Searching for new TiO2 crystal phases with better photoactivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang, Cheng; Zhao, Wei-Na; Liu, Zhi-Pan

2015-01-01

Using the recently developed stochastic surface walking global optimization method, this work explores the potential energy surface of TiO 2 crystals aiming to search for likely phases with higher photocatalytic activity. Five new phases of TiO 2 are identified and the lowest energy phase transition pathways connecting to the most abundant phases (rutile and anatase) are determined. Theory shows that a high-pressure phase, α-PbO 2 -like form (TiO 2 II) acts as the key intermediate in between rutile and anatase. The phase transition of anatase to rutile belongs to the diffusionless Martensitic phase transition, occurring through a set of habit planes, rutile(101)//TiO 2 II(001), and TiO 2 II(100)//anatase(112). With regard to the photocatalytic activity, three pure phases (#110, pyrite and fluorite) are found to possess the band gap narrower than rutile, but they are unstable at the low-pressure condition. Instead, a mixed anatase-TiO 2 II phase is found to have good stability and narrower band gap than both parent phases. Because of the phase separation, the mixed phase is also expected to improve the photocatalytic performance by reducing the probability of the electron-hole pair recombination. (paper)

Theoretical explanation of EPR parameters for Cu2+ ion in TiO2 crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong, H.N.; Wu, S.Y.; Li, P.

2004-01-01

The EPR parameters anisotropic g-factors g x , g y and g z for Cu 2+ ion and hyperfine structure constants A x , A y and A z for 63 Cu 2+ and 65 Cu 2+ isotopes in rutile (TiO 2 ) crystal are calculated by the method of diagonalizing the full Hamiltonian matrix. The crystal-field parameters contact with the crystal structure by the aid of the superposition model. The calculated results are in reasonable agreement with the observed values. The results are discussed. (copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Defect types and room-temperature ferromagnetism in undoped rutile TiO2 single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dong-Xiang; Qin, Xiu-Bo; Zheng, Li-Rong; Li, Yu-Xiao; Cao, Xing-Zhong; Li, Zhuo-Xin; Yang, Jing; Wang, Bao-Yi

2013-03-01

Room-temperature ferromagnetism has been experimentally observed in annealed rutile TiO2 single crystals when a magnetic field is applied parallel to the sample plane. By combining X-ray absorption near the edge structure spectrum and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, Ti3+—VO defect complexes (or clusters) have been identified in annealed crystals at a high vacuum. We elucidate that the unpaired 3d electrons in Ti3+ ions provide the observed room-temperature ferromagnetism. In addition, excess oxygen ions in the TiO2 lattice could induce a number of Ti vacancies which obviously increase magnetic moments.

Defect types and room-temperature ferromagnetism in undoped rutile TiO2 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Dong-Xiang; Cao Xing-Zhong; Li Zhuo-Xin; Yang Jing; Wang Bao-Yi; Qin Xiu-Bo; Zheng Li-Rong; Li Yu-Xiao

2013-01-01

Room-temperature ferromagnetism has been experimentally observed in annealed rutile TiO 2 single crystals when a magnetic field is applied parallel to the sample plane. By combining X-ray absorption near the edge structure spectrum and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, Ti 3+ —V O defect complexes (or clusters) have been identified in annealed crystals at a high vacuum. We elucidate that the unpaired 3d electrons in Ti 3+ ions provide the observed room-temperature ferromagnetism. In addition, excess oxygen ions in the TiO 2 lattice could induce a number of Ti vacancies which obviously increase magnetic moments

Crystal structure of Fe2TiO5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiojiri, M.; Sekimoto, S.; Maeda, T.; Ikeda, Y.; Iwauchi, K.

1984-01-01

The crystal structure of metal pseudobrookite, Fe 2 TiO 5 , is determined from high-resolution electron microscopy images observed and their computer simulated images, with the aid of electron diffraction and X-ray powder diffraction. The new structure has a monoclinic unit, containing eight molecules, with a = 2.223, b = 0.373, c = 0.980 nm, and β = 116.2 0 . The Fe, Ti, and O atoms occupy the positions (4c), +-(u, 0, w; 1/2 + u, 1/2, w), of C 2 3 (C2). The most probable parameters u and w, of Fe(1 to 4), Ti(1, 2), and O(1 to 10) are given. (author)

The Influence of Cr3+ on TiO2 Crystal Growth and Photoactivity Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Wahyuningsih, S.; Hidayatika, W. N.; Sari, P. L.; Sari, P. P.; Hidayat, R.; Munawaroh, H.; Ramelan, A. H.

2018-03-01

The photocatalyst technology is an integrated combination of photochemical processes and catalysis in order to carry out a chemical transformation reaction. One of the semiconductor materials that have good photocatalytic activity is TiO2 anatase. This study aim to determine the effect of the Cr3+ addition on the growth of TiO2 rutile crystal and the increasing of TiO2 photoactivity. Diffractogram X-Ray of the samples showed that the synthesized TiO2 at 400 °C has been produced 100% TiO2 anatase. Synthesis of TiO2 doped Cr3+ composite was using wet impregnation method. The TiO2 doped Cr3+ composites have beed grown by annealed at a temperature of 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 °C, respectively Annealing process have capabled to gain to the TiO2 doped Cr3+ nanocomposite. The result product annealed at 500 °C only appear anatase phase due to the Cr3+ addition influence that was able to suppress the growth of rutile. Identification of TiO2 doped Cr3+ composite using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) showed O-Cr vibration at 2283.72 cm-1. The TiO2 doped Cr3+ photoactivity was studied to degrade Rhodamin B. The best result on photodegradation of Rhodamin B was performed by using TiO2 doped Cr3+ composite which was annealed at 700 °C i.e. 74.71%.

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Acetone Over High Thermally Stable TiO2 Nanosheets With Exposed (001) Facets.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Ting; Duan, Youyu; Lv, Kangle; Hu, Zhao; Li, Qin; Li, Mei; Li, Xiaofang

2018-01-01

Anatase TiO 2 (A-TiO 2 ) usually exhibits superior photocatalytic activity than rutile TiO 2 (R-TiO 2 ). However, the phase transformation from A-TiO 2 to R-TiO 2 will inevitably happens when the calcination temperature is up to 600°C, which hampers the practical applications of TiO 2 photocatalysis in hyperthermal situations. In this paper, high energy faceted TiO 2 nanosheets (TiO 2 -NSs) with super thermal stability was prepared by calcination of TiOF 2 cubes. With increase in the calcination temperature from 300 to 600°C, TiOF 2 transforms into TiO 2 hollow nanoboxes (TiO 2 -HNBs) assembly from TiO 2 -NSs via Ostwald Rippening process. Almost all of the TiO 2 -HNBs are disassembled into discrete TiO 2 -NSs when calcination temperature is higher than 700°C. Phase transformation from A-TiO 2 to R-TiO 2 begins at 1000°C. Only when the calcination temperature is higher than 1200°C can all the TiO 2 -NSs transforms into R-TiO 2 . The 500°C-calcined sample (T500) exhibits the highest photoreactivity toward acetone oxidation possibly because of the production of high energy TiO 2 -NSs with exposed high energy (001) facets and the surface adsorbed fluorine. Surface oxygen vacancy, due to the heat-induced removal of surface adsorbed fluoride ions, is responsible for the high thermal stability of TiO 2 -NSs which are prepared by calcination of TiOF 2 cubes.

Defects in TiO2 crystals produced by neutron irradiations at 20 K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, M.; Nakagawa, M.; Atobe, K.; Kawabata, Y.

1994-01-01

The single crystals rutile (TiO 2 ), cut parallel and perpendicular to the c-axis, are irradiated by reactor neutrons at 20 K (8.0x10 16 n/cm 2 ; E>0.1 MeV). By means of optical measurements an intense absorption band, which has a maximum peak near 1 μm (having FWHM similar 0.87 eV), is observed and is annealed out at about 220 K. Also, some kinds of defect centers can be distinguished by ESR measurements. The broad band has similar characteristics to that in reduced TiO 2 crystal, in which the band has a maximum peak at 1.5 μm. With heavy reduction, the intensity of the broad band enhances with increasing electrical conductivity. It has been proposed that the origin of the band in reduced crystals may be attributable to the absorption of donors due to the polaron effects. The evidence for the assignment to the defect in the irradiated crystals is obtained by optical, ESR, and electrical resistivity measurements. The results lead to quite a different origin for the irradiation produced defect centers. ((orig.))

Photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet by thiourea-doped TiO2 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, optimisation of the photocatalytic behaviour of crystal violet (CV) by thiourea (Tu)-codoped TiO2 thin film in fixed bed photoreactor was investigated by central composite designs (CCDs). The effective variables were pH, the concentration of CV dye, flow rate and reaction time. The results of the CCD model ...

Modest effect on plaque progression and vasodilatory function in atherosclerosis-prone mice exposed to nanosized TiO2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Lone; Sheykhzade, Majid; Jensen, Keld A

2011-01-01

of atherosclerotic plaques in aorta was assessed in mice exposed to nanosized TiO2 (0.5 mg/kg bodyweight) once a week for 4 weeks. We measured mRNA levels of Mcp-1, Mip-2, Vcam-1, Icam-1 and Vegf in lung tissue to assess pulmonary inflammation and vascular function. TiO2-induced alterations in nitric oxide (NO...... were intratracheally instilled (0.5 mg/kg bodyweight) with rutile fine TiO2 (fTiO2, 288 nm), photocatalytic 92/8 anatase/rutile TiO2 (pTiO2, 12 nm), or rutile nano TiO2 (nTiO2, 21.6 nm) at 26 and 2 hours before measurement of vasodilatory function in aorta segments mounted in myographs. The progression...

Toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles to Escherichia coli: effects of particle size, crystal phase and water chemistry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiuchun Lin

Full Text Available Controversial and inconsistent results on the eco-toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs are commonly found in recorded studies and more experimental works are therefore warranted to elucidate the nanotoxicity and its underlying precise mechanisms. Toxicities of five types of TiO2 NPs with different particle sizes (10∼50 nm and crystal phases were investigated using Escherichia coli as a test organism. The effect of water chemistry on the nanotoxicity was also examined. The antibacterial effects of TiO2 NPs as revealed by dose-effect experiments decreased with increasing particle size and rutile content of the TiO2 NPs. More bacteria could survive at higher solution pH (5.0-10.0 and ionic strength (50-200 mg L(-1 NaCl as affected by the anatase TiO2 NPs. The TiO2 NPs with anatase crystal structure and smaller particle size produced higher content of intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, in line with their greater antibacterial effect. Transmission electron microscopic observations showed the concentration buildup of the anatase TiO2 NPs especially those with smaller particle sizes on the cell surfaces, leading to membrane damage and internalization. These research results will shed new light on the understanding of ecological effects of TiO2 NPs.

Toxicity of TiO2 Nanoparticles to Escherichia coli: Effects of Particle Size, Crystal Phase and Water Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Xiuchun; Li, Jingyi; Ma, Si; Liu, Gesheng; Yang, Kun; Tong, Meiping; Lin, Daohui

2014-01-01

Controversial and inconsistent results on the eco-toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly found in recorded studies and more experimental works are therefore warranted to elucidate the nanotoxicity and its underlying precise mechanisms. Toxicities of five types of TiO2 NPs with different particle sizes (10∼50 nm) and crystal phases were investigated using Escherichia coli as a test organism. The effect of water chemistry on the nanotoxicity was also examined. The antibacterial effects of TiO2 NPs as revealed by dose-effect experiments decreased with increasing particle size and rutile content of the TiO2 NPs. More bacteria could survive at higher solution pH (5.0–10.0) and ionic strength (50–200 mg L−1 NaCl) as affected by the anatase TiO2 NPs. The TiO2 NPs with anatase crystal structure and smaller particle size produced higher content of intracellular reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, in line with their greater antibacterial effect. Transmission electron microscopic observations showed the concentration buildup of the anatase TiO2 NPs especially those with smaller particle sizes on the cell surfaces, leading to membrane damage and internalization. These research results will shed new light on the understanding of ecological effects of TiO2 NPs. PMID:25310452

Cellular and molecular responses of E. fetida cœlomocytes exposed to TiO2 nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Bigorgne, Emilie; Foucaud, Laurent; Caillet, Céline; Giambérini, Laure; Nahmani, Johanne; Thomas, Fabien; Rodius, François

2012-07-01

An in vitro approach using cœlomocytes of Eisenia fetida was investigated to evaluate toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles. Cœlomocytes were exposed to well-dispersed suspension of small aggregates (130 nm) of TiO2 nanoparticles (1-25 μg/ml) during 4, 12 and 24 h. Intracellular localisation suggested that the main route of uptake was endocytosis. Cellular responses showed that TiO2 nanoparticles were not cytotoxic and had no effect on phagocytosis at any of the four concentrations for each time tested. Concerning molecular responses, an increase of fetidin and metallothionein mRNA expression was observed starting from 4 h of exposure. In contrast, expression of coelomic cytolytic factor mRNA decreased for 10 and 25 μg/ml after 4 h. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione-S-transferase expression were not modified suggesting that oxidative stress was not induced by TiO2 in our experimental conditions. This in vitro approach showed that TiO2 nanoparticles were taken up by cœlomocytes and they could modify the molecular response of immune and detoxification system.

