Understanding the effect of surface/bulk defects on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2: anatase versus rutile

Iron-Doped Cauliflower-Like Rutile TiO2 with Superior Sodium Storage Properties

Developing advanced anodes for sodium ion batteries is still challenging. In this work, Fe-doped three-dimensional (3D) cauliflower-like rutile TiO₂ was successfully synthesized by a facile hydrolysis method followed by a low-temperature annealing process. The influence of Fe content on the structure, morphology, and electrochemical performance was systematically investigated. When utilized as a sodium ion battery anode, 6.99%-Fe-doped TiO₂ exhibited the best electrochemical performance. This sample delivered a very high reversible capacity (327.1 mAh g^-1 at 16.8 mA g^-1) and superior rate performance (160.5 mAh g^-1 at 840 mA g^-1), as well as long-term cycling stability (no capacity fading at 1680 mA g^-1 over 3000 cycles). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with experimental results indicated that the significantly improved sodium storage ability of the Fe-doped sample should be mainly due to the increased oxygen vacancies, narrowed band gap, and lowered sodiation energy barrier, which enabled much higher electronic/ionic conductivities and more favorable sodium ion intercalation into rutile TiO₂.

Synergistic Effects of Sm and C Co-Doped Mixed Phase Crystalline TiO₂ for Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

Mixed phase TiO₂ nanoparticles with element doping by Sm and C were prepared via a facile sol-gel procedure. The UV-Vis light-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis showed that the absorption region of co-doped TiO₂ was shifted to the visible-light region, which was attributed to incorporation of samarium and carbon into the TiO₂ lattice during high-temperature reaction. Samarium effectively decreased the anatase-rutile phase transformation. The grain size can be controlled by Sm doping to achieve a large specific surface area useful for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation were evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). The degradation rate of MB over the Sm-C co-doped TiO₂ sample was the best. Additionally, first-order apparent rate constants increased by about 4.3 times compared to that of commercial Degusssa P25 under the same experimental conditions. Using different types of scavengers, the results indicated that the electrons, holes, and •OH radicals are the main active species for the MB degradation. The high visible-light photocatalytic activity was attributed to low recombination of the photo-generated electrons and holes which originated from the synergistic effect of the co-doped ions and the heterostructure.

Titanocene dichloride (Cp2TiCl2) as a precursor for template-free fabrication of hollow TiO2 nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

A one-pot and template-free strategy for synthesizing hollow TiO₂ nanostructures (HTSs) is developed by using titanocene dichloride as a titanium source, acetone as a solvent, and ammonia as a basic source. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations demonstrate that the morphology transformation undergoes solid, yolk-shell and then hollow structures, typical of an Ostwald ripening process. Comparative experiments suggest that the mismatched hydrolysis rate of chloride anion and organic cyclopentadiene in unique titanocene dichloride (Cp₂TiCl₂) molecules should be responsible for the formation of HTSs. The TiO₂ nanostructures exhibit controllable morphologies and tunable sizes by mainly adjusting the amounts of the titanium precursor or ammonia. The HTSs show much improved photocatalytic performance as compared with samples of other morphologies in water splitting application, due to the remarkably increased surface area and active sites, and enhanced mass transfer. Our findings reported herein may offer new perspectives in materials chemistry, and energy- and environment-related applications.

Investigations on Zr incorporation into Li3V2(PO4)3/C cathode materials for lithium ion batteries

Zr-modified Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C composites (LVZrP/C and LVP/C-Zr) obtained from different ways exhibit enhanced performance, in which Zr exists not only in the LVP lattice but also on the LVP surface.

Carbon-doped freestanding TiO2 nanotube arrays in dye-sensitized solar cells

DSSCs with TiO₂ nanotube arrays that were doped with carbon to improve their electron transport for energy conversion efficiency.

Annealing effect on the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanorod arrays

The photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ nanorod arrays annealed in the air were investigated.

