Effect of Nano-anatase TiO_2 on Spectral Characterization of PhotosystemⅡParticles from Spinach

The photosystem Ⅱ(PSⅡ) particles were purified by means of nano-anatase TiO_2 treatment of spinach and studied by spectroscopy. The results show that the electron transport and the oxygen-evolving rate of PSⅡ are accelerated after it has been treated with nano-anatase TiO_2; the UV-Vis absorption spectrum of PSⅡ particles is increased; the red shift of fluorescence emission peak of PSⅡ is 2 nm; the peak intensity is decreased; the PSⅡ signal Ⅱs of low temperature electron paramagnetic resonanace(EPR) spectrum is intensified under light, and the PSⅡ circular dichroism(CD) spectrum is similar to that of control. It is suggested that nano-anatase TiO_2 might bind to the PSⅡ reaction center complex and intensify the function of the PSⅡ electron donor, however, nano-anatase TiO_2 treatment does not change the configuration of the PSⅡ reaction center complex.

Sonocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in the presence of (nanometer and ordinary) anatase TiO_2 powders

The nanometer and ordinary anatase titanium dioxide(TiO_2) powders were adopted as the sonocatalysts for the degradation of methyl orange used as a model compound for the first time. It was found that the sonocatalytic degradation effect of methyl orange in the presence of TiO_2 powder were much better than that without TiO_2, but the sonocatalytic activity of the nanometer anatase TiO_2 particle was obviously higher than that of ordinary anatase TiO_2 particle. Although there are many factors influencing sonocatalytic degradation of methyl orange, the experimental results showed that the best degradation ratio of methyl orange could be obtained when the experimental conditions were: initial concentration 15 mg/L, nanometer anatase TiO_2 adding amount 750 mg/L, ultrasonic frequency 40 kHz, output power 50 W, pH = 3.0 and temperature 40℃ within 150 min. In addition, the catalytic activity of reused nanometer anatase TiO_2 catalyst was also studied and found to decline gradually comparing with initial nanometer anatase TiO_2 catalyst. All experiments indicated that the method of the sonocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants in the presence of TiO_2 powder was an advisable choice for non- or low-transparent organic wastewaters.

First-principles calculation of electronic properties of N-and X(X=S,Se,Te)-codoped anatase TiO_2

The impact of N-and X（X=S,Se,Te）-codoping on electronic properties of anatase TiO2 has been systematically investigated using density functional theory （DFT）.The optimized geometry shows that there is large lattice expansion for the codoped anatase TiO2 due to large atomic radius of the codoped atom.The calculated substitution energies indicate that incorporation of X（X =S,Se,Te） into N-doped bulk TiO2 can not promote synergistic effect on N after substituting for Ti,whcreas it is bctter after substituting for O.According to the total density of states （DOS） and corresponding partial DOS （PDOS）,it can be seen that substituting X（X =S,Se,Te） for O,N 2p orbital is strongly hybridized with impurity states （S 3p,Se 4p,Te 5p）.After substituting X（X=S,Se,Te） for Ti,conduction band is mainly dominated by Ti 3d orbit and S 3p （Se 4p or Te 5p）-N 2p-Ti 3d hybridized states are formed.Based on Bader analysis,it can be indicated that the electron transfer is from N to X（X=S,Se,Te） if substituting X（X=S,Se,Te） for O,but it is opposite if substitute X（X=S,Se,Te） for Ti.

Effects of crystallinity, {001}/{101} ratio, and Au decoration on the photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO_2 crystals

Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals and sub-microcrystals with truncated octahedral bipyramidal morphologies were prepared by direct calcination of TiOF2 precursors. The as-prepared TiO2 samples were thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-visible diffuse spectroscopy. It was found that the crystallinity, grain size, and {001}/{101} ratio of the samples can be increased by raising the calcination temperature from 500 to 800℃. The higher crystallinity and {001}/{101} facet ratio resulted in an increase in both aqueous and gas-phase photocatalytic activities, by inhibiting the recombination and separation of electrons and holes. After selecting two TiO2 samples with high crystallinity and {001}/{101} ratio, Au nanoparticles were decorated on their surfaces, and the photocatalytic activity of the resulting samples under visible light illumination was studied. It was found that the visible light-induced photocatalytic activity increased by 2.6 and 4.8 times, respectively, upon Au decoration of the samples prepared by calcination of TiOF2 at 700 and 800℃.

