Nanostructured Ti-W mixed-metal oxides: structural and electronic properties

In this article, the structural and electronic properties of Ti-W binary mixed oxide nanoparticles are investigated by using X-ray diffraction, Raman, X-ray absorption spectroscopies (XAS; near edge XANES and extended EXAFS), UV-vis spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. A series of Ti-W binary oxide samples having W content below 20 atom % and with particle size between 8 and 13 nm were prepared by a microemulsion method. The atoms in these nanoparticles adopted the anatase-type structure with a/b lattice constants rather similar to those of the single TiO(2) reference and with a c cell parameter showing a noticeable expansion upon doping. Within the anatase structure, W occupies substitutional positions, while Ti atoms only suffer minor structural perturbations. A change in the W local order at first neighboring distance is observed when comparing samples having a W content below and above 15 atom %. Charge neutrality is mostly achieved by formation of cation vacancies located at the first cation distance of W centers. Upon addition of W to the TiO(2) structure, the Ti charge is not strongly modified, while changes in the W-O interaction appear to drive a modest modification of the W d-electron density throughout the Ti-W series. A combination of these geometrical and electronic effects produced Ti K- and W L(I)/L(III)-edge XANES/EXAFS spectra with distinctive features. UV-vis spectra show a nonlinear decrease of the band gap in the Ti-W solid solutions with a characteristic turning point at a W content of ca. 15 atom %. The relationship between local/long-range order and electronic parameters is discussed on the basis of these experimental results.