Surface oxygen vacancy induced solar light activity enhancement of a CdWO4/Bi2O2CO3 core–shell heterostructure photocatalyst

A CdWO₄/Bi₂O₂CO₃ core–shell heterostructure photocatalyst was fabricated via a facile two-step hydrothermal process.

Photocatalytic alginate fuel cells for energy production and refining of macroalgae

An alginate fuel cell comprising a TiO₂-modified carbon sheet (TiO₂/C) anode was developed. The power output of the fuel cell and decomposition of alginate were enhanced by solar irradiation of the anode.

Multi-dimensional micro-/nano-reactor spheres for sustainable water treatment

Micro-/nano-reactor spheres assembled through green synthesis featuring multi-shell hollow, hierarchical, carbonaceous CuO/CuTi₃O₈/TiO₂ for clean water production.

Robotic Deposition of TiO2 Films on Flexible Substrates from Hybrid Inks: Investigation of Synthesis-Processing-Microstructure-Photocatalytic Relationships

TiO2 is an important material widely used in optoelectronic devices due to its semiconducting and photocatalytic properties, nontoxicity, and chemically inert nature. Some indicative applications include water purification systems and energy harvesting. The use of solution, water-based inks for the direct writing of TiO2 on flexible substrates is of paramount importance since it enables low-cost and low-energy intensive large-area manufacturing, compatible with roll-to-roll processing. In this work we study the effect of crystalline TiO2 and polymer addition on the rheological and direct writing properties of Ti-organic/TiO2 inks. We also report on the bridging crystallite formation from the Ti-organic precursor into the TiO2 crystalline phase, under ultraviolet (UV) exposure or mild heat treatments up to 150 °C. Such crystallite formation is found to be enhanced by polymers with strong polarity and pKα such as polyacrylic acid (PAA). X-ray diffraction (XRD) coupled with Raman and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy are used to investigate the crystalline-phase transformation dependence based on the initial TiO2 crystalline-phase concentration and polymer addition. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and selected area electron diffraction patterns confirm the crystalline nature of such bridging printed structures. The obtained inks are patterned on flexible substrates using nozzle-based robotic deposition, a lithography-free, additive manufacturing technique that allows the direct writing of material in specific, digitally predefined, substrate locations. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue solutions highlights the potential of the studied films for chemical degradation applications, from low-cost environmentally friendly materials systems.

N-Doped TiO2 Nanobelts with Coexposed (001) and (101) Facets and Their Highly Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

To narrow the band gap (3.2 eV) of TiO2 and extend its practical applicability under sunlight, the doping with nonmetal elements has been used to tune TiO2 electronic structure. However, the doping also brings new recombination centers among the photoinduced charge carriers, which results in a quantum efficiency loss accordingly. It has been proved that the {101} facets of anatase TiO2 are beneficial to generating and transmitting more reductive electrons to promote the H2-evolution in the photoreduction reaction, and the {001} facets exhibit a higher photoreactivity to accelerate the reaction involved of photogenerated hole. Thus, it was considered by us that using the surface heterojunction composed of both {001} and {101} facets may depress the disadvantage of N doping. Fortunately, we successfully synthesized anatase N-doped TiO2 nanobelts with a surface heterojunction of coexposed (101) and (001) facets. As expected, it realized the charge pairs' spatial separation and showed higher photocatalytic activity under a visible-light ray: a hydrogen generation rate of 670 μmol h(-1) g(-1) (much higher than others reported previously in literature of N-doped TiO2 nanobelts).

Strain Engineering to Modify the Electrochemistry of Energy Storage Electrodes

Strain engineering has been a critical aspect of device design in semiconductor manufacturing for the past decade, but remains relatively unexplored for other applications, such as energy storage. Using mechanical strain as an input parameter to modulate electrochemical potentials of metal oxides opens new opportunities intersecting fields of electrochemistry and mechanics. Here we demonstrate that less than 0.1% strain on a Ni-Ti-O based metal-oxide formed on superelastic shape memory NiTi alloys leads to anodic and cathodic peak potential shifts by up to ~30 mV in an electrochemical cell. Moreover, using the superelastic properties of NiTi to enable strain recovery also recovers the electrochemical potential of the metal oxide, providing mechanistic evidence of strain-modified electrochemistry. These results indicate that mechanical energy can be coupled with electrochemical systems to efficiently design and optimize a new class of strain-modulated energy storage materials.