Preparation and Photocatalytic Behaviors of Nanoporous Polyoxotungstate-Anatase TiO_2 Composites

Nanoporous anatase TiO2 crystalline particles coupled with Keggin or Wells-Dawson unit, H3PW12O40/TiO2 or H6P2W18O62/TiO2, were prepared at a low temperature （200℃ ） using sol-gel method combined with hydrothermal treatment at programmed temperature. The as-prepared composites have uniform anatase phase, and they exhibit both micrand mesoporosities with pore sizes of 0.6 and 4.0 nm, respectively, and their average size is lower than 10 nm. Photocatalytic tests show the composites exhibit relatively higher photocatalytic activities to decompose the organocholorine pesticide hexachlorobenzene（HCB） than anatase TiO2, the starting polyoxotungstates, and EuEOa/TiO2 prepared by using sol-gel method, and this was attributed to （ 1 ） the synergistic effect of photoactive anatase TiO2 with the polyoxotungstate, and （2） the fascinating physical and chemical properties of the porous materials.

Photocatalytic and Photoelectronic Properties of Anatase TiO_2 Modified by Cu Ions Plasma and Its Theoretic Study by the First Principle Study

Highly oxidation. SEM analysis ordered anatase titania nanotube method was used to characterize arrays （TINT） were fabricated by anodic the morphology of the prepared samples. TiNT samples doped with Cu ions were prepared by home-made Metal Vapor Vacuum Arc ions sources （MEVVA, BNU, China） implanter. Photo-electric response and methyl orange decomposition ability of implanted samples under UV and visible light were tested, and the results indicated that the performance of Cu/TiNT enhanced significantly under visible light; it was noteworthy that the photocurrent density of A-Cu/TiNT was 0.102 mA/cm^2, which was 115 times that of pure TINT, and degradation ability of TiNT also strongly enhanced under visible light. In a word, the absorption spectrum of implanted anatase titania shifted to a longer wavelength region. Theoretic study on Cu-doped anatase based on density functional theory was carried out in this paper to validate the experiment results. The calculation results are depicted as follows： Intermittent energy band appeared around the Fermi energy after doping with Cu metal, the width of which was 0.35 eV and the location of valence and conduction bands shifted to the lower energy level by 0.22 eV; more excitation and jump routes were opened for the electrons. The narrowed band gaps allowed the photons with lower energy （at longer wavelength, such as visible light） to be absorbed, which accorded well with the experimental results.

Fe^(3+)-Doped Anatase TiO_2 Study Prepared by New Sol-Gel Precursors

FeTi_1-O_2（= 0.00,0.05,0.10） nanocomposites are synthesized using a sol-gel method involving an ethanol solvent in the presence of ethylene glycol as the stabilizer,and acetic acid as the chemical reagent.Their structural and optical analyses are studied to reveal their physicochemical properties.Using the x-ray diffractometer（XRD）analysis,the size of the nanoparticles（NPs） is found to be 18-32 nm,where the size of the NPs decreases down to 18 nm when Fe impurity of up to 10% is added,whereas their structure remains unchanged.The results also indicate that the structure of the NPs is tetragonal in the anatase phase.The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis suggests the presence of a vibration bond（Ti-O） in the sample.The photoluminescence analysis indicates that the diffusion of Fe^（3＋） ions into the TiO_2 matrix results in a decreasing electron-hole recombination,and increases the photocatalytic properties,where the best efficiency appears at an impurity of10%.The UV-diffuse reflection spectroscopy analysis indicates that with the elevation of iron impurity,the band gap value decreases from 3.47 eV for the pure sample to 2.95 eV for the 10 mol% Fe-doped TiO_2 NPs.

Adsorption Regularity and Characteristics of sp^3-Hybridized Gas Molecules on Anatase TiO_2(101) Surface

We report the anatase titanium dioxide （101） surface adsorption of sp3-hybridized gas molecules, including NH3, 1-12 0 and CH4, using first-principles plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential based on the density functional theory. The results show that it is much easier for a surface with oxygen vacancies to adsorb gas molecules than it is for a surface without oxygen vacancies. The main factor affecting adsorption stability and energy is the polarizability of molecules, and adsorption is induced by surface oxygen vacancies of the negatively charged center. The analyses of state densities and charge population show that charge transfer occurs at the molecule surface upon adsorption and that the number of transferred charge reduces in the order of N, 0 and C. Moreover, the adsorption method is chemical adsorption, and adsorption stability decreases in the order of NH3, tt2 0 and CH4. Analyses of absorption and reflectance spectra reveal that after absorbed CH4 and H2 O, compared with the surface with oxygen vacancy, the optical properties of materials surface, including its absorption coefficients and reflectivity index, have slight changes, however, absorption coefficient and reflectivity would greatly increase after NH3 adsorption. These findings illustrate that anatase titanium dioxide （101） surface is extremely sensitive to NH3.