Effect of titanium dioxide (TiO2) on largely improving solar reflectance and cooling property of high density polyethylene (HDPE) by influencing its crystallization behavior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Shichao; Zhang, Jun

2014-01-01

Highlights: • HDPE/TiO 2 composites have more perfect crystal structure. • Refractive index is the key factor affecting the final solar reflectance. • HDPE/TiO 2 composites can achieve high solar reflectance. • The real cooling property is in accordance with solar reflectance. - Abstract: In this study, the different crystal forms of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) were added into high density polyethylene (HDPE) to fabricate cool material. Crystal structure, crystallization behavior, crystal morphology were investigated by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscope (POM). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was applied to observe dispersion of TiO 2 particles in the HDPE matrix and the cross section morphology. The solar reflectance and actual cooling property were evaluated by UV–Vis–NIR spectrometer and a self-designed device. By adding TiO 2 particles into HDPE matrix, the polymer chain could crystallize into more perfect and thermal stable lamella. The presence of TiO 2 particles dramatically increased the number of nucleation site therefore decreased the crystal size. The subsequent solar reflectance was related to the degree of crystallinity, the spherulite size of HDPE, refractive index, and distribution of TiO 2 particles in HDPE matrix. It was found the rutile TiO 2 could largely improve the total solar reflectance from 28.2% to 51.1%. Finally, the temperature test showed that the composites had excellent cooling property, which was in accordance with solar reflectance result

Crystallization behaviour of nanostructured hybrid SiO2-TiO2 gel glasses to nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsvetelina, Gerganova; Yordanka, Ivanova; Yuliya, Vueva; Miranda, Salvado Isabel M; Helena, Fernandes Maria

2010-04-01

The crystallization behaviour of hybrid SiO2-TiO2 nanocomposites derived from titanosiloxanes by sol-gel method has been investigated depending on the type of siloxane precursor and the pirolysis temperature. The resulting hybrid titanosiloxanes, crosslinked with trimethylsilil isocyanate (nitrogen-modified) or methyltrietoxisilane (carbon-modified), were pirolyzed in an inert atmosphere in the temperature range between 600 to 1100 degrees C in order to form C-(N)-Si-O-TiO2 nanocomposites. By means of XRD, FTIR, 29Si NMR, SEM, TEM and AFM investigations have been established that the transformation of the nanostructured SiO2-TiO2 hybrid materials into nanocomposites as well as the crystalline size depend on the titanium content and the type of cross-linking agents used in the synthesizes.

TiO2 Microflowers Assembled by 6-nm Single-Crystal Stranded Wires with Improved Photoelectrochemical Performances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chunlei; Zhou, Wei; Yu, Li; Zhang, Gong; Qu, Jiuhui; Liu, Huijuan

2017-01-01

Highlights: •The 6-nm single-crystal stranded wires of TiO 2 exhibited a photocurrent of 0.33 mA cm −2 compared to that of the P25/TF (0.06 mA cm −2 ), which greatly facilited the electron transfer rate. •A photoelectrochemical (PEC) system combining degradation of bisphenol A and H 2 production was constructed based on the TiO 2 -SWs/TF. •This PEC system exhibited a 94% bisphenol A degradation efficiency within 60 min at 1.2 V and H 2 production simultaneously. •A power consumption of only 0.02 kWh m −3 was consumed by the TiO 2 -SWs/TF in PEC system. •Two pathways for PEC degradation of bisphenol A were proposed based on the intermediates identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. -- Abstract: As the diffusion length of charge carriers in TiO 2 is around 10 nm, it would be an efficient way to increase the photocatalytic properties by controlling the size within 10 nm. Herein, TiO 2 microflowers assembled by 6-nm single-crystal stranded wires grown on Ti foam (TiO 2 -SWs/TF) were synthesized which facilated electron transfer rate with a photocurrent of 0.33 mA cm −2 compared to that of the P25/TF (0.06 mA cm −2 ). A photoelectrochemical (PEC) system combining degradation of bisphenol A and H 2 production was constructed based on the as-obtained TiO 2 -SWs/TF as photoanode and Pt wire as cathode. This PEC system exhibited excellent ability for simultaneous bisphenol A degradation and H 2 production, giving a 94% bisphenol A degradation efficiency within 60 min at 1.2 vs (Ag/AgCl) V with power consumption of only 0.02 kWh m −3 . The excellent PEC degradation of bisphenol A by the TiO 2 -SWs/TF could mainly be ascribed to the fast electron transfer via the 6-nm ultrathin wires and synergetic effect of photocatalysis and electrochemical process. Two pathways for PEC degradation of bisphenol A were proposed based on the intermediates identified by Ultra Performance liquid chromatography-quadruple-time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS).

Germination and early plant development of 10 plant species exposed to Nano TiO2 and CeO2

Science.gov (United States)

Ten agronomic plant species were exposed to different concentrations of nano-TiO2 or CeO2 (0, 250, 500 and 1000 ug/l) and followed to examine effects on germination and early seedling development. For TiO2, cabbage showed increased and corn decreased percent germination, while ...

Superior environment resistance of quartz crystal microbalance with anatase TiO2/ZnO nanorod composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiang, Wei; Wei, Li; Shaodan, Wang; Yu, Bai

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: ZnO nanorod array being prepared by an in situ method on the QCM coated with Au film via hydrothermal process and surface modification with coated TiO 2 by sol–gel methods to form a superhydrophobic TiO 2 /ZnO composite film the anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film with a sharp, pencil-like structure exhibiting excellent superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 155°), non-sticking water properties, and an autonomous cleaning property under UV irradiation. The anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film facilitates the precise measurement and extended lifetime of the QCM for the detection of organic gas molecules. - Highlights: • This work combines, for the first time, the advantage of the TiO 2 /ZnO composite film on photocatalysis and reversible super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic transition, and puts forward a solution to satisfy weatherability of quartz crystal microbalance in long-term application. • The anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film with pencil structure exhibit excellent super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle can reach 155°), no-sticking water properties and self-cleaning property under UV irradiation. • The photocatalysis and reversible super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic transition of the TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod composite film is stable in long-term application. - Abstract: The precise measurement of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in the detection and weighing of organic gas molecules is achieved due to excellent superhydrophobicity of a deposited film composite. Photocatalysis is utilized as a method for the self-cleaning of organic molecules on the QCM for extended long-term stability in the precision of the instrument. In this paper, ZnO nanorod array is prepared via in situ methods on the QCM coated with Au film via hydrothermal process. Subsequently, a TiO 2 /ZnO composite film is synthesized by surface modification with TiO 2 via sol–gel methods. Results show the anatase TiO 2 /ZnO nanorod

Hierarchical sulfur-impregnated hydrogenated TiO2 mesoporous spheres comprising anatase nanosheets with highly exposed (001) facets for advanced Li-S batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Changzhou; Zhu, Siqi; Cao, Hui; Hou, Linrui; Lin, Jingdong

2016-01-01

In this contribution, we purposefully designed hierarchical hydrogenated TiO2 spheres (HTSs) constructed from ultrathin anatase nanosheets with highly exposed (001) facets, and further utilized them as an efficient encapsulated host of sulfur species for advanced Li-S batteries (LSBs). Strikingly, the as-fabricated hybrid S/HTSs cathode exhibited high Coulombic efficiency (>94%), exceptional long cycling performance (capacity decay of ˜0.399% per cycle at 0.5 C), and large reversible discharge capacity (˜579 mAh g-1 at 2.0 C) at high C rates, benefiting from better electronic conductivity, smaller charge transfer resistance and strong chemical bonding between {{{{S}}}n}2- and the reduced (001) facets of HTSs, according to experimental measurements and systematical theoretical calculations. More significantly, our in-depth insights into the mechanism involved in the hybrid S/HTSs could efficiently guide future design, optimization and synthesis of other metal oxide-based matrixes with specific exposed crystal facets for next-generation advanced LSBs.

The effect of TiO2 on nucleation and crystallization of a Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 glass investigated by XANES and STEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleebusch, Enrico; Patzig, Christian; Krause, Michael; Hu, Yongfeng; Höche, Thomas; Rüssel, Christian

2018-02-13

Glass ceramics based on Li 2 O/Al 2 O 3 /SiO 2 are of high economic importance, as they often show very low coefficients of thermal expansion. This enables a number of challenging applications, such as cooktop panels, furnace windows or telescope mirror blanks. Usually, the crystallization of the desired LAS crystal phases within the glasses must be tailored by a careful choice of crystallization schedule and type of nucleation agents to be used. The present work describes the formation of nanocrystalline TiO 2 within an LAS base composition that contains solely TiO 2 as nucleating agent. Using a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy as well as X-ray absorption spectroscopy, it is found that a mixture of four- and six-fold coordinated Ti 4+ ions exists already within the glass. Heating of the glass to 740 °C immediately changes this ratio towards a high content of six-fold coordinated Ti, which accumulates in liquid-liquid phase-separation droplets. During the course of thermal treatment, these droplets eventually evolve into nanocrystalline TiO 2 precipitations, in which Ti 4+ is six-fold coordinated. Thus, it is shown that the nucleation of nanocrystalline TiO 2 is initiated by a gradual re-arrangement of the Ti ions in the amorphous, glassy matrix, from a four-fold towards a six-fold coordination.

Controlled Assembly of Nanorod TiO2 Crystals via a Sintering Process: Photoanode Properties in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeid Vafaei

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present for the first time a synthetic method of obtaining 1D TiO2 nanorods with sintering methods using bundle-shaped 3D rutile TiO2 particles (3D BR-TiO2 with the dimensions of around 100 nm. The purpose of this research is (i to control crystallization of the mixture of two kinds of TiO2 semiconductor nanocrystals, that is, 3D BR-TiO2 and spherical anatase TiO2 (SA-TiO2 on FTO substrate via sintering process and (ii to establish a new method to create photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs. In addition, we focus on the preparation of low-cost and environmentally friendly titania electrode by adopting the “water-based” nanofluids. Our results provide useful guidance on how to improve the photovoltaic performance by reshaping the numerous 3D TiO2 particles to 1D TiO2-based electrodes with sintering technique.

Effect of sulfate ions on the crystallization and photocatalytic activity of TiO2/diatomite composite photocatalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinjun; Wang, Xiaoyan; Wang, Jimei; Wang, Jing; Ji, Zhijiang

2016-01-01

TiO2 nanoparticles were immobilized on diatomite by hydrolysis-deposition method using titanium tetrachloride as precursor. The effect of sulfate ions on the crystallization and photocatalytic activity of TiO2/diatomite composite photocatalyst was characterized by TG-DSC, XRD, BET surface area, SEM, FT-IR spectroscopy, XPS and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The results indicate that addition of a small amount of sulfate ions promotes the formation of anatase phase and inhibits the transformation from anatase to rutile. On the other hand, sulfate ions immobilized on the surface of TiO2/diatomite have strong affinity for electrons, capturing the photo-generated electrons, which hinders the recombination of electrons and holes.

Self-organized TiO2 nanotubular arrays for photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation: effect of crystallization and defect structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahajan, V K; Misra, M; Raja, K S; Mohapatra, S K

2008-01-01

The effect of crystallization and surface chemistry of nanotubular titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) in connection with the photoelectrochemical process is reported in this investigation. TiO 2 nanotubular arrays were synthesized by a simple anodization process in an acidified fluoride electrolyte at room temperature. The TiO 2 nanotubes were amorphous in as-anodized condition; their transformation to crystalline phases was a function of annealing temperature and gaseous environment. The anatase phase was observed predominantly after annealing in non-oxidizing atmospheres, whereas annealing in an oxygen environment showed a mixture of anatase and rutile phases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical environment of the surface, which revealed the presence of phosphate, oxygen vacancies and pentacoordinated Ti in hydrogen annealed samples. Diffuse reflectance photospectrometry of non-oxygen annealed samples showed long absorption tails extending in the visible region. The photoelectrochemical response of the TiO 2 nanotubes annealed in different conditions was investigated. Photoelectrochemical performance under simulated solar light was improved by annealing the nanotubular TiO 2 samples in non-oxidizing environment

Towards TiO2 nanotubes modified by WO3 species: influence of ex situ crystallization of precursor on the photocatalytic activities of WO3/TiO2 composites

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hui; Dong, Bohua; Su, Ge; Gao, Rongjie; Liu, Wei; Song, Liang; Cao, Lixin

2015-09-01

TiO2 nanotubes (TNT) crystallized at different temperatures were loaded with WO3 hydrate through the reaction between (NH4)6W7O24·6H2O and an aqueous solution of HCl. The photocatalytic activities of nanocomposites firstly increase and then decrease as a function of the crystallized temperature of the TNT precursor. The structural, morphologic and optical properties of WO3/TiO2 nanocomposites were also investigated in this study. The samples, initially anatase titania (573 K-773 K), presented phase transition to rutile titania at 873 K. With the crystallized temperature increasing, an evolution of samples morphology changing from nanotube-like structure to nanorod-like structure was observed. Meanwhile, the absorption edge of samples exhibited a red shift, and correspondingly their band gap decreased. Consistent with x-ray diffraction diffractograms, the existence of rutile titania as an impurity in the precursor TNT, crystallized at higher than 873 K, depressed photocatalytic activity evidently. As a result, the degradation rate of methyl orange (MO) increased with the samples crystallinity firstly, and then reduced due to the appearance of rutile titania. In our experimental conditions, the optimal photocatalytic activity was achieved for the sample crystalized at 773 K. Its degradation rate could reach 98.76% after 90 min UV light irradiation.