Controllable one-pot synthesis of a nest-like Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite with enhanced photocatalytic antifouling performance under visible light irradiation

In this study, a novel visible-light-sensitive Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite photocatalyst was controllably synthesized through a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite exhibited a perfect nest-like hierarchical microsphere structure, which was constructed by the self-assembly of nanoplates with the assistance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The growth mechanism of the Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composite and the effect of its structure on its photocatalytic performance was investigated and proposed. Experimental results showed that the Bi2WO6/BiVO4 composites displayed enhanced photocatalytic antifouling activities under visible light irradiation compared to pure Bi2WO6 and BiVO4. Bi2WO6/BiVO4-1 exhibited the best photocatalytic antifouling performance, and almost all (99.99%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria were killed within 30 min. Moreover, the Bi2WO6/BiVO4-1 composite exhibited excellent stability and reusability in the cycled experiments. The photocatalytic antifouling mechanism was proposed based on the active species trapping experiments, revealing that the photo-induced holes (h(+)) and hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) could attack the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane directly and lead to the death of bacteria. The obviously enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Bi2WO6/BiVO4-1 composite could be mainly attributed to the formation of heterojunctions, accelerating the separation of photo-induced electrons and holes. Furthermore, the large BET surface area combined with the wide photoabsorption region further improved the photocatalytic performance of the Bi2WO6/BiVO4-1 composite. This study provides a new strategy to develop novel composite photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic performance for marine antifouling and water purification.

Studies on structural defects in bare, PVP capped and TPPO capped copper oxide nanoparticles by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and their impact on photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

Enhanced photocatalytic dye degradation by reducing sizes of surface defects.

Three way electron transfer of a C–N–S tri doped two-phase junction of TiO2nanoparticles for efficient visible light photocatalytic dye degradation

C–N–S tridoped TiO₂nanoparticles were synthesized by a sol–gel method using thiourea as a compound source of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S).

Effects of structural, optical and ferromagnetic states on the photocatalytic activities of Sn–TiO2 nanocrystals

Ferromagnetic Sn–TiO₂ nanocrystals were newly developed, and their photocatalytic activity showed structural, luminescent and magnetic dependences.

Highly efficient CuxO/TiO2 catalysts: controllable dispersion and isolation of metal active species

Cu_xO/TiO₂ architectures with enhanced dispersion of the active phase are synthesized by a MOF-templated method. Such composites show excellent catalytic activity for CO oxidation.

Biomineralization on single crystalline rutile: the modulated growth of hydroxyapatite by fibronectin in a simulated body fluid

The aim of this study is to probe the complex interaction between surface bioactivity and protein adsorption on single crystalline rutile.

Luminescence of undoped and Eu3+ doped nanocrystalline SrWO4 scheelite: time resolved fluorescence complimented by DFT and positron annihilation spectroscopic studies

Effect of annealing temperature on photophysical characteristics of pure and SrWO₄:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles were investigated and the changes observed correlated with density function theory (DFT) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS).

Nonlinear transmittance and optical power limiting in magnesium ferrite nanoparticles: effects of laser pulsewidth and particle size

We report comparative measurements of size dependent nonlinear transmission and optical power limiting in nanocrystalline magnesium ferrite (MgFe₂O₄) particles excited by short (nanosecond) and ultrashort (femtosecond) laser pulses.