First-principles study on anatase TiO_2 (101) surface adsorption of NO

In this paper, the stable structure and the electronic and optical properties of nitric oxide （NO） adsorption on the anatase TiO2 （101） surface are studied using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method, which is based on the density functional theory. NO adsorption on the surface is weak when the outermost layer terminates on twofold coordinated oxygen atoms, but it is remarkably enhanced on the surface containing O vacancy defects. The higher the concentration of oxygen vacancy defects, the stronger the adsorption is. The adsorption energies are 3.4528 eV （N end adsorption）, 2.6770 eV （O end adsorption）, and 4.1437 eV （horizontal adsorption）. The adsorption process is exothermic, resulting in a more stable adsorption structure. Furthermore, O vacancy defects on the TiO2 （101） surface significantly contribute to the absorption of visible light in a relatively low-energy region. A new absorption peak in the low-energy region, corresponding to an energy of 0.9 eV, is observed. However, the TiO2 （101） surface structure exhibits weak absorption in the low-energy region of visible light after NO adsorption.

Synthesis and characterization of anatase TiO_2 nanosheet arrays on FTO substrate

We have exploited a green approach to prepare layered titanate Na2_xHxTi2Os-H20 nanosheet arrays on FFO substrate by hydrothermal hydrolysis of titanium（IV） isopropoxide （TRIP） with aids of Na2EDTA and TEOA as co-coordination agents, which were then treated by HNO3 to replace Na＋ by H＋, followed by a calcination at 450℃ to topotactically transform into anatase TiO2 nanosheet arrays. SEM, TEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy have been employed to characterize the nanosheet films. The TiO2 nanosheet arrays were further applied as electron transport materials of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells, achieving power conversion efficiency of 6.99%.

Time-resolved photoluminescence of anatase/rutile TiO_2 phase junction revealing charge separation dynamics

Junctions are an important structure that allows charge separation in solar cells and photocatalysts. Here, we studied the charge transfer at an anatase/rutile TiO2 phase junction using time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Visible （-S00 nm） and near-infrared （NIR, -830 nm） emissions were monitored to give insight into the photoinduced charges of anatase and rutile in the junction, respectively, New fast photoluminescence decay components appeared in the visible emission of futile-phase dominated TiO2 and in the NIR emission of many mixed phase TiO2samples. The fast decays confirmed that the charge separation occurred at the phase junction. The visible emission intensity from the mixed phase TiO2 increased, revealing that charge transfer from rutile to anatase was the main pathway. The charge separation slowed the microsecond time scale photolumines- cence decay rate for charge carriers in both anatase and rutile. However, the millisecond decay of the charge carriers in anatase TiO2 was accelerated, while there was almost no change in the charge carrier dynamics of rutile TiO2. Thus, charge separation at the anatase/rutile phase junction caused an increase in the charge carrier concentration on a microsecond time scale, because of slower electron-hole recombination. The enhanced photocatalytic activity previously observed at ana- tase/rutile phase junctions is likely caused by the improved charge carrier dynamics we report here. These findings may contribute to the development of improved photocatalytic materials.

First-principle study on the electronic and optical properties of the anatase TiO_2 (101) surface

The TiO_2（101） surface was studied using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method based on the density functional theory,with emphasis on the structure,surface energy,band structure,density of states, and charge population.The anatase TiO_2（101） crystal surface structure,whose outermost and second layers were terminated by twofold coordinated oxygen atoms and fivefold coordinated titanium atoms,was found to be much more stable.The surface energy of the 18-layer atoms model was 0.580 J/m2.The surface electronic structure was similar to that of the bulk and no surface state.Compared with the bulk structure,the band gap increased 0.36 eV, the Ti5c-02c bond lengths reduced 0.171（？） after relaxation,and the charges of the surface were transferred to the body.Analysis of the optical properties of the TiO_2（101） surface showed that it did not absorb in the low-energy region.An absorption edge in the ultraviolet region corresponding to the energy of 3.06 eV was found.