Towards TiO2 nanotubes modified by WO3 species: influence of ex situ crystallization of precursor on the photocatalytic activities of WO3/TiO2 composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Hui; Dong, Bohua; Su, Ge; Gao, Rongjie; Liu, Wei; Cao, Lixin; Song, Liang

2015-01-01

TiO 2 nanotubes (TNT) crystallized at different temperatures were loaded with WO 3 hydrate through the reaction between (NH 4 ) 6 W 7 O 24 ·6H 2 O and an aqueous solution of HCl. The photocatalytic activities of nanocomposites firstly increase and then decrease as a function of the crystallized temperature of the TNT precursor. The structural, morphologic and optical properties of WO 3 /TiO 2 nanocomposites were also investigated in this study. The samples, initially anatase titania (573 K–773 K), presented phase transition to rutile titania at 873 K. With the crystallized temperature increasing, an evolution of samples morphology changing from nanotube-like structure to nanorod-like structure was observed. Meanwhile, the absorption edge of samples exhibited a red shift, and correspondingly their band gap decreased. Consistent with x-ray diffraction diffractograms, the existence of rutile titania as an impurity in the precursor TNT, crystallized at higher than 873 K, depressed photocatalytic activity evidently. As a result, the degradation rate of methyl orange (MO) increased with the samples crystallinity firstly, and then reduced due to the appearance of rutile titania. In our experimental conditions, the optimal photocatalytic activity was achieved for the sample crystalized at 773 K. Its degradation rate could reach 98.76% after 90 min UV light irradiation. (paper)

Coexistence of an anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction and an exposed (001) facet in TiO2 nanoribbon photocatalysts synthesized via a fluorine-free route and topotactic transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Changhua; Zhang, Xintong; Liu, Yichun

2014-05-21

In this work, we report a novel approach to fabricate hierarchical TiO2 microspheres (HTMS) assembled by ultrathin nanoribbons where an anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction and high energy facet coexist. The as-adopted approach involves (1) nonaqueous solvothermal treatment of a mixture of tetrabutyl titanate and acetic acid and (2) topotactical transformation into HTMS via thermal annealing. By this approach, the TiO2(B) phase usually synthesized from an alkaline treatment route could be initially formed. Subsequently, phase transition from TiO2(B) to anatase TiO2 occurs upon thermal treatment. It is demonstrated that such phase transition is accompanied by crystallographic orientation along the c-axis of anatase and TiO2(B) crystals, resulting in not only a coherent interface between two phases but also oriented attachment of anatase mesocrystals along the [001] direction, and finally high-energy (001) facet exposure. Interestingly, this work provides an alternative fluorine-free route for the synthesis of TiO2 crystals with high-energy (001) facet exposure. The structural analysis reveals that lattice-match induced topotactic transformation from TiO2(B) to anatase is the sole reason for the (001) facet exposure of anatase TiO2. The photocatalytic test for acetaldehyde decomposition shows that HTMS with anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction and high-energy (001) facet exhibits superior photocatalytic efficiency compared with the relevant commercial product P25, which can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of large surface area, anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction as well as high-energy facet exposure.

Coexistence of an anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction and an exposed (001) facet in TiO2 nanoribbon photocatalysts synthesized via a fluorine-free route and topotactic transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Changhua; Zhang, Xintong; Liu, Yichun

2014-04-01

In this work, we report a novel approach to fabricate hierarchical TiO2 microspheres (HTMS) assembled by ultrathin nanoribbons where an anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction and high energy facet coexist. The as-adopted approach involves (1) nonaqueous solvothermal treatment of a mixture of tetrabutyl titanate and acetic acid and (2) topotactical transformation into HTMS via thermal annealing. By this approach, the TiO2(B) phase usually synthesized from an alkaline treatment route could be initially formed. Subsequently, phase transition from TiO2(B) to anatase TiO2 occurs upon thermal treatment. It is demonstrated that such phase transition is accompanied by crystallographic orientation along the c-axis of anatase and TiO2(B) crystals, resulting in not only a coherent interface between two phases but also oriented attachment of anatase mesocrystals along the [001] direction, and finally high-energy (001) facet exposure. Interestingly, this work provides an alternative fluorine-free route for the synthesis of TiO2 crystals with high-energy (001) facet exposure. The structural analysis reveals that lattice-match induced topotactic transformation from TiO2(B) to anatase is the sole reason for the (001) facet exposure of anatase TiO2. The photocatalytic test for acetaldehyde decomposition shows that HTMS with anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction and high-energy (001) facet exhibits superior photocatalytic efficiency compared with the relevant commercial product P25, which can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of large surface area, anatase/TiO2(B) heterojunction as well as high-energy facet exposure.

Plasmonic gold nanocrystals coupled with photonic crystal seamlessly on TiO2 nanotube photoelectrodes for efficient visible light photoelectrochemical water splitting

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Zhonghai

2013-01-09

A visible light responsive plasmonic photocatalytic composite material is designed by rationally selecting Au nanocrystals and assembling them with the TiO2-based photonic crystal substrate. The selection of the Au nanocrystals is so that their surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) wavelength matches the photonic band gap of the photonic crystal and thus that the SPR of the Au receives remarkable assistance from the photonic crystal substrate. The design of the composite material is expected to significantly increase the Au SPR intensity and consequently boost the hot electron injection from the Au nanocrystals into the conduction band of TiO2, leading to a considerably enhanced water splitting performance of the material under visible light. A proof-of-concept example is provided by assembling 20 nm Au nanocrystals, with a SPR peak at 556 nm, onto the photonic crystal which is seamlessly connected on TiO2 nanotube array. Under visible light illumination (>420 nm), the designed material produced a photocurrent density of ∼150 μA cm-2, which is the highest value ever reported in any plasmonic Au/TiO2 system under visible light irradiation due to the photonic crystal-assisted SPR. This work contributes to the rational design of the visible light responsive plasmonic photocatalytic composite material based on wide band gap metal oxides for photoelectrochemical applications. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Thiourea-Modified TiO2 Nanorods with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

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Xiaofeng Wu

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Semiconductor TiO2 photocatalysis has attracted much attention due to its potential application in solving the problems of environmental pollution. In this paper, thiourea (CH4N2S modified anatase TiO2 nanorods were fabricated by calcination of the mixture of TiO2 nanorods and thiourea at 600 °C for 2 h. It was found that only N element was doped into the lattice of TiO2 nanorods. With increasing the weight ratio of thiourea to TiO2 (R from 0 to 8, the light-harvesting ability of the photocatalyst steady increases. Both the crystallization and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanorods increase first and then decrease with increase in R value, and R2 sample showed the highest crystallization and photocatalytic activity in degradation of Brilliant Red X3B (X3B and Rhodamine B (RhB dyes under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm. The increased visible-light photocatalytic activity of the prepared N-doped TiO2 nanorods is due to the synergistic effects of the enhanced crystallization, improved light-harvesting ability and reduced recombination rate of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. Note that the enhanced visible photocatalytic activity of N-doped nanorods is not based on the scarification of their UV photocatalytic activity.

Positron annihilation in single crystals of TiO2, VO2, Pb, and U

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blau, M.

1982-09-01

Two positron annihilation set-ups for Doppler broadening correlation measurements are described. The Doppler broadening spectra were measured in different directions of single crystals of TiO 2 and VO 2 , at room temperature. The anisotropy was explained using two models in which the positron behaves as a free or bounded particle, and was related to the effective charge on the oxygen ion. The changes in the spectra in VO 2 , on passing from the insulator to the metal phase, were found to be gradual and small. The results indicate that the main contribution to the metal-insulator transition is due to changes in the relative occupation of the oxygen p-states and not to changes in covalency or screening. Angular correlations were measured in single crystals of lead in three crystallographic directions. The derivatives of the spectra were compared with the Fermi surface obtained from dHvA measurements, using plane-wave electrons. Most of the features of the experimental derivatives were explained with this simple model. Angular correlation measurements were made on single crystals of uranium in two crystallographic directions. The derivates of the spectra were very wide with a few peaks. (Author)

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of CeO2-TiO2 nanocomposite for degradation of crystal violet dye and industrial waste effluent

Science.gov (United States)

Zahoor, Mehvish; Arshad, Amara; Khan, Yaqoob; Iqbal, Mazhar; Bajwa, Sadia Zafar; Soomro, Razium Ali; Ahmad, Ishaq; Butt, Faheem K.; Iqbal, M. Zubair; Wu, Aiguo; Khan, Waheed S.

2018-03-01

This study presents the synthesis of CeO2-TiO2 nanocomposite and its potential application for the visible light-driven photocatalytic degradation of model crystal violet dye as well as real industrial waste water. The ceria-titania (CeO2-TiO2) nanocomposite material was synthesised using facile hydrothermal route without the assistance of any template molecule. As-prepared composite was characterised by SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XRD, XPS for surface features, morphological and crystalline characters. The formed nanostructures were determined to possess crystal-like geometrical shape and average size less than 100 nm. The as-synthesised nanocomposite was further investigated for their heterogeneous photocatalytic potential against the oxidative degradation of CV dye taken as model pollutant. The photo-catalytic performance of the as-synthesised material was evaluated both under ultra-violet as well as visible light. Best photocatalytic performance was achieved under visible light with complete degradation (100%) exhibited within 60 min of irradiation time. The kinetics of the photocatalytic process were also considered and the reaction rate constant for CeO2-TiO2 nanocomposite was determined to be 0.0125 and 0.0662 min-1 for ultra-violet and visible region, respectively. In addition, the as-synthesised nanocomposite demonstrated promising results when considered for the photo-catalytic degradation of coloured industrial waste water collected from local textile industry situated in Faisalabad region of Pakistan. Enhanced photo-catalytic performance of CeO2-TiO2 nanocomposite was proposed owing to heterostructure formation leading to reduced electron-hole recombination.

Fate of pristine TiO2 nanoparticles and aged paint-containing TiO2 nanoparticles in lettuce crop after foliar exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Larue, Camille; Castillo-Michel, Hiram; Sobanska, Sophie; Trcera, Nicolas; Sorieul, Stéphanie; Cécillon, Lauric; Ouerdane, Laurent; Legros, Samuel; Sarret, Géraldine

2014-05-30

Engineered TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) are present in a large variety of consumer products, and are produced in largest amount. The building industry is a major sector using TiO2-NPs, especially in paints. The fate of NPs after their release in the environment is still largely unknown, and their possible transfer in plants and subsequent impacts have not been studied in detail. The foliar transfer pathway is even less understood than the root pathway. In this study, lettuces were exposed to pristine TiO2-NPs and aged paint leachate containing TiO2-NPs and microparticles (TiO2-MPs). Internalization and in situ speciation of Ti were investigated by a combination of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Not only TiO2-NPs pristine and from aged paints, but also TiO2-MPs were internalized in lettuce leaves, and observed in all types of tissues. No change in speciation was noticed, but an organic coating of TiO2-NPs is likely. Phytotoxicity markers were tested for plants exposed to pristine TiO2-NPs. No acute phytotoxicity was observed; variations were only observed in glutathione and phytochelatin levels but remained low as compared to typical values. These results obtained on the foliar uptake mechanisms of nano- and microparticles are important in the perspective of risk assessment of atmospheric contaminations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High pressure structural phase transitions of TiO2 nanomaterials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Quan-Jun; Liu Bing-Bing

2016-01-01

Recently, the high pressure study on the TiO 2 nanomaterials has attracted considerable attention due to the typical crystal structure and the fascinating properties of TiO 2 with nanoscale sizes. In this paper, we briefly review the recent progress in the high pressure phase transitions of TiO 2 nanomaterials. We discuss the size effects and morphology effects on the high pressure phase transitions of TiO 2 nanomaterials with different particle sizes, morphologies, and microstructures. Several typical pressure-induced structural phase transitions in TiO 2 nanomaterials are presented, including size-dependent phase transition selectivity in nanoparticles, morphology-tuned phase transition in nanowires, nanosheets, and nanoporous materials, and pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) and polyamorphism in ultrafine nanoparticles and TiO 2 -B nanoribbons. Various TiO 2 nanostructural materials with high pressure structures are prepared successfully by high pressure treatment of the corresponding crystal nanomaterials, such as amorphous TiO 2 nanoribbons, α -PbO 2 -type TiO 2 nanowires, nanosheets, and nanoporous materials. These studies suggest that the high pressure phase transitions of TiO 2 nanomaterials depend on the nanosize, morphology, interface energy, and microstructure. The diversity of high pressure behaviors of TiO 2 nanomaterials provides a new insight into the properties of nanomaterials, and paves a way for preparing new nanomaterials with novel high pressure structures and properties for various applications. (topical review)

Efficient photocatalytic reductive dechlorination of 4-chlorophenol to phenol on {0 0 1}/{1 0 1} facets co-exposed TiO_2 nanocrystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Guodong; Wei, Meng; Yuan, Songdong; Chang, Qing

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • 4-Chlorophenol is dechlorinated over {0 0 1}/{1 0 1} co-exposed TiO_2 nanocrystals. • Photo-electrons are accumulated on {1 0 1} facets due to surface heterojunction. • Fluorine will trap photoelectrons to depress the dechlorination performance. • Sufficient isopropanol promotes the dechlorination activity and selectivity. - Abstract: 4-chlorophenol could be efficiently photoreductively dechlorinated over anatase TiO_2 nanocrystals with co-exposed {0 0 1} and {1 0 1} facets, which were synthesized and further characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Although fluorine could adsorb on {0 0 1} facets to decrease their surface energy, enabling TiO_2 to expose high energy {0 0 1} facets, the surface bonded fluorine might depress the photoreductive dechlorination efficiency of 4-chlorophenol, attributed to the electron trapping role of surface ≡Ti−F groups. Due to the formation of a surface heterojunction between {1 0 1} and {0 0 1} facets in a single TiO_2 nanocrystal, electrons and holes were spontaneously self-separated and selectively migrate to {1 0 1} and {0 0 1} facets, respectively. Electron trapping experiments demonstrated that photogenerated electrons are the responsible for the reductive dechlorinaton of 4-chlorophenol to phenol. To avoid the oxidative degradation of 4-chlorophenol by holes and ensure sufficient electrons to reductively dechlorinate the substrate, moderate scavengers were required in the reaction system and dissolved oxygen, which might deplete electron on TiO_2, also should be removed. With the optimal scavengers, the conversion efficiency of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) achieved 97.5% and the selectivity for phenol was 92.5%, which were much higher than that of commercial TiO_2 P25.

