A Blinking Mesoporous TiO2−x Composed of Nanosized Anatase with Unusually Long-Lived Trapped Charge Carriers |
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| Authors: | Dr Tao Zhang Dr Jingxiang Low Prof Jiaguo Yu Dr Alexei M Tyryshkin Dr Eliška Mikmeková Prof Tewodros Asefa |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 98 Brett Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 USA;2. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070 China;3. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 USA;4. Institute of Scientific Instruments of the ASCR, Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 147, Brno, 612 64 Czech Republic |
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| Abstract: | A mesoporous TiO2−x material comprised of small, crystalline, vacancy-rich anatase nanoparticles (NPs) shows unique optical, thermal, and electronic properties. It is synthesized using polymer-derived mesoporous carbon (PDMC) as a template. The PDMC pores serve as physical barriers during the condensation and pyrolysis of a titania precursor, preventing the titania NPs from growing beyond 10 nm in size. Unlike most titania nanomaterials, during pyrolysis the NPs undergo no transition from the anatase to rutile phase and they become catalytically active reduced TiO2−x. When exposed to a slow electron beam, the NPs exhibit a charge/discharge behavior, lighting up and fading away for an average period of 15 s for an extended period of time. The NPs also show a 50 nm red-shift in their UV/Vis absorption and long-lived charge carriers (electrons and holes) at room temperature in the dark, even long after UV irradiation. The NPs as photocatalysts show a good activity for CO2 reduction. |
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| Keywords: | blinking nanoparticles carbon dioxide reduction long-lived charge carriers photocatalytic energy conversions titanium dioxide |
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