Low-temperature Preparation of Photocatalytic TiO_2 Thin Films on Polymer Substrates by Direct Deposition from Anatase Sol

Anatase TiO2 sol was synthesized under mild conditions （75℃ and ambient pressure） by hydrolysis of titaniumn-butoxide in abundant acidic aqueous solution and subsequent reflux to enhance crystallization. At room temperature and in ambient atmosphere, crystalline TiO2 thin films were deposited on polymethylmethacrylate （PMMA）, SiO2-coated PMMA and SiO2-coated silicone rubber substrates from the as-prepared TiO2 sol by a dip-coating process. SiO2 layers prior to TiO2 thin films on polymer substrates could not only protect the substrates from the photocatalytic decomposition of the TiO2 thin films but also enhance the adhesion of the TiO2 thin films to the substrates. Field-emission type scanning electron microscope （FE-SEM） investigations revealed that the average particle sizes of the nanoparticles composing the TiO2 thin films were about 35-47 nm. The TiO2 thin films exhibited high photocatalytic activities in the degradation of reactive brilliant red dye X-3B in aqueous solution under aerated conditions. The preparation process of photocatalytic TiO2 thin films on the polymer substrates was quite simple and a low temperature route.

Fluoride-assisted synthesis of anatase TiO_2 nanocrystals with tunable shape and band gap via a solvothermal approach

A simple solvothermal approach employing oleic acid has been developed to prepare anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with different shapes, which were tuned from nanorods to nano-ellipsoids by increasing the amount of NaF from 0 to 0.5 retool, and the optical band gap decreased from 3.47 eV to 3.29 eV accordingly. However, when the fluoride was changed to NH4F, the resultant TiO2 nanocrystals possessed an anatase phase but were made up of smaller-sized nanocrystals and nanorods, and the band gap was increased to 3.53 eV. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） results illustrated an increase of fluorine content with an increasing amount of NaF could account for the variation of the shape and optical band gap of TiO2 nanocrystals. Moreover, the absence of fluorine content brought about less change of shape and increase of optical band gap of the product synthesized in the presence of NH4F. This result may offer another way to alter the shape and band gap of metal oxide nanocrystals with the assistance of fluoride.

Fabrication of TiO_2(B)/anatase heterophase junctions in nanowires via a surface-preferred phase transformation process for enhanced photocatalytic activity

Heterojunction fabrication is one of the most effective strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. Here, TiO2（B）/anatase nanowires with interfacial heterostructures were prepared through a three-step synthesis method, including hydrothermal treatment, H＋ exchange, and annealing. The phase structures of the nanowires in the bulk and on the surface during the annealing process were monitored by XRD and UV-Raman spectroscopy, respectively. SEM and TEM results indicate that the TiO2（B） nanowires partially collapse and transform into anatase during the annealing process and the heterophase junction structure is formed simultaneously. On the basis of the phase structure together with morphology data, a phase-transformation mechanism was proposed. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated by hydrogen production and pollutant-degradation assays. The optimized structure of the photocatalyst contains 24% TiO2（B） in the bulk and 100% anatase on the surface. The charge-carrier behavior during the photocatalytic process was investigated by photocurrent, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）, and photoluminescence（PL） spectroscopy, which revealed that the heterophase-junction structure in the bulk was responsible for the highly efficient charge separation and transportation, etc.; the anatase on the surface took control of the high surface-reaction activity.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye with High Purity Anatase Nano-TiO_2 Synthesized by a Hydrothermal Method

High purity anatase nano-TiO2 powders with high photocatalytic activity were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, field emission transmission electron microscopy （FETEM）, ultraviolet-visible （UV-Vis） light absorption spectrum and photoluminescence （PL） spectrum were adopted to characterize the catalyst. Effects of temperature, time and sol concentration of hydrothermal synthesis on particle size and phases were investigated. Photocatalytic activities in the degradation of Rhodamine B Dye were studied. The experimental results indicated that photocatalytic activity of the nano-TiO2 powers was much higher than that of P25 （Degussa）.