The synthesis of aqueous-dispersible anatase TiO2 nanoplatelets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shan Guobin; Demopoulos, George P

2010-01-01

Aqueous well-dispersed and phase-pure anatase TiO 2 truncated octahedron nanoplatelets (NPLs) were prepared via controlled hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4 ) in ethylene glycol at 240 deg. C. Two shapes, square and hexagon, were observed by microscopy, exactly corresponding to the truncated octahedron NPLs. Ethylene glycol was found to produce water in situ that reacts with TiCl 4 to produce TiO 2 and HCl-the latter promoting TiO 2 colloid peptization. TiO 2 truncated octahedron NPLs are formed under the stabilizing action of ethylene glycol thermolysis derivatives, such as aldehydes. Crystal growth of the TiO 2 NPLs was affected by the reaction temperature that determines the water production rate and HCl-assisted peptization. TGA and FT-IR results showed ∼1.2% ethylene glycol thermolysis derivatives are attached to the surface of the TiO 2 NPLs, which prevents their agglomeration, hence making them easily dispersible in aqueous media. HR-TEM and SAED results showed that the TiO 2 NPLs are well crystallized and that the SAED patterns of the single TiO 2 NPL changes with its size and shape. XRD patterns showed that the TiO 2 NPLs are phase-pure anatase and the percentage of the {101} plane in the TiO 2 NPLs to be only 18%-a structural feature that renders the TiO 2 NPLs with enhanced UV absorption and reactivity properties.

Oxygen vacancy-induced room-temperature ferromagnetism in D—D neutron irradiated single-crystal TiO2 (001) rutile

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Nan-Nan; Li, Gong-Ping; Pan, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Yun-Bo; Chen, Jing-Sheng; Bao, Liang-Man

2014-10-01

Remarkable room temperature ferromagnetism in pure single-crystal rutile TiO2 (001) samples irradiated by D—D neutron has been investigated. By combining X-ray diffraction and positron annihilation lifetime, the contracted lattice has been clearly identified in irradiated TiO2, where Ti4+ ions can be easily reduced to the state of Ti3+. As there were no magnetic impurities that could contaminate the samples during the whole procedure, some Ti3+ ions reside on interstitial or substituted sites accompanied by oxygen vacancies should be responsible for the ferromagnetism.

Preparation and photonic bandgap properties of Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3 inverse opal photonic crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Zhengwen; Zhou Ji; Huang Xueguang; Xie Qin; Fu Ming; Li Bo; Li Longtu

2009-01-01

The Na 1/2 Bi 1/2 TiO 3 (NBT) inverse opal photonic crystals were prepared by the self-assembly technique in combination with a sol-gel method. In the preparation process, NBT precursors were filled into the interstices of the opal template assembled by monodispersive polystyrene microspheres. The polystyrene template was then removed by calcination at 800 deg. C for 5 h, meanwhile, a perovskite NBT inverse opal photonic crystal was formed. An optical micrograph shows that the NBT inverse opals reflect green-yellow light strongly. Moreover, a photonic band gap was observed by reflective spectra of NBT sample

Sol-gel synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles and photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange in aqueous TiO2 suspensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Huaming; Zhang Ke; Shi Rongrong; Li Xianwei; Dong Xiaodan; Yu Yongmei

2006-01-01

Anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles of about 16 nm in crystal size have been successfully synthesized via a sol-gel method. Thermal treatment of the precursor at 500-600 deg. C results in the formation of different TiO 2 phase compositions. The samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Effects of the pH value of the solution, H 2 O 2 addition, TiO 2 phase composition and recycled TiO 2 on the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MeO) in TiO 2 suspensions under ultraviolet (UV) illumination were primarily investigated. The results indicate that a low pH value, proper amount of H 2 O 2 and pure anatase TiO 2 will facilitate the photocatalytic oxidation of the MeO solution. The photodegradation degree decreases with increasing the pH value of the solution and varies with different amounts of H 2 O 2 . Pure anatase TiO 2 shows better photocatalytic activity for MeO decolorization than biphase TiO 2 . The photocatalytic mechanism of the as-synthesized TiO 2 nanoparticles was discussed

Quantum chemical elucidation of the mechanism for hydrogenation of TiO2 anatase crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Raghunath, P.; Huang, W. F.; Lin, M. C.

2013-04-01

Hydrogenation of TiO2 is relevant to hydrogen storage and water splitting. We have carried out a detailed mechanistic study on TiO2 hydrogenation through H and/or H2 diffusion from the surface into subsurface layers of anatase TiO2 (101) by periodic density functional theory calculations implementing on-site Coulomb interactions (DFT + U). Both H atoms and H2 molecules can migrate from the crystal surface into TiO2 near subsurface layer with 27.8 and 46.2 kcal/mol energy barriers, respectively. The controlling step for the former process is the dissociative adsorption of H2 on the surface which requires 47.8 kcal/mol of energy barrier. Both hydrogen incorporation processes are expected to be equally favorable. The barrier energy for H2 migration from the first layer of the subsurface Osub1 to the 2nd layer of the subsurface oxygen Osub2 requires only 6.6 kcal. The presence of H atoms on the surface and inside the subsurface layer tends to promote both H and H2 penetration into the subsurface layer by reducing their energy barriers, as well as to prevent the escape of the H2 from the cage by increasing its escaping barrier energy. The H2 molecule inside a cage can readily dissociate and form 2HO-species exothermically (ΔH = -31.0 kcal/mol) with only 26.2 kcal/mol barrier. The 2HO-species within the cage may further transform into H2O with a 22.0 kcal/mol barrier and 19.3 kcal/mol exothermicity relative to the caged H2 molecule. H2O formation following the breaking of Ti-O bonds within the cage may result in the formation of O-vacancies and surface disordering as observed experimentally under a high pressure and moderately high temperature condition. According to density of states analysis, the projected density of states of the interstitial H, H2, and H2O appear prominently within the TiO2 band gap; in addition, the former induces a shift of the band gap position notably towards the conduction band. The thermochemistry for formation of the most stable sub

Proline adsorption on TiO 2(1 1 0) single crystal surface: A study by high resolution photoelectron spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, G. J.; Adib, K.; Rodriguez, J. A.; Barteau, M. A.; Idriss, H.

2007-12-01

The surface chemistry and binding of DL-proline were investigated on the oxidised (stoichiometric) and reduced (sub-stoichiometric) TiO 2(1 1 0) single crystal surfaces. TiO 2 was chosen as the substrate as it best represents the surface of a biomedical implant, which bio-molecules interact with during the healing of bone/teeth fractures (molecular recognition). High resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS) studies of the C1s and N1s regions revealed that DL-proline is present in two forms (dissociated and zwitterionic) on the oxidised TiO 2 surface. On TiO 2(1 1 0) surfaces reduced by Ar + sputtering, a significant increase in the amount of zwitterionic proline at the surface was detected when compared with the oxidised surface. Study of the temperature effect showed that in both cases the zwitterionic structure was the less stable structure. The reason for its relative instability appears to be thermodynamic.

Crystallization and sintering characteristics of CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 glasses in the presence of TiO2, CaF2 and ZrO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banijamali, S.; Eftekhari Yekta, B.; Rezaie, H.R.; Marghussian, V.K.

2009-01-01

In this study, the effects of different amounts of TiO 2 , ZrO 2 and CaF 2 nucleating agents on sinterability, crystallization, mechanical properties and chemical resistance of glass-ceramics belonging to the CaO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 system were investigated, using differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical and chemical resistance measurements. It was found that in CaF 2 containing samples, the sinterability, crystallization and mechanical properties were improved by increasing of CaF 2 amount. However, addition of ZrO 2 and TiO 2 increases the firing temperature required for complete densification of specimens. Our experiments showed that fluctuations of chemical composition of the residual glass phases during sintering were responsible for these dissimilar trends and greatly influenced mechanical and chemical properties. According to the obtained results, appropriate sinterability, acceptable mechanical and chemical properties, as well as desirable whiteness of the most promising specimens make them suitable choices for floor tile applications. The main crystallization phases in all fully sintered glass-ceramics were wollastonite, anorthite and calcium aluminum silicate.

Optical Constants of Crystallized TiO2 Coatings Prepared by Sol-Gel Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Shen

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Titanium oxide coatings have been deposited by the sol-gel dip-coating method. Crystallization of titanium oxide coatings was then achieved through thermal annealing at temperatures above 400 °C. The structural properties and surface morphology of the crystallized coatings were studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Characterization technique, based on least-square fitting to the measured reflectance and transmittance spectra, is used to determine the refractive indices of the crystallized TiO2 coatings. The stability of the synthesized sol was also investigated by dynamic light scattering particle size analyzer. The influence of the thermal annealing on the optical properties was then discussed. The increase in refractive index with high temperature thermal annealing process was observed, obtaining refractive index values from 1.98 to 2.57 at He-Ne laser wavelength of 633 nm. The Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy studies indicate that the index variation is due to the changes in crystalline phase, density, and morphology during thermal annealing.

FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine) degradation via reactive oxygen species triggered by TiO2 and Au/TiO2 nanoparticles exposed to simulated sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Meng; He, Weiwei; Liu, Yi; Wu, Haohao; Wamer, Wayne G; Lo, Y Martin; Yin, Jun-Jie

2014-12-10

When exposed to light, TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) become photoactivated and create electron/hole pairs as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS). We examined the ROS production and degradation of a widely used azo dye, FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine), triggered by photoactivated TiO2 NPs. Degradation was found to follow pseudo-first order reaction kinetics where the rate constant increased with TiO2 NP concentration. Depositing Au on the surface of TiO2 largely enhanced electron transfer and ROS generation, which consequently accelerated dye degradation. Alkaline conditions promoted ROS generation and dye degradation. Results from electron spin resonance spin-trap spectroscopy suggested that at pH 7.4, both hydroxyl radical (•OH) and singlet oxygen ((1)O2) were responsible for dye discoloration, whereas at pH 5, the consumption of (1)O2 became dominant. Implications for dye degradation in foods and other consumer products that contain both TiO2 and FD&C Yellow No. 5 as ingredients are discussed.

Thermal degradation of TiO2 nanotubes on titanium

Science.gov (United States)

Shivaram, Anish; Bose, Susmita; Bandyopadhyay, Amit

2014-10-01

The objective of this research was to study thermal degradation behavior of TiO2 nanotubes on titanium (Ti). TiO2 nanotubes were grown via anodization method on commercially pure Ti (Cp-Ti) discs using two different electrolytes, 1 vol. % HF in deionized (DI) water and 1 vol. % HF + 0.5 wt. % NH4F + 10 vol. % DI water in ethylene glycol, to obtain nanotubes with two different lengths, 300 nm and 950 nm keeping the nanotube diameter constant at 100 ± 20 nm. As grown TiO2 nanotubes were subjected to heat treatment to understand thermal degradation as a function of both temperature and hold time. The signs of degradation were observed mainly when amorphous nanotubes started to crystallize, however the crystallization temperature varied based on TiO2 nanotubes length and anodizing condition. Overall, 300 nm nanotubes were thermally stable at least up to 400 °C for 12 h, while the 950 nm long nanotubes show signs of degradation from 400 °C for 6 h only. Clearly, length of nanotubes, heat treatment temperature as well as hold times show influence toward degradation kinetics of TiO2 nanotubes on titanium.

Controlled synthesis and facets-dependent photocatalysis of TiO2 nanocrystals

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Nitish; Park, Yohan; Sohn, Youngku; Pradhan, Debabrata

2015-04-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a wide band gap semiconductor that has been extensively used in several environmental applications including degradation of organic hazardous chemicals, water splitting to generate hydrogen, dye sensitized solar cells, self cleaning agents, and pigments. Herein we demonstrate the synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals (NCs) with the shapes of ellipsoids, rods, cuboids, and sheets with different exposed facets using a noncorrosive and nontoxic chemical (i.e. diethanolamine) as the shape controlling agent, unlike hydrofluoric acid commonly used. The TiO2 NCs of diverse shapes with different exposed facets were tested for photocatalytic hydroxyl radical (OH•) formation, which determines their photocatalytic behavior and the results were compared with the standard P-25 Degussa. The formation rate of OH• per specific surface area was found to be >6 fold higher for rod-shaped TiO2 NCs than that of commercial Degussa P25 catalyst. The highest photocatalytic activity of rod-shaped TiO2 NCs is ascribed to the unique chemical environment of {010} exposed facets which facilitates the electron/hole separation in presence of {101} facets.

Characterization of NaA Zeolite Oxygen Permeable Membrane on TiO2/α-Al2O3 Composite Support

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Zhu Mengfu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The NaA zeolite membrane was synthesized on the surface of TiO2/α-Al2O3 composite support with TiO2 as modifier of α-Al2O3 porous tubular ceramic membrane support by crystallization method. The structure characterization indicated that the TiO2 of the support surface could effectively improve the surface properties of the support. It didn’t affect the crystallization of NaA synthesis liquid and synthesis process of NaA zeolite membrane. There were no obvious defects between the crystal particles with size of approximate 6μm. The perfect and complete membrane with thickness of approximate 15μm combined closely with support to connection together by TiO2 modified. The oxygen permeability of the membrane on TiO2/α-Al2O3 composite support improves of 47% compared with that of α-Al2O3 support. So the process of TiO2 modifying the surface of α-Al2O3 support should increase the oxygen permeability of the NaA zeolite membrane.

Electrodeposition of flake-like Cu_2O on vertically aligned two-dimensional TiO_2 nanosheet array films for enhanced photoelectrochemical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Lei; Zhang, Miao; Zhu, Kerong; Lv, Jianguo; He, Gang; Sun, Zhaoqi

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Flake-like Cu_2O/TNS with exposed {001} facets constructed p-n heterostructure. • The TNS arrays were used as starting substrates for Cu_2O growth. • The Cu_2O/TNS prepared at −0.4 V exhibits the best photoelectrochemical property. - Abstract: A novel Cu_2O/TNS composite structure of single crystal TiO_2 nanosheet (TNS) arrays decorated with flake-like Cu_2O were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal reaction followed by the electrodeposition process. The effects of deposition potential on the microstructure, morphology, and optical property of the thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis spectrophotometer. When the deposition potential is higher than −0.4 V, peaks corresponding to Cu appear, meanwhile, flake-like Cu_2O become agglomerating, and transform into dense Cu_2O particles. Additionally, photoelectrochemical experiments indicate that the films deposited at −0.4 V show the lowest resistivity and highest exciton separation efficiency. This enhanced photoelectrochemical properties can be explained by synergistic effect of p-type flake-like Cu_2O and n-type TiO_2 heterojunctions combined with two-dimensional TiO_2 nanosheet with exposed highly reactive {001} facets.

