (110) surfaces by first-principles calculations. The results show that the possible absorbates on the TiO2 anatase and rutile surfaces are very similar. The single- and double-site adsorption configurations are found for both anatase and rutile surfaces. The particular adsorbate feature on the anatase surface is its in-plane double-site adsorption by Ti and O from its sawtooth surface. The potential energy surface shows that BCl3 can be adsorbed on the O site for both the anantase and rutile surfaces and the most of the BClx reaction on both anatase and rutile surfaces are endothermic, except for the dissociative reaction on the rutile surface. The energy levels of the BClx reactions between the anatase and rutile surfaces show that the rutile surface has lower energy levels than those of anatase surface. This result reveals that the BClx dissociative adsorption more easily occurs on rutile surface than on anatase surface.     

Effect of calcination temperature on the structure of a Pt/TiO2 (B) nanofiber and its photocatalytic activity in generating H2

Hydrogen trititanate (H 2Ti 3O 7) nanofibers were prepared by a hydrothermal method in 10 M NaOH at 403 K, followed by acidic rinsing and drying at 383 K. Calcining H 2Ti 3O 7 nanofibers at 573 K led to the formation of TiO 2 (B) nanofibers. Calcination at 673 K improved the crystallinity of the TiO 2 (B) nanofibers and did not cause any change in the morphology and dimensions of the nanofibers. TiO 2 (B) and H 2Ti 3O 7 nanofibers are 10-20 nm in diameter and several micrometers long, but FE-SEM reveals that several of these nanofibers tend to bind tightly to each other, forming a fiber bundle. Calcination at 773 K transformed TiO 2 (B) nanofibers into a TiO 2 (B)/anatase bicrystalline mixture with their fibrous morphology remaining intact. Upon increasing the calcination temperature to 873 K, most of the TiO 2 (B) nanofibers were converted into anatase nanofibers and small anatase particles with smoother surfaces. In the photocatalytic dehydrogenation of neat ethanol, 1% Pt/TiO 2 (B) nanofiber calcined at 673 K was the most active catalyst and generated about the same amount of H 2 as did 1% Pt/P-25. TPR indicated that the calcination of 1% Pt/TiO 2 (B) nanofiber at 573 K produced a poor Pt dispersion and poor activity. Calcination at a temperature higher than 773 K (in ambient air) resulted in an SMSI effect similar to that observed over TiO 2 in the reductive atmosphere. As suggested by XPS, such an SMSI effect decreased the surface concentration of Pt metal and created Pt (delta) sites, preventing Pt particles from functioning as a Schottky barrier and leading to a lower activity. Because of the synergetic effect between TiO 2 (B) and anatase phases, the bicrystalline mixture, produced by calcining at 773 K, was able to counter negative effects such as the reduction in surface area and the SMSI effect and maintained its photocatalytic activity.     

Effects of material properties on sedimentation and aggregation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles of anatase and rutile in the aqueous phase

This study investigated the sedimentation and aggregation kinetics of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles with varying material properties (i.e., crystallinity, morphology, and chemical composition). Used in the study were various types of commercially available TiO(2) nanoparticles: three spherical anatase (nominal diameters of 5, 10, and 50 nm) and two rutile nanoparticles (10×40 and 30×40 nm). The 50 nm anatase and 10×40 nm rutile showed higher stability in deionized water and 5 mM NaCl solutions at pH 7 than the 5, and 10 nm anatase nanoparticles in sedimentation experiments. In aggregation experiments, critical coagulation concentration values for the 50 nm anatase were the highest, followed by the 10×40 nm rutile and the 5 nm anatase nanoparticles in NaCl and CaCl(2) solutions. The aggregation kinetics was fitted reasonably well with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) equations for the TiO(2) nanoparticles tested. Results showed that crystallinity and morphology are not influential factors in determining the stability of TiO(2) nanoparticle suspensions; however, the differences in their chemical compositions, notably, the varying concentrations of impurities (i.e., silicon and phosphorus) in the pristine materials, determined the surface charge and therefore the sedimentation and aggregation of TiO(2) nanoparticles in the aqueous phase.     

A one-step process for the antimicrobial finishing of textiles with crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles

Titanium oxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles (NPs) in their two forms, anatase and rutile, were synthesized and deposited onto the surface of cotton fabrics by using ultrasonic irradiation. The structure and morphology of the nanoparticles were analyzed by using characterization methods such as XRD, TEM, STEM, and EDS. The antimicrobial activities of the TiO(2)-cotton composites were tested against Escherichia coli (gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) strains, as well as against Candida albicans. Significant antimicrobial effect was observed, mainly against Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the combination of visible light and TiO(2) NPs showed enhanced antimicrobial activity.     

Fabrication of rutile rod-like particle by hydrothermal method: an insight into HNO3 peptization

In this work, well-crystallized and well-dispersed rod-like TiO(2) rutile particles were prepared by hydrothermally treating acid-peptized TiO(2) sols at relatively low temperatures of 200 and 240 degrees C. Raman spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the peptized sols before and after hydrothermal treatment. The results showed that HNO(3) peptization of amorphous TiO(2) was able to promote, at room temperature, the formation of crystalline phases of anatase or rutile, at low (HNO(3)/Ti=1) or at high (HNO(3)/Ti=4) concentrations of peptizer, respectively. However, after hydrothermal treatment, well-crystalline rutile developed independent of the starting concentration of the peptizer. The formation of well-dispersed rutile particles is attributed to high long-range electrostatic forces between particles in the presence of the high concentration of the peptizer. The acid peptization would easily break the oxolation bonds between triple bond Ti-O-Ti triple bond, promote the formation of titanium species with fewer oxolation bonds depending on the amount of acid, and create conditions for the formation of rutile nuclei after structural rearrangements.     

新型N-TiO2的固相法制备及其光催化性能

以纳米管钛酸为前驱体,以NH4HCO3为N源,先机械研磨使二者混合均匀,再在Ar保护下,于不同温度焙烧4h制得N掺杂TiO2 (N-TiO2),并采用X射线粉末衍射、X射线光电子能谱、紫外-可见吸收光谱、透射电镜及N2吸附-脱附对样品进行了表征.结果显示,N以间隙掺杂方式进入TiO2晶格内.在热处理过程中,生成中间体(...