Designed Synthesis of In₂O₃ Beads@TiO₂-In₂O₃ Composite Nanofibers for High Performance NO₂ Sensor at Room Temperature

Porous single crystal In2O3 beads@TiO2-In2O3 composite nanofibers (TINFs) have been prepared via a facile electrospinning method. The beads were formed because of the existence of hemimicelles in pecursor solution. The formation of hemimicelles was attributed to the synergy of tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Abundant In(3+) ions were drawn toward the ketonic oxygen of PVP resulting in In(3+) ions aggregation. Compared with pristine In2O3 nanofibers (INFs), the as-prepared TINFs exhibited excellent properties for sensing NO2 gas at room temperature (25 °C). The enhanced sensing property was due to much absorbed oxygen and Schottky junctions between the porous single crystal In2O3 beads and the Au electrode of the sensor. The strategy for combining the unique In2O3 beads@TiO2-In2O3 nanofibers structure which possessed superior conductivity and sufficient electrons with the addition of TiO2 offered an innovation to enhance the gas sensing performance.

A simple aqueous electrochemical method to synthesize TiO₂ nanoparticles

Here, a simple and rapid electrochemical approach to synthesize TiO2 nanoparticles in aqueous solution is reported. This method consists in the electro-oxidation of titanium foil in a tetrabutylammonium bromide aqueous solution, which acts as both an electrolyte and a surfactant. Amorphous TiO2 particles in the nanoscale (∼5 nm), well dispersed in aqueous solution, were directly formed by applying low current densities in a short reaction time. It was demonstrated that several experimental parameters influence the reaction yield; an increase in the current, temperature and reaction time augments the quantity of the obtained material. Then, the amorphous nanoparticles were completely crystallized into a pure anatase phase by thermal treatment under an air atmosphere as analyzed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Besides, the size of the nanoparticles increased to approximately 12 nm in the calcination process. The band gap energies of the resulting TiO2 anatase nanoparticles were determined by diffuse reflectance measurements according to the Kubelka Munk theory, revealing low values between 2.95 and 3.10 eV. Therefore, the results indicate the success of this method to create TiO2 nanoparticles in aqueous medium with good optical properties.

Tuning Phase Composition of TiO2 by Sn(4+) Doping for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

The anatase-rutile mixed-phase photocatalysts have attracted extensive research interest because of the superior activity compared to their single phase counterparts. In this study, doping of Sn(4+) ions into the lattice of TiO2 facilitates the phase transformation from anatase to rutile at a lower temperature while maintaining the same crystal sizes compared to the conventional annealling approach. The mass ratios between anatase and rutile phases can be easily manipulated by varying the Sn-dopant content. Characterization results reveal that the Sn(4+) ions entered into the lattice of TiO2 by substituting some of the Ti(4+) ions and distributed evenly in the matrix of TiO2. The substitution induced the distortion of the lattice structure, which realized the phase transformation from anatase to rutile at a lower temperature and the close-contact phase junctions were consequently formed between anatase and rutile, accounting for the efficient charge separations. The mixed-phase catalysts prepared by doping Sn(4+) ions into the TiO2 exhibit superior activity for photocatalytic hydrogen generation in the presence of Au nanoparticles, relatively to their counterparts prepared by the conventional annealling at higher temperatures. The band allignment between anatase and rutile phases is established based on the valence band X-ray photoelectron spectra and diffuse reflectance spectra to understand the spatial charge separation process at the heterojunction between the two phases. The study provides a new route for the synthesis of mixed-phase TiO2 catalysts for photocatalytic applications and advances the understanding on the enhanced photocatalytic properties of anatase-rutile mixtures.

Epitaxial 1D electron transport layers for high-performance perovskite solar cells

We demonstrate high-performance perovskite solar cells with excellent electron transport properties using a one-dimensional (1D) electron transport layer (ETL). The 1D array-based ETL is comprised of 1D SnO2 nanowires (NWs) array grown on a F:SnO2 transparent conducting oxide substrate and rutile TiO2 nanoshells epitaxially grown on the surface of the 1D SnO2 NWs. The optimized devices show more than 95% internal quantum yield at 750 nm, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.2%. The high quantum yield is attributed to dramatically enhanced electron transport in the epitaxial TiO2 layer, compared to that in conventional nanoparticle-based mesoporous TiO2 (mp-TiO2) layers. In addition, the open space in the 1D array-based ETL increases the prevalence of uniform TiO2/perovskite junctions, leading to reproducible device performance with a high fill factor. This work offers a method to achieve reproducible, high-efficiency perovskite solar cells with high-speed electron transport.