Double functions of porous TiO2 electrodes on CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells: Enhancement of perovskite crystal transformation and prohibition of short circuiting

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Govindhasamy Murugadoss

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In order to analyze the crystal transformation from hexagonal PbI2 to CH3NH3PbI3 by the sequential (two-step deposition process, perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 layers were deposited on flat and/or porous TiO2 layers. Although the narrower pores using small nanoparticles prohibited the effective transformation, the porous-TiO2 matrix was able to help the crystal transformation of PbI2 to CH3NH3PbI3 by sequential two-step deposition. The resulting PbI2 crystals in porous TiO2 electrodes did not deteriorate the photovoltaic effects. Moreover, it is confirmed that the porous TiO2 electrode had served the function of prohibiting short circuits between working and counter electrodes in perovskite solar cells.

Synergistic effects between TiO2 and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a TiO2/CNTs system under visible light irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chung-Hsin; Kuo, Chao-Yin; Chen, Shih-Ting

2013-01-01

This study synthesized a TiO2/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite via the sol-gel method. The surface characteristics of the TiO2/CNTs composite were determined by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, specific surface area analyser, ultraviolent (UV)-vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectrometer. The photocatalytic activity ofthe TiO2/CNTs composite was evaluated by decolourizing C.I. Reactive Red 2 (RR2) under visible light irradiation. Furthermore, the effects of calcination temperature, pH, RR2 concentration, and the TiO2/CNTs composite dosage on RR2 decolourization were determined simultaneously. The optimal calcination temperature to generate TiO2 and the TiO2/CNTs composite was 673 K, as the percentage of anatase crystallization at this temperature was highest. The specific surface area of the TiO2/CNTs composite and TiO2 were 45 and 42 m2/g, respectively. The band gap of TiO2 and the TiO2/CNTs composite was 2.97 and 2.71 eV by UV-vis measurements, respectively. Experimental data indicate that the Ti-O-C bond formed in the TiO2/CNTs composite. The RR2 decolourization rates can be approximated by pseudo-first-order kinetics; moreover, only the TiO2/CNTs composite had photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. At pH 7, the RR2 decolourization rate constant of 0.5, 1 and 2 g/L TiO2/CNTs addition was 0.005, 0.0015, and 0.0047 min(-1), respectively. Decolourization rate increased as pH and the RR2 concentration decreased. The CNTs functioned as electron acceptors, promoting separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs to retard their recombination; thus, photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/CNTs composite exceeded that of TiO2.

Constructed Single-Crystal Rutile TiO_2 Cluster and Plasmon Synergistic Effect for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Wenjing; Sun, Weiwei; Liu, Yumin; Mehnane, Hadja Fatima; Liu, Haimin; Zhang, Kun; Cai, Bo; Liu, Wei; Guo, Shishang; Zhao, Xing-Zhong

2015-01-01

We demonstrate a method for incorporating plasmon metallic nanoparticles in hierarchical rutile TiO_2 clusters (RTC) assembled from single-crystal nanospindles. The RTC could efficiently improve the diffusion of the photoelectrons, which can be ascribed to the improvement of the connectivity by bridging the neighbouring microflowers through the single-crystal nanospindles. But not all the nanospindles are tightly interconnected, hence organic colloid has been prepared for post-treatment of the device based on RTC by the generation of TiO_2 nanoparticles. When added into Au nanoparticles, localized electric fields can be produced, because Au can excite dye molecules more intensively than incident far-field light. The surface plasmon synergistic effect had been investigated by Uv-vis absorption spectrum of Au@ organic colloid and the relative change of the IPCE. As a result, the cell based on RTC exhibits an overall conversion efficiency of 7.68%, indicating a 17% promotion compared with that derived from commercial P25 (6.58%) which could be ascribed to faster electron transfer of single-crystal nanospindles. With the Au nanoparticles incorporation in RTC, the device achieves a conversion efficiency of 9.15%, resulting in a 11% increase compared to the RTC device post-treated by organic colloid without Au nanoparticles (8.24%), which is attributed to the surface plasmon synergistic of Au nanoparticles.

Plasmonic gold nanocrystals coupled with photonic crystal seamlessly on TiO2 nanotube photoelectrodes for efficient visible light photoelectrochemical water splitting

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Zhonghai; Zhang, Lianbin; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Zhang, Hongnan; Wang, Peng

2013-01-01

A visible light responsive plasmonic photocatalytic composite material is designed by rationally selecting Au nanocrystals and assembling them with the TiO2-based photonic crystal substrate. The selection of the Au nanocrystals is so

Anodically-grown TiO_2 nanotubes: Effect of the crystallization on the catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sacco, Adriano; Garino, Nadia; Lamberti, Andrea; Pirri, Candido Fabrizio; Quaglio, Marzia

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Anodically-grown TiO_2 nanotubes as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. • Amorphous NTs compared to thermal- and vapor-treated crystalline nanostructures. • The selection of the crystallization conditions leads to performance similar to Pt. - Abstract: In this work we investigated the behavior of TiO_2 nanotube (NT) arrays, grown by anodic oxidation of Ti foil, as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline water solution. In particular, as-grown amorphous NTs were compared to crystalline anatase nanostructures, obtained following two different procedures, namely thermal and vapor-induced crystallizations. The catalytic activity of these materials toward the ORR was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry measurements. ORR polarization curves, combined with the rotating disk technique, indicated a predominant four-electrons reduction path, especially for crystalline samples. The effect of the structural characteristics of the investigated materials on the catalytic activity was analyzed in details by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The catalytic performance of the crystalline NTs is only slightly lower with respect to the reference material for fuel cell applications, namely platinum, but is in line with other cost-effective catalysts recently proposed in the literature. However, if compared to the larger part of these low-cost catalysts, anodically-grown TiO_2 NTs are characterized by a synthesis route which is highly reproducible and easily up-scalable.

Factors affecting color strength of printing on film-coated tablets by UV laser irradiation: TiO2 particle size, crystal structure, or concentration in the film, and the irradiated UV laser power.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosokawa, Akihiro; Kato, Yoshiteru

2011-08-01

The purpose of this article is to study factors affecting color strength of printing on film-coated tablets by ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiation: particle size, crystal structure, or concentration of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in film, and irradiated UV laser power. Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose films containing 4.0% of TiO2, of which BET particle sizes were ranging from 126.1 to 219.8 nm, were irradiated 3.14W of UV laser at a wavelength 355 nm to study effects of TiO2 particle size and crystal structure on the printing. The films containing TiO2 concentration ranging from 1.0 to 7.7% were irradiated 3.14 or 5.39W of the UV laser to study effect of TiO2 concentration on the printing. The film containing 4.0% of TiO2, was irradiated the UV laser up to 6.42W to study effect of the UV laser power on the printing. The color strength of the printed films was estimated by a spectrophotometer as total color difference (dE). Particle size, crystal structure, and concentration of TiO2 in the films did not affect the printing. In the relationship between the irradiated UV laser power and dE, there found an inflection point (1.6W). When the UV laser power was below 1.6W, the films were not printed. When it was beyond the point, total color difference increased linearly in proportion with the irradiated laser power. The color strength of the printing on film was not changed by TiO2 particle size, crystal structure, and concentration, but could be controlled by regulating the irradiated UV laser power beyond the inflection point.

Single crystalline Co3O4 nanocrystals exposed with different crystal planes for Li-O2 batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Dawei; Dou, Shixue; Wang, Guoxiu

2014-08-29

Single crystalline Co3O4 nanocrystals exposed with different crystal planes were synthesised, including cubic Co3O4 nanocrystals enclosed by {100} crystal planes, pseudo octahedral Co3O4 enclosed by {100} and {110} crystal planes, Co3O4 nanosheets exposed by {110} crystal planes, hexagonal Co3O4 nanoplatelets exposed with {111} crystal planes, and Co3O4 nanolaminar exposed with {112} crystal planes. Well single crystalline features of these Co3O4 nanocrystals were confirmed by FESEM and HRTEM analyses. The electrochemical performance for Li-O2 batteries shows that Co3O4 nanocrystals can significantly reduce the discharge-charge over-potential via the effect on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). From the comparison on their catalytic performances, we found that the essential factor to promote the oxygen evolution reactions is the surface crystal planes of Co3O4 nanocrystals, namely, crystal planes-dependent process. The correlation between different Co3O4 crystal planes and their effect on reducing charge-discharge over-potential was established: {100} < {110} < {112} < {111}.

Bioaccumulation and physiological effects of copepods sp. (Eucyclop sp.) fed Chlorella ellipsoides exposed to titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and lead (Pb2+).

Science.gov (United States)

Matouke, Moise M; Mustapha, Moshood

2018-05-01

The demand for manufactured products and the derivatives of nanomaterials and non essential metals continue to increase, and as a consequence their presence in fisheries and aquaculture has therefore become a major concern for the risks to which our environment is exposed. The bioaccumulation profile of binary compounds (Titanium dioxide nanoparticles and lead) and their effects on the feeding behaviour of copepods were assessed in a simplified food chain including, the freshwater alga Chlorella ellipsoides and the cyclopoids copepods sp. Our results indicated that Pb and TiO 2 NPs individually and mixed can be transferred from alga to copepods via dietary pathway. The highest bioconcentration factor (748.5) was recorded for Pb in the combined compounds (Pb15 + Ti16.5) μg L -1 and the highest BCF (5.57) recorded for TiO 2 NPs was found in TiO 2 NPs (16.5) alone. Ingestion and filtration rate decreased significantly (p  0.05) in both single and binary treatments. The results demonstrate that the co-exposure of TiO 2 NPs and Pb inhibit the ingestion and filtration of microalgae by cyclopoid copepods sp. and also induce increase of carbohydrate, lipid; GPx, GR and CAT due to stress. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Study of the Bulk Charge Carrier Dynamics in Anatase and Rutile TiO2 Single Crystals by Femtosecond Time Resolved Spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Maity, Partha; Mohammed, Omar F.; Katsiev, Khabiboulakh; Idriss, Hicham

2018-01-01

as the best model for fundamental studies. Their ultrafast charge carrier dynamics especially on TiO2 anatase single crystal (the most active phase) are unresolved. Here femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy (TRS) was carried out to explore the dynamics

Xanes and SR-XRF Study of Skin as a Barrier to Ultra-Fine Nanocrystals of TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwiatek, W.M.; Lekki, J.; Stachura, Z.; Hanson, A.; Ablett, J.

2007-01-01

Nanocrystalline TiO 2 is commonly used in cosmetic industry as a photoprotective agent. With recent advances in nanomaterial processing, the size of TiO 2 crystals decreased into the nanometre regime. There is no satisfactory evidence that crystals of such small size are harmless to the human population. An EU project NANODERM has been launched where several techniques have been applied to investigate the possibility of particle penetration through the protective horny layer into vital skin regions. Skin biopsies of the animal and human skin have been collected after exposition to formulations containing TiO 2 nanocrystals. The Ti depth distributions were measured by electron and ion microscopy. The microscopy studies did not detect penetration into vital tissue of healthy skin what does not exclude a possibility that TiO 2 could penetrate pathological skin with lowered barrier efficiency. Due to literature the physical effect of the UV irradiation of the TiO 2 nanoparticle is the shift from 4 th to 3 rd oxidation state of the Ti. Titanium at 3 rd oxidation state interact with environment producing free radicals and Reactive Oxygen Species. In order to quantify the oxidation state shift, XANES experiments were carried out with commercially available TiO 2 nanocrystals (6 - 100 nm size), both in anatase and rutile phase. The samples were irradiated with X-rays with, and without accompanying UV illumination at the NSLS X27A beam line. The corresponding XANES spectra were registered and the absorption edge was compared in UV - illuminated and not illuminated spectra. A shift of about 1 eV in the absorption edge position of the rutile sample exposed to UVA light (365 nm, 20 mW/cm 2 ) has been measured and attributed to the changed electron configuration. However, the direction of the shift detected in measured samples was opposite to the expected. (author)

Directed laser processing of compacted powder mixtures Al2O3-TiO2-Y2O3

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlasova M.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The phase formation, microstructure and surface texture of laser treated ternary powder mixtures of Al2O3-TiO2-Y2O3 had been studied. Rapid high temperature heating and subsequent rapid cooling due to the directed movement of the laser beam forms concave ceramic tracks. Phase composition and microstructure of the tracks depends on the Al2O3 content and the TiO2/Y2O3 ratio of the initial mixtures. The main phases observed are Y3Al5O12, Y2Ti2O7, Al2O3 and Al2TiO5. Due to the temperature gradient in the heating zone, complex layered structures are formed. The tracks consist of three main layers: a thin surface layer, a layer of crystallization products of eutectic alloys, and a lower sintered layer. The thickness of the crystallization layer and the shrinkage of the irradiation zone depend on the amount of Y3Al5O12 and Al2O3 crystallized from the melt.

Construction of hydrophobic wood surfaces by room temperature deposition of rutile (TiO2) nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Rongbo Zheng; Mandla A. Tshabalala; Qingyu Li; Hongyan Wang

2015-01-01

A convenient room temperature approach was developed for growing rutile TiO2 hierarchical structures on the wood surface by direct hydrolysis and crystallization of TiCl3 in saturated NaCl aqueous solution.The morphology and the crystal structure of TiO2 coated on the wood surface were characterized...