Effect of Tb_2O_3 additive on structure of anatase and photocatalytic activity of TiO_2/(O'+β')-Sialon multi-phase ceramics

Effect of rare earth oxide Tb2O3 additive on transformation behavior and grain growth of anatase and photocatalytic activity for TiO2/（O′＋β′）-Sialon multi-phase ceramic was investigated and the mechanism was discussed. X-ray diffractometer （XRD） was employed for the analysis of phase composition, grain size and lattice parameters of anatase. Photocatalytic activity of the composites was investigated through its photocatalytic degradation to methylene blue （MB） solution. The results showed that Tb2O3 significantly inhibited the transformarion process, which displayed an appreciably intensified effect with increasing Tb2O3 content. It could be attributed to the coaction of the active and passive influence mechanisms. For Tb3＋ entering TiO2 lattice, replacing Ti4＋ accelerated the transformation, whereas the lattice distortion caused by it was unfavorable for the process. On the other hand, the redox reaction between Tb3＋ and TiO2 as well as the Tb2O3 deposited on the surface of TiO2 inhibited the transformation. The addition of Tb2O3 effectively restrained the grain growth of TiO2 and the effect became significant with the increase of its content. With the increase of Tb2O3 addition, the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts increased and then dropped after reaching the maximum at about 2%. The action mechanism of Tb2O3 could be attributed to its optical properties and its effect on phase transformation, grain growth and crystal structure of TiO2.

Effects of hydrothermal temperature on formation and decoloration characteristics of anatase TiO_2 nanoparticles

This paper describes the effects of temperature on the complex intermediate processes from the precursor to the fully-crystallized anatase TiO2 nanoparticles in hydrothermal synthesis. The anatase TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized in a wide temperature range below 230°C. The composition, morphology, and methylene blue (MB) decoloration characteristics of the obtained products were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope, and scanning and transmission electron microscope. The dehydrating polycondensation of Ti(IV)-hydrates and the decomposition of (NH4)2Ti3O7 intermediates with the temperature increase lead to the direct formation of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles under the hydrothermal environments. The strong MB decoloration of the hydrothermal products obtained at the low (≤130°C) and high (≥180°C) temperatures are attributed to the adsorption of Ti(IV)-hydrates and the photocatalysis of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles, respectively.

Unique adsorption behaviors of NO and O_2 at hydrogenated anatase TiO_2(101)

Titanium dioxide（TiO2） is one of the most widely studied transition metal oxides, especially for its unique performances in heterogeneous photocatalysis. Different phases of TiO2 have been found to exhibit different photo-activities, though the origins are still not fully understood. In this work, we use the density functional theory（DFT） calculations, corrected by on-site Coulomb and long-range dispersion interactions, to study the adsorptions of nitric oxide（NO） and oxygen（O2） molecules on the clean and hydrogenated anatase TiO2（101） surfaces. We also compare the detailed calculated results regarding their structural, energetic and electronic properties with those obtained at rutile TiO2（110）. It has been found that the behaviors of the surface localized electrons being transferred from adsorbed H, as well as the adsorption behaviors of NO and O2 are quite different at the two surfaces, which can be attributed to their characteristic local bonding structures around the surface hydroxyl. These results may also help explain the different photocatalytic activities of these two main facets of anatase and rutile TiO2

Effect of Yb_2O_3 Additive on Transformation Behavior of Anatase for TiO_2/(O′+β′)-Sialon Multi phase Ceramics

TiO2/（O＇ ＋ β＇）-Sialon multiphase ceramics were prepared with nano TiO2 （anatase） powder and （O＇ ＋ β＇）-Sialon powder as raw materials. Effect of Yb2O3 additive on transformation behavior of anatase for TiO2/（O＇ ＋ β＇）-Sialon multi phase ceramic was investigated and its influence mechanism was discussed. XRD was employed for the analysis of phase composition and lattice parameters. The results show that even though Yb2O3 has no obvious influence on starting temperature of phase transformation, it significantly accelerates the transformation process, which displays a weakened effect with more Yb2O3 addition. There exist two forms of the added Yb2O3 ： some enters TiO2 lattice and the other deposits on the surface of TiO2. The function of Yb2O3 on phase transformation of anatase can be attributed to the coaction of active and negative influence mechanisms as follows： some Yb^n＋ enter TiO2 lattice and replace Ti^4＋ , as well as the redox reaction between Yb^3＋ and TiO2, which promote the transformation, whereas other Yb2O3 deposits on the surface of TiO2, and Ti- O-Yb bond is formed by the coaction of Yb^3＋ and TiO2, which inhibit the process.