Improved light-induced cell detachment on rutile TiO₂ nanodot films

Anatase TiO2 nanodot films have been found to be able to release cells under light illumination with excellent efficiency and safety. In the present study, we investigated the effects of rutile contents in TiO2 nanodot films on such light induced cell detachment behavior. The results showed that TiO2 nanodot films with different contents of rutile phase have been prepared successfully. The content of rutile phase increased with the increase in calcination temperature. All films possessed good cell adhesion but there was a decrease in cell proliferation with the increasing content of rutile phase. Single cell detachment assay showed that the films with high rutile contents (calcined at 900°C and 1100°C) showed better cell detachment performance. That was ascribed to the changes of the secondary structure of extracellular proteins adsorbed on the nanodot surface after ultraviolet (365 nm, UV365) illumination. In addition, cell sheets detached through UV365 illumination maintained high activity and could be further used in tissue engineering. The present work showed that the existence of rutile phase is helpful in cell detachment behavior and it could be utilized to optimize light-induced cell detachment behavior.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

This work discovers that the presence of rutile phase in TiO2 nanodot films could improve the light-induced cell detachment behavior, although rutile phase is inferior to anatase phase on light induced superhydrophilicity. That strongly supported that the behaviors of adsorbed proteins are crucial in acquiring cell sheet with light illumination. In fact, the state and behavior of adsorbed protein greatly affect the interaction between biomaterials and living cells. Therefore, we consider this work is not only important in harvesting cells or cell sheets through light illumination, but also helpful in further understanding of interaction between biomaterials and cells.

Rutile phase n- and p-type anodic titania nanotube arrays with square-shaped pore morphologies

Rutile-phase TiO2 nanotube arrays without broken walls were formed by annealing of anodically formed nanotubes in a propane flame at 650 °C and in air at 750 °C. An unusual morphological transformation was observed from the ellipsoidal pore-shapes of titania nanotubes grown in aqueous electrolyte to a square-shaped pore structure subsequent to the anneals. 750 °C annealed nanotubes were found to be lightly p-type, rare in TiO2.

A self-supported peapod-like mesoporous TiO2-C array with excellent anode performance in lithium-ion batteries

Herein, we introduce a novel peapod-like architectural array with TiO2 nanoparticles encapsulated in graphitized carbon fibers for the first time. The unique peapod-like TiO2 arrays with high conductivity architectures are designed and fabricated for application in Li-ion batteries. Since the as-synthesized TiO2 peapod array is characterized with the large surface area derived from the mesoporous carbon fiber, as well as the high conductivity further enhanced by a thin carbon coating layer, it has shown superior rate capability, high specific capacitances, and excellent cycling stability, e.g. the specific capacity can reach up to 162 mA h g(-1) over 200 cycles. A rational and universal approach to fabricate a high-performance TiO2 peapod array for constructing next-generation Li-ion batteries is demonstrated in this paper. Furthermore, due to the specificity of the structure and the versatility of TiO2, the nanocomposite can also be applied in photochemical catalysis, electronics, biomedicine, gas sensing and so on.

Low-voltage flexible organic electronics based on high-performance sol-gel titanium dioxide dielectric

In this letter, we report that high-performance insulating films can be generated by judicious control over the microstructure of sol-gel-processed titanium dioxide (TiO2) films, typically known as wide-bandgap semiconductors. The resultant device made of 23 nm-thick TiO2 dielectric layer exhibits a low leakage current density of ∼1 × 10(-7) A cm(-2) at 2 V and a large areal capacitance of 560 nF cm(-2) with the corresponding dielectric constant of 27. Finally, low-voltage flexible organic thin-film transistors were successfully demonstrated by incorporating this versatile solution-processed oxide dielectric material into pentacene transistors on polyimide substrates.