Optical Properties and Surface Morphology of Nano-composite PMMA: TiO2 Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyly Nyl Ismail; Ahmad Fairoz Aziz; Habibah Zulkefle

2011-01-01

There are two nano-composite PMMA: TiO 2 solutions were prepared in this research. First solution is nano-composite PMMA commercially available TiO 2 nanopowder and the second solution is nano-composite PMMA with self-prepared TiO 2 powder. The self-prepared TiO 2 powder is obtained by preparing the TiO 2 sol-gel. Solvo thermal method were used to dry the TiO 2 sol-gel and obtained TiO 2 crystal. Ball millers were used to grind the TiO 2 crystal in order to obtained nano sized powder. Triton-X was used as surfactant to stabilizer the composite between PMMA: TiO 2 . Besides comparing the nano-composite solution, we also studied the effect of the thin films thickness on the optical properties and surface morphology of the thin films. The thin films were deposited by sol-gel spin coating method on glass substrates. The optical properties and surface characterization were measured with UV-VIS spectrometer equipment and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The result showed that nano-composite PMMA with self prepared TiO 2 give high optical transparency than nano-composite PMMA with commercially available TiO 2 nano powder. The results also indicate as the thickness is increased the optical transparency are decreased. Both AFM images showed that the agglomerations of TiO 2 particles are occurred on the thin films and the surface roughness is increased when the thickness is increased. High agglomeration particles exist in the AFM images for nano-composite PMMA: TiO 2 with TiO 2 nano powder compare to the other nano-composite solution. (author)

SiO2@TiO2 Coating: Synthesis, Physical Characterization and Photocatalytic Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Rosales

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Use of silicon dioxide (SiO2 and titanium dioxide (TiO2 have been widely investigated individually in coatings technology, but their combined properties promote compatibility for different innovative applications. For example, the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 coatings, when exposed to UV light, have interesting environmental applications, such as air purification, self-cleaning and antibacterial properties. However, as reported in different pilot projects, serious durability problems, associated with the adhesion between the substrate and TiO2, have been evidenced. Thus, the aim of this work is to synthesize SiO2 together with TiO2 to increase the durability of the photocatalytic coating without affecting its photocatalytic potential. Therefore, synthesis using sonochemistry, synthesis without sonochemistry, physical characterization, photocatalytic evaluation, and durability of the SiO2, SiO2@TiO2 and TiO2 coatings are presented. Results indicate that using SiO2 improved the durability of the TiO2 coating without affecting its photocatalytic properties. Thus, this novel SiO2@TiO2 coating shows potential for developing long-lasting, self-cleaning and air-purifying construction materials.

Preparation and solar-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 composites: TiO2/kaolin, TiO2/diatomite, and TiO2/zeolite

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y.; Li, S. G.; Wang, J.; Li, Y.; Ma, C. H.; Zhang, L.

2014-12-01

Three TiO2 loaded composites, TiO2/kaolin, TiO2/diatomite, and TiO2/zeolite, were prepared in order to improve the solar-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity could obviously be enhanced by loading appropriate amount of inorganic mineral materials. Meanwhile, TiO2 content, heat-treatment temperature and heat-treatment time on the photocatalytic activity were reviewed. Otherwise, the effect of solar light irradiation time and dye concentration on the photocatalytic degradation of Acid Red B was investigated. Furthermore, the degradation mechanism and adsorption process were also discussed.

Investigation of TiO2 photocatalyst performance for decolorization in the presence of hydrodynamic cavitation as hybrid AOP.

Science.gov (United States)

Bethi, Bhaskar; Sonawane, S H; Rohit, G S; Holkar, C R; Pinjari, D V; Bhanvase, B A; Pandit, A B

2016-01-01

In this article, an acoustic cavitation engineered novel approach for the synthesis of TiO2, cerium and Fe doped TiO2 nanophotocatalysts is reported. The prepared TiO2, cerium and Fe doped TiO2 nanophotocatalysts were characterized by XRD and TEM analysis to evaluate its structure and morphology. Photo catalytic performance of undoped TiO2 catalyst was investigated for the decolorization of crystal violet dye in aqueous solution at pH of 6.5 in the presence of hydro dynamic cavitation. Effect of catalyst doping with Fe and Ce was also studied for the decolorization of crystal violet dye. The results shows that, 0.8% of Fe-doped TiO2 exhibits maximum photocatalytic activity in the decolorization study of crystal violet dye due to the presence of Fe in the TiO2 and it may acts as a fenton reagent. Kinetic studies have also been reported for the hybrid AOP (HAOP) that followed the pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TiO2/Cu2O composite based on TiO2 NTPC photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting under visible light

KAUST Repository

Shi, Le

2015-05-01

Water splitting through photoelectrochemical reaction is widely regarded as a major method to generate H2 , a promising source of renewable energy to deal with the energy crisis faced up to human being. Efficient exploitation of visible light in practice of water splitting with pure TiO2 material, one of the most popular semiconductor material used for photoelectrochemical water splitting, is still challenging. One dimensional TiO2 nanotubes is highly desired with its less recombination with the short distance for charge carrier diffusion and light-scattering properties. This work is based on TiO2 NTPC electrode by the optimized two-step anodization method from our group. A highly crystalized p-type Cu2O layer was deposited by optimized pulse potentiostatic electrochemical deposition onto TiO2 nanotubes to enhance the visible light absorption of a pure p-type TiO2 substrate and to build a p-n junction at the interface to improve the PEC performance. However, because of the real photocurrent of Cu2O is far away from its theoretical limit and also poor stability in the aqueous environment, a design of rGO medium layer was added between TiO2 nanotube and Cu2O layer to enhance the photogenerated electrons and holes separation, extend charge carrier diffusion length (in comparison with those of conventional pure TiO2 or Cu2O materials) which could significantly increase photocurrent to 0.65 mA/cm2 under visible light illumination (>420 nm) and also largely improve the stability of Cu2O layer, finally lead to an enhancement of water splitting performance.

Interaction of two counterpropagating waves in a Ca:Ga:Bi12TiO20 crystal upon photoinduced absorption of light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mart'yanov, A G; Ageev, E Yu; Shandarov, S M; Mandel', A E; Bochanova, N V; Ivanova, N V; Kargin, Yu F; Volkov, V V; Egorysheva, A V; Shepelevich, V V

2003-01-01

It is shown that the interaction of counterpropagating coherent light beams at a wavelength of 633 nm in a Bi 12 TiO 20 :Ca:Ga crystal leads to the formation of a holographic reflection grating, which is a combination of phase and amplitude components related to photoinduced perturbations of the refractive index and absorption coefficient of the crystal. The formation of the grating is accompanied by a photoinduced decrease in the absorption coefficient of light Δα by -0.07 cm -1 . Photoinduced bleaching of the crystal occurs when the crystal is exposed to incoherent radiation at 600 nm (Δα= -0.12 cm -1 ), while an increase in absorption is observed upon irradiation at 570 nm. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

Composition of Surface Adsorbed Layer of TiO2 Stored in Ambient Air

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakharenko V.S.

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The processes of dark, UV, and visible light promoted desorption of surface species were investigated for three different TiO2 samples: TiO2 prepared by dispersion of the titania single crystal, TiO2 prepared by combustion of a pyrotechnic mixture in air, and commercial TiO2 P25. The composition of the adsorbed layer was identified in the dark and under UV and visible light irradiation. The composition of desorption products showed the dependence of the adsorption layer state on the TiO2 nature. Methane photodesorption was detected only for the commercial TiO2 P25. Possible reasons for methane emission include the capturing of complete molecules during the TiO2 production process and photocatalytic hydrogenation of CO2 under UV-light.

Synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films by liquid phase ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

WINTEC

goes degradation efficiently in presence of TiO2 thin films by exposing its aqueous solution to .... Figure 6. Photodegradation of IGOR organic dye by a. bare TiO2 thin film and b. ... Meng L-J and Dos Santos M P 1993 Thin Solid Films 226 22.

Preparation and characterization of doped TiO2 nanofibers by coaxial electrospining combined with sol–gel process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong, Haixia; Tao, Xican; Wu, Daoxin; Zhang, Xiongfei; Li, Dan; Zhang, Ling

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: The surface of the precursor of Fe/TiO 2 nanofibers are smoother than that of Fe /TiO 2 nanofibers. After calcined at 500 °C, the tubers on the surface of the nanofibers become more obvious, and which also provides a direct proof for the dopant of Fe element. -- Highlights: • N, Fe, and W doped TiO 2 nanofibers have been fabricated by coaxial electrospining. • The dopant has obvious influences on the surface topographies and crystal structures. • Fe doping can make remarkable topography changes and easy formation of rutile TiO 2 . • The maximum doping amount of W in TiO 2 nanofibers is less than 10% under 500 °C. -- Abstract: N, Fe, and W doped TiO 2 nanofibers were fabricated by coaxial electrospining and directly annealing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/Tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) composite nanofibers. The crystal structure, morphology, and surface composition of the doped TiO 2 nanofibers were investigated by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) respectively. The results show that the dopants have different influence on the surface topographies, the crystal structures and the transformation of anatase to rutile of TiO 2 nanofibers. Fe dopant promotes bigger influence on topographies, phase transformation and crystallite growth of TiO 2 nanofibers than that of either N or W dopant

Antimicrobial Activity of TiO2 Nanoparticle-Coated Film for Potential Food Packaging Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siti Hajar Othman

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Recent uses of titanium dioxide (TiO2 have involved various applications which include the food industry. This study aims to develop TiO2 nanoparticle-coated film for potential food packaging applications due to the photocatalytic antimicrobial property of TiO2. The TiO2 nanoparticles with varying concentrations (0–0.11 g/ 100 mL organic solvent were coated on food packaging film, particularly low density polyethylene (LDPE film. The antimicrobial activity of the films was investigated by their capability to inactivate Escherichia coli (E. coli in an actual food packaging application test under various conditions, including types of light (fluorescent and ultraviolet (UV and the length of time the film was exposed to light (one–three days. The antimicrobial activity of the TiO2 nanoparticle-coated films exposed under both types of lighting was found to increase with an increase in the TiO2 nanoparticle concentration and the light exposure time. It was also found that the antimicrobial activity of the films exposed under UV light was higher than that under fluorescent light. The developed film has the potential to be used as a food packaging film that can extend the shelf life, maintain the quality, and assure the safety of food.

Solid-state synthesis of Li_4Ti_5O_1_2 whiskers from TiO_2-B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Wenjun; Zhuang, Wei; Ji, Xiaoyan; Chen, Jingjing; Lu, Xiaohua; Wang, Changsong

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The Li_4Ti_5O_1_2 whiskers were synthesized from TiO_2-B whiskers via a solid state reaction. • The TiO_2-B crystal structure for lithium diffusion is easier than anatase. • The separated diffusion and reaction process is crucial for the solid-state syntheses of Li_4Ti_5O_1_2 whiskers. - Abstract: In this work, Li_4Ti_5O_1_2 (LTO) was synthesized from the precursors of TiO_2-B and anatase whiskers, respectively. The synthesized LTO whiskers from TiO_2-B whiskers via a solid state reaction at 650 °C have a high degree of crystallinity with an average diameter of 300 nm. However, when anatase whiskers were used as the precursor, only particle morphology LTO was produced at 750 °C. The further analysis of the precursors, the intermediate products and the final products reveal that the crystal structure of the anatase hinders the diffusion of lithium, leading to a typical reaction–diffusion process. Under this condition, only particle morphology LTO can be produced. However, the crystal structure of the TiO_2-B is easy for lithium diffusion and the process is performed in two separated steps (i.e., diffusion and reaction), which makes it possible to decrease the solid-state reaction temperature down to 650 °C and then maintain the morphologies of whiskers.

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Mo-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji-guo Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The undoped and Mo-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, diffuse reflectance UV-visible absorption spectra (UV-vis DRS, X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under irradiation of a 500 W xenon lamp and natural solar light outdoor. Effects of calcination temperatures and Mo doping amounts on crystal phase, crystallite size, lattice distortion, and optical properties were investigated. The results showed that most of Mo6+ took the place of Ti4+ in the crystal lattice of TiO2, which inhibited the growth of crystallite size, suppressed the transformation from anatase to rutile, and led to lattice distortion of TiO2. Mo doping narrowed the band gap (from 3.05 eV of TiO2 to 2.73 eV of TiMo0.02O and efficiently increased the optical absorption in visible region. Mo doping was shown to be an efficient method for degradation of methylene blue under visible light, especially under solar light. When the calcination temperature was 550°C and the Mo doping amount was 2.0%, the Mo-doped TiO2 sample exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity.

Laser induced photocurrent and photovoltage transient measurements of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO_2 nanosheets and TiO_2 nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaithan, Hamid M.; Qaid, Saif M.H.; Hezam, Mahmoud; Labis, Joselito P.; Alduraibi, Mohammad; Bedja, Idriss M.; Aldwayyan, Abdullah S.

2016-01-01

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on TiO_2 nanoparticles and TiO_2 nanosheets with exposed {001} facets are investigated using laser-induced photovoltage and photocurrent transient decay (LIPVCD) measurements. We adopted a simplified version of LIPVCD technique, in which a single illumination light source and a laboratory oscilloscope could be conveniently used for the measurements. Although the {001} surface of TiO_2 nanosheets allowed a noticeably slower recombination with the electrolyte, this was counterpoised by a slower electron transport probably due to its planar morphology, resulting in a shorter diffusion length in TiO_2 nanosheets. The nanosheet morphology also resulted in less surface area and therefore reduced short circuit current density in the fabricated devices. Our work highlights the fact that the morphological parameters of TiO_2 nanosheets finally resulting after electrode film deposition is of no less importance than the reported efficient dye adsorption and slow electron recombination at the surface of individual nanosheets.

Solvothermal fabrication of TiO2/sepiolite composite gel with exposed {0 0 1} and {1 0 1} facets and its enhanced photocatalytic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ruirui; Ji, Zhijiang; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Jinjun

2018-05-01

A novel TiO2/sepiolite composite gel (TiSG) was fabricated in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) through a simple solvothermal reaction in an acetic acid-water solvent. A homogeneous anchoring of TiO2 nanoparticles with exposed {0 0 1} and {1 0 1} facets on sepiolite nanofibers was achieved. CTAB content, solvothermal temperature/time, and HAc content play crucial roles in the morphological and facet formation of TiSG. A possible mechanism for the formation of TiSG was further proposed. CTAB as capping/shape-controlling agent can strongly bind to the more reactive (0 0 1) facet of TiO2 and then mitigate the thermodynamically favored (0 0 1) plane growth. Eventually, the truncated octahedral TiO2 was obtained by controlling the growth rates in 〈0 0 1〉 and 〈1 0 1〉 directions. Sepiolite as a cross-linking agent provides sufficient crosslinking sites for TiO2 to induce three-dimensional (3D) network formation, thereby generating the composite gel. The synthesized TiSG samples were then used as photocatalysts, which exhibited increased methyl orange removal under UV-vis light (350-780 nm) by the synergistic effect of adsorption and in-situ photocatalytic degradation as compared to P25 and bare TiO2. The excellent photocatalytic performance of TiSG was mainly ascribed to the formations of 3D gel structure and surface heterojunctions between (0 0 1) and (1 0 1) facets.

Effect of γ-dose on the crystal structure and leaching behavior of TiO2 matrix labeled with 181Hf/181Ta tracer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, D.; Guin, R.; Das, S.K.; Thakare, S.V.

2011-01-01

A new method for the possible incorporation of nuclear wastes has been attempted here by using ceramic matrix of TiO 2 as a host precursor for confinement. Hafnium is used as a simulant for actinide high-level waste. After incorporating 181 Hf tracer into TiO 2 matrix, the leaching property of the resulting matrix was studied in water, sodium chloride and humic acid solutions. The leaching was measured in each of the case by following the radioactivity of 181 Hf. TiO 2 matrix has also been exposed to γ-radiation in order to simulate the radiation field for nuclear waste. It has been investigated with a nuclear technique called time differential perturbed Angular Correlation (TDPAC) that the lattice structure of titania remains undisturbed even under a strong radiation field. The leaching of 181 Hf has also been studied after irradiating the TiO 2 matrix with ?-radiation and the leaching behavior was observed not to change from that before irradiation. (author)

Effect of Graphite Doped TiO_2 Nanoparticles on Smoke Degradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roshasnorlyza Hazan; Mohamad Shahrizal Md Zain; Natrah Syafiqah Rosli

2016-01-01

Secondhand smoke affects in the same way as regular smoker. The best solution is to purify the air efficiently and effectively. In this study, we were successfully doped TiO_2 nanoparticle with graphite to accelerate the degradation of cigarette smoke. The graphite doped and undoped TiO_2 nanoparticles were prepared from synthetic rutile using alkaline fusion method and their photo catalytic activity were investigated under visible light irradiation. The photo catalytic activity of the TiO_2 nanoparticles was analyzed in terms of their particle size analysis, crystallization and optical band gap. TiO_2 nanoparticle act as photo catalyzer by utilization of light energy to excite electron-hole pairs in smoke degradation processes. With the aided from graphite in TiO_2 nanoparticles, the smoke degradation was accelerate up to 44.4 %. In this case, graphite helps to reduce optical band gap of TiO_2 nanoparticle, thus increasing excitation of electron from valence band to conduction band. (author)

Oriented epitaxial TiO2 nanowires for water splitting

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Wenting; Cortez, Pablo; Wuhrer, Richard; Macartney, Sam; Bozhilov, Krassimir N.; Liu, Rong; Sheppard, Leigh R.; Kisailus, David

2017-06-01

Highly oriented epitaxial rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanowire arrays have been hydrothermally grown on polycrystalline TiO2 templates with their orientation dependent on the underlying TiO2 grain. Both the diameter and areal density of the nanowires were tuned by controlling the precursor concentration, and the template surface energy and roughness. Nanowire tip sharpness was influenced by precursor solubility and diffusivity. A new secondary ion mass spectrometer technique has been developed to install additional nucleation sites in single crystal TiO2 templates and the effect on nanowire growth was probed. Using the acquired TiO2 nanowire synthesis knowhow, an assortment of nanowire arrays were installed upon the surface of undoped TiO2 photo-electrodes and assessed for their photo-electrochemical water splitting performance. The key result obtained was that the presence of short and dispersed nanowire arrays significantly improved the photocurrent when the illumination intensity was increased from 100 to 200 mW cm-2. This is attributed to the alignment of the homoepitaxially grown nanowires to the [001] direction, which provides the fastest charge transport in TiO2 and an improved pathway for photo-holes to find water molecules and undertake oxidation. This result lays a foundation for achieving efficient water splitting under conditions of concentrated solar illumination.

Light-induced antifungal activity of TiO2 nanoparticles/ZnO nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haghighi, N.; Abdi, Y.; Haghighi, F.

2011-01-01

Antifungal activity of TiO 2 /ZnO nanostructures under visible light irradiation was investigated. A simple chemical method was used to synthesize ZnO nanowires. Zinc acetate dihydrate, Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone and deionized water were used as precursor, capping and solvent, respectively. TiO 2 nanoparticles were deposited on ZnO nanowires using an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition system. X-ray diffraction pattern of TiO 2 /ZnO nano-composite has represented the diffraction peaks relating to the crystal planes of the TiO 2 (anatase and rutile) and ZnO. TiO 2 /ZnO nanostructure antifungal effect on Candida albicans biofilms was studied and compared with the activity of TiO 2 nanoparticles and ZnO nanowires. The high efficiency photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 nanoparticles leads to increased antifungal activity of ZnO nanowires. Scanning electron microscope was utilized to study the morphology of the as prepared nanostructures and the degradation of the yeast.

Microporous TiO2-WO3/TiO2 films with visible-light photocatalytic activity synthesized by micro arc oxidation and DC magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Kee-Rong; Hung, Chung-Hsuang; Yeh, Chung-Wei; Wu, Jiing-Kae

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A simple MAO is used to prepare porous WO 3 /TiO 2 layer on Ti sheet as a visible-light enabled catalyst. ► The photocatalytic activity of the WO 3 /TiO 2 is enhanced by sputtering over an N,C-TiO 2 layer. ► This is ascribed to the synergetic effect of hybrid sample prepared by two-step method. - Abstract: This study reports the preparation of microporous TiO 2 -WO 3 /TiO 2 films with a high surface area using a two-step approach. A porous WO 3 /TiO 2 template was synthesized by oxidizing a titanium sheet using a micro arc oxidation (MAO) process. This sheet was subsequently overlaid with a visible light (Vis)-enabled TiO 2 (N,C-TiO 2 ) film, which was deposited by codoping nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) ions into a TiO 2 lattice using direct current magnetron sputtering. The resulting microporous TiO 2 -WO 3 /TiO 2 film with a 0.38-μm-thick N,C-TiO 2 top-layer exhibited high photocatalytic activity in methylene blue (MB) degradation among samples under ultraviolet (UV) and Vis irradiation. This is attributable to the synergetic effect of two-step preparation method, which provides a highly porous microstructure and the well-crystallized N,C-TiO 2 top-layer. This is because a higher surface area with high crystallinity favors the adsorption of more MB molecules and more photocatalytic active areas. Thus, the microporous TiO 2 -WO 3 /TiO 2 film has promising applications in the photocatalytic degradation of dye solution under UV and Vis irradiation. These results imply that the microporous WO 3 /TiO 2 can be used as a template of hybrid electrode because it enables rapid fabrication.

High-pressure polymorphs of anatase TiO2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arlt, T.; Bermejo, M.; Blanco, M. A.

2000-01-01

The equation of state of anatase TiO2 has been determined experimentally-using polycrystalline as well as single-crystal material-and compared with theoretical calculations using the ab initio perturbed ion model. The results are highly consistent, the zero-pressure bulk modulus being 179(2) GPa ...

Improving iron-enriched basalt with additions of ZrO2 and TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimann, G.A.; Kong, P.C.

1993-06-01

The iron-enriched basalt (IEB) waste form, developed at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory a decade ago, was modified to IEB4 by adding sufficient ZrO 2 and TiO 2 to develop crystals of zirconolite upon cooling, in addition to the crystals that normally form in a cooling basalt. Zirconolite (CaZrTi 2 O 7 ) is an extremely leach-resistant mineral with a strong affinity for actinides. Zirconolite crystals containing uranium and thorium have been found that have endured more than 2 billion years of natural processes. On this basis, zirconolite was considered to be an ideal host crystal for the actinides contained in transuranic (TRU)-contaminated wastes. Crystals of zirconolite were developed in laboratory melts of IEB4 that contained 5% each of ZrO 2 and TiO 2 and that were slow-cooled in the 1200--1000 degrees C range. When actinide surrogates were added to IEB4, these oxides were incorporated into the crystals of zirconolite rather than precipitating in the residual glass phase. Zirconolite crystals developed in IEB4 should stabilize and immobilize the dilute TRUs in heterogeneous, buried low-level wastes as effectively as this same phase does in the various formulations of Synroc used for the more concentrated TRUs encountered in high-level wastes. Synroc requires hot-pressing equipment, while IEB4 precipitates zirconolite from a cooling basaltic melt

Design and construction of hierarchical TiO2 nanorod arrays by combining layer-by-layer and hydrothermal crystallization techniques for electrochromic application

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yongbo; Li, Xiaomin; Bi, Zhijie; He, Xiaoli; Li, Guanjie; Xu, Xiaoke; Gao, Xiangdong

2018-05-01

The hierarchical TiO2 (H-TiO2) nanorod arrays (NRAs) composed of single-crystalline nanorods and nanocrystals were finely designed and successfully constructed for electrochromic (EC) application. By combining layer-by-layer (LBL) method and hydrothermal crystallization technique, the superfine nanocrystals (5-7 nm), which can provide abundant active sites and facilitate ion insertion/extraction during EC reactions, were uniformly and conformally assembled on the surface of single-crystalline TiO2 (SC-TiO2) NRAs. The as-formed H-TiO2 NRAs integrate the advantages of one-dimensional NRAs with fast kinetics and superfine nanocrystals with high ion capacity, showing highly enhanced EC performance. Large optical contrast (40.3%), shorter coloring/bleaching time (22/4 s), high coloration efficiency (11.2 cm2 C-1), and excellent cycling stability can be achieved in H-TiO2 NRAs, superior to the pristine SC-TiO2 NRAs and nanocrystalline TiO2 films. This work provides a feasible and well-designed strategy to explore high-performance materials for EC application.

Characterization and Comparison of Photocatalytic Activity Silver Ion doped on TiO2(TiO2/Ag+) and Silver Ion doped on Black TiO2(Black TiO2/Ag+)

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jin Yi; Sim, Ho Hyung; Song, Sinae; Noh, Yeoung Ah; Lee, Hong Woon; Taik Kim, Hee

2018-03-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is one of the representative ceramic materials containing photocatalyst, optic and antibacterial activity. The hydroxyl radical in TiO2 applies to the intensive oxidizing agent, hence TiO2 is suitable to use photocatalytic materials. Black TiO2was prepared through reduction of amorphous TiO2 conducting under H2 which leads to color changes. Its black color is proven that absorbs 100% light across the whole-visible light, drawing enhancement of photocatalytic property. In this study, we aimed to compare the photocatalytic activity of silver ion doped on TiO2(TiO2/Ag+) and silver ion doped on black TiO2(black TiO2/Ag+) under visible light range. TiO2/Ag+ was fabricated following steps. 1) TiO2 was synthesized by a sol-gel method from Titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP). 2) Then AgNO3 was added during an aging process step for silver ion doping on the surface of TiO2. Moreover, Black TiO2/Ag+ was obtained same as TiO2/Ag+ except for calcination under H2. The samples were characterized X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible reflectance (UV-vis DRS), and Methylene Blue degradation test. XRD analysis confirmed morphology of TiO2. The band gap of black TiO2/Ag+ was confirmed (2.6 eV) through UV-vis DRS, which was lower than TiO2/Ag+ (2.9 eV). The photocatalytic effect was conducted by methylene blue degradation test. It demonstrated that black TiO2/Ag+ had a photocatalytic effect under UV light also visible light.

Crystal phase evolution of TiO2 nanoparticles with reaction time in acidic solutions studied via freeze-drying method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Hyunho; Jung, Hyun Suk; Hong, Kug Sun; Lee, Jung-Kun

2005-01-01

The crystal phase evolution of TiO 2 nanoparticles, during hydrolysis and condensation of titanium tetraisopropoxide, was quenched at various reaction times by a freeze-drying method, followed by various characterizations. Three types of solutions with different acid input times were studied: (1) addition in infinite time (no addition) (2) addition at 24h after the hydrolysis/condensation reaction started, and (3) addition from the beginning of the reaction. The acid-free solution yielded amorphous TiO 2 , which transformed to anatase very slowly. The acid input in 24h resulted in a fast transformation of amorphous to a metastable anatase having a highly distorted atomic arrangement: thereby its transformation to a more stable phase, rutile, was suitable. The acid addition from the beginning of the reaction yielded the formation of a relatively stable anatase from the hydrolysis seed, thereby the subsequent transformation to rutile was sluggish

Study of the Bulk Charge Carrier Dynamics in Anatase and Rutile TiO2 Single Crystals by Femtosecond Time Resolved Spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Maity, Partha

2018-04-02

Understanding of the fundamentals behind charge carriers of photo-catalytic materials are still illusive hindering progress in our quest for renewable energy. TiO2 anatase and rutile are the most understood phases in photo-catalysis and serve as the best model for fundamental studies. Their ultrafast charge carrier dynamics especially on TiO2 anatase single crystal (the most active phase) are unresolved. Here femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy (TRS) was carried out to explore the dynamics of photo-excited charge carriers’ recombination in anatase single crystal, for the first time using pump fluence effects, and compares it to that of the rutile single crystal. A significant difference in charge carrier recombination rates between both crystals is observed. We found that the time constants for carrier recombination are two orders of magnitude slower for anatase (101) when compared to those of rutile (110). Moreover, bulk defects introduced by reduction of the samples via annealing in ultra-high vacuum resulted in faster recombination rates for both polymorphs. Both states (fresh and reduced) probed by pump fluence dependence measurements revealed that the major recombination channel in fresh and reduced anatase and reduced rutile is the first-order Shockley–Reed mediated. However, for fresh rutile, third-body Auger recombination was observed, attributed to the presence of higher density of intrinsic charge carriers. At all excitation wavelengths and fluence investigated, anatase (101) single crystal show longer charge carrier lifetime when compared to rutile (110) single. This may explain the superiority of the anatase phase for the electron transfer H+ reduction to molecular hydrogen.

Photodecomposition of volatile organic compounds using TiO2 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Jwo, Ching-Song; Chang, Ho; Kao, Mu-Jnug; Lin, Chi-Hsiang

2007-06-01

This study examined the photodecomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using TiO2 catalyst fabricated by the Submerged Arc Nanoparticle Synthesis System (SANSS). TiO2 catalyst was employed to decompose volatile organic compounds and compare with Degussa-P25 TiO2 in terms of decomposition efficiency. In the electric discharge manufacturing process, a Ti bar, applied as the electrode, was melted and vaporized under high temperature. The vaporized Ti powders were then rapidly quenched under low-temperature and low-pressure conditions in deionized water, thus nucleating and forming nanocrystalline powders uniformly dispersed in the base solvent. The average diameter of the TiO2 nanoparticles was 20 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the nanoparticles in the deionized water were Anatase type TiO2. It was found that gaseous toluene exposed to UV irradiation produced intermediates that were even harder to decompose. After 60-min photocomposition, Degussa-P25 TiO2 reduced the concentration of gaseous toluene to 8.18% while the concentration after decomposition by SANSS TiO2 catalyst dropped to 0.35%. Under UV irradiation at 253.7 +/- 184.9 nm, TiO2 prepared by SANSS can produce strong chemical debonding energy, thus showing great efficiency, superior to that of Degussa-P25 TiO2, in decomposing gaseous toluene and its intermediates.

Neutron diffraction study of the inverse spinels Co2TiO4 and Co2SnO4

Science.gov (United States)

Thota, S.; Reehuis, M.; Maljuk, A.; Hoser, A.; Hoffmann, J.-U.; Weise, B.; Waske, A.; Krautz, M.; Joshi, D. C.; Nayak, S.; Ghosh, S.; Suresh, P.; Dasari, K.; Wurmehl, S.; Prokhnenko, O.; Büchner, B.

2017-10-01

We report a detailed single-crystal and powder neutron diffraction study of Co2TiO4 and Co2SnO4 between the temperature 1.6 and 80 K to probe the spin structure in the ground state. For both compounds the strongest magnetic intensity was observed for the (111)M reflection due to ferrimagnetic ordering, which sets in below TN=48.6 and 41 K for Co2TiO4 and Co2SnO4 , respectively. An additional low intensity magnetic reflection (200)M was noticed in Co2TiO4 due to the presence of an additional weak antiferromagnetic component. Interestingly, from both the powder and single-crystal neutron data of Co2TiO4 , we noticed a significant broadening of the magnetic (111)M reflection, which possibly results from the disordered character of the Ti and Co atoms on the B site. Practically, the same peak broadening was found for the neutron powder data of Co2SnO4 . On the other hand, from our single-crystal neutron diffraction data of Co2TiO4 , we found a spontaneous increase of particular nuclear Bragg reflections below the magnetic ordering temperature. Our data analysis showed that this unusual effect can be ascribed to the presence of anisotropic extinction, which is associated to a change of the mosaicity of the crystal. In this case, it can be expected that competing Jahn-Teller effects acting along different crystallographic axes can induce anisotropic local strain. In fact, for both ions Ti3 + and Co3 +, the 2 tg levels split into a lower dx y level yielding a higher twofold degenerate dx z/dy z level. As a consequence, one can expect a tetragonal distortion in Co2TiO4 with c /a <1 , which we could not significantly detect in the present work.

Characterization of TiO2 Thin Films on Glass Substrate Growth Using DC Sputtering Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agus Santoso; Tjipto Sujitno; Sayono

2002-01-01

It has been fabricated and characterization a TiO 2 thin films deposited on glass substrate using DC sputtering technique. Fabrication of TiO 2 thin films were carried out at electrode voltage 4 kV, sputtering current 5 mA, vacuum pressure 5 x 10 -4 torr, deposition time 150 minutes, and temperature of the substrate were varied from 150 -350 o C, while as a gas sputter was argon. The results was tested their micro structure using SEM, and crystal structure using XRD and found that the crystal structure of TiO 2 powder before deposited on glass substrate was rutile and anatase with orientation (110) and (200) for anatase and (100) and (111) rutile structure. While the crystal structure which deposited at temperature 150 o C and deposition time 2.5 hours was anatase with orientation (001) and (200). (author)

Interface actions between TiO2 and porous diatomite on the structure and photocatalytic activity of TiO2-diatomite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia, Yue; Li, Fangfei; Jiang, Yinshan; Xia, Maosheng; Xue, Bing; Li, Yanjuan

2014-01-01

TiO 2 -diatomite photocatalysts were prepared by sol–gel process with various pre-modified diatomite. In order to obtain diatomite with different surface characteristics, two modification approaches including calcination and phosphoric acid treatment on the micro-structure of diatomite are introduced. The photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, XPS, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms and micromorphology analysis. The results indicate that, compared with pure TiO 2 , the anatase-to-rutile phase transition temperature of TiO 2 loaded on diatomite carrier is significantly increased to nearly 900 °C, depending on the different pretreatment method of diatomite. The photocatalytic activities of different samples were evaluated by their degradation rate of methyl orange (MO) dye under UV and visible-light irradiation. The samples prepared by phosphoric acid pretreatment method exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity. After 90 min of UV irradiation, about 90% of MO is decomposed by the best effective photocatalyst. And after 8 h visible-light irradiation, nearly 60% of MO is decomposed by the same sample. Further mechanism investigation reveals that the H 3 PO 4 pretreatment process can obviously change the surface features of diatomite carrier, cause the formation of Si–O–Ti bond, increase the binding strength between TiO 2 and diatomite, restrain crystal growth of loaded TiO 2 , and thus form thermal-stable mesoporous structure at the granular spaces. It helps to build micro-, meso- and macro-porous hierarchical porous structure in TiO 2 -diatomite, and improves the charge and mass transfer efficiency during catalyzing process, resulting in the significantly increased photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 -diatomite pretreated by phosphoric acid.

Interface actions between TiO2 and porous diatomite on the structure and photocatalytic activity of TiO2-diatomite

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yue; Li, Fangfei; Jiang, Yinshan; Xia, Maosheng; Xue, Bing; Li, Yanjuan

2014-06-01

TiO2-diatomite photocatalysts were prepared by sol-gel process with various pre-modified diatomite. In order to obtain diatomite with different surface characteristics, two modification approaches including calcination and phosphoric acid treatment on the micro-structure of diatomite are introduced. The photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, XPS, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and micromorphology analysis. The results indicate that, compared with pure TiO2, the anatase-to-rutile phase transition temperature of TiO2 loaded on diatomite carrier is significantly increased to nearly 900 °C, depending on the different pretreatment method of diatomite. The photocatalytic activities of different samples were evaluated by their degradation rate of methyl orange (MO) dye under UV and visible-light irradiation. The samples prepared by phosphoric acid pretreatment method exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity. After 90 min of UV irradiation, about 90% of MO is decomposed by the best effective photocatalyst. And after 8 h visible-light irradiation, nearly 60% of MO is decomposed by the same sample. Further mechanism investigation reveals that the H3PO4 pretreatment process can obviously change the surface features of diatomite carrier, cause the formation of Si-O-Ti bond, increase the binding strength between TiO2 and diatomite, restrain crystal growth of loaded TiO2, and thus form thermal-stable mesoporous structure at the granular spaces. It helps to build micro-, meso- and macro-porous hierarchical porous structure in TiO2-diatomite, and improves the charge and mass transfer efficiency during catalyzing process, resulting in the significantly increased photocatalytic activity of TiO2-diatomite pretreated by phosphoric acid.

A Facile Method for Loading CeO2 Nanoparticles on Anodic TiO2 Nanotube Arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yulong; Yuan, Botao; Zhang, Dainan; Wang, Xiaoyi; Li, Yuanxun; Wen, Qiye; Zhang, Huaiwu; Zhong, Zhiyong

2018-04-03

In this paper, a facile method was proposed to load CeO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) on anodic TiO 2 nanotube (NT) arrays, which leads to a formation of CeO 2 /TiO 2 heterojunctions. Highly ordered anatase phase TiO 2 NT arrays were fabricated by using anodic oxidation method, then these individual TiO 2 NTs were used as tiny "nano-containers" to load a small amount of Ce(NO 3 ) 3 solutions. The loaded anodic TiO 2 NTs were baked and heated to a high temperature of 450 °C, under which the Ce(NO 3 ) 3 would be thermally decomposed inside those nano-containers. After the thermal decomposition of Ce(NO 3 ) 3 , cubic crystal CeO 2 NPs were obtained and successfully loaded into the anodic TiO 2 NT arrays. The prepared CeO 2 /TiO 2 heterojunction structures were characterized by a variety of analytical technologies, including XRD, SEM, and Raman spectra. This study provides a facile approach to prepare CeO 2 /TiO 2 films, which could be very useful for environmental and energy-related areas.

Template-free formation of vertically oriented TiO2 nanorods with uniform distribution for organics-sensing application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mu Qinghui; Li Yaogang; Zhang Qinghong; Wang Hongzhi

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Abstract: High-density arrays of vertically oriented TiO 2 nanorods with uniform distribution on Ti foil have been formed through template-free oxidation of Ti in hydrogen peroxide solutions. Subsequent thermal treatment was applied for growing mixed crystal structures to pursue higher performance. Morphology characterization using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) shows a nanorod diameter in the range of 20-50 nm with a length of 1.5 μm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement demonstrates the crystallization of the TiO 2 nanorods prior to thermal treatment and the formation of anatase and rutile mixed phase after thermal treatment. The mixed crystal TiO 2 nanorods show a much higher performance than pure anatase in photoelectrochemical experiments. Steady-state photocurrent resulted from photocatalytic oxidation of organic compounds by TiO 2 nanorods is employed as response signal in determination of the organics to yield a linear range of 0-1.1 mM for glucose. For other organics, an excellent linear relationship between the net steady-state photocurrent and the concentration of electrons transferred in exhaustive oxidation for these organics is obtained, which empowers the mixed crystal TiO 2 nanorods to serve as versatile material in organics-sensing application.

Instability of Hydrogenated TiO2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nandasiri, Manjula I.; Shutthanandan, V.; Manandhar, Sandeep; Schwarz, Ashleigh M.; Oxenford, Lucas S.; Kennedy, John V.; Thevuthasan, Suntharampillai; Henderson, Michael A.

2015-11-06

Hydrogenated TiO2 (H-TiO2) is toted as a viable visible light photocatalyst. We report a systematic study on the thermal stability of H-implanted TiO2 using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). Protons (40 keV) implanted at a ~2 atom % level within a ~120 nm wide profile of rutile TiO2(110) were situated ~300 nm below the surface. NRA revealed that this H-profile broadened preferentially toward the surface after annealing at 373 K, dissipated out of the crystal into vacuum at 473 K, and was absent within the beam sampling depth (~800 nm) at 523 K. Photoemission showed that the surface was reduced in concert with these changes. Similar anneals had no effect on pristine TiO2(110). The facile bulk diffusivity of H in rutile, as well as its activity toward interfacial reduction, significantly limits the utilization of H-TiO2 as a photocatalyst. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle. The research was performed using the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Protein Corona Prevents TiO2 Phototoxicity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Garvas

Full Text Available TiO2 nanoparticles have generally low toxicity in the in vitro systems although some toxicity is expected to originate in the TiO2-associated photo-generated radical production, which can however be modulated by the radical trapping ability of the serum proteins. To explore the role of serum proteins in the phototoxicity of the TiO2 nanoparticles we measure viability of the exposed cells depending on the nanoparticle and serum protein concentrations.Fluorescence and spin trapping EPR spectroscopy reveal that the ratio between the nanoparticle and protein concentrations determines the amount of the nanoparticles' surface which is not covered by the serum proteins and is proportional to the amount of photo-induced radicals. Phototoxicity thus becomes substantial only at the protein concentration being too low to completely coat the nanotubes' surface.These results imply that TiO2 nanoparticles should be applied with ligands such as proteins when phototoxic effects are not desired - for example in cosmetics industry. On the other hand, the nanoparticles should be used in serum free medium or any other ligand free medium, when phototoxic effects are desired - as for efficient photodynamic cancer therapy.

Time-dependent translocation and potential impairment on central nervous system by intranasally instilled TiO2 nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jiangxue; Liu Ying; Jiao Fang; Lao Fang; Li Wei; Gu Yiqun; Li Yufeng; Ge Cuicui; Zhou Guoqiang; Li Bai; Zhao Yuliang; Chai Zhifang; Chen Chunying

2008-01-01

Nanoparticles can be administered via nasal, oral, intraocular, intratracheal (pulmonary toxicity), tail vein and other routes. Here, we focus on the time-dependent translocation and potential damage of TiO 2 nanoparticles on central nervous system (CNS) through intranasal instillation. Size and structural properties are important to assess biological effects of TiO 2 nanoparticles. In present study, female mice were intranasally instilled with two types of well-characterized TiO 2 nanoparticles (i.e. 80 nm, rutile and 155 nm, anatase; purity > 99%) every other day. Pure water instilled mice were served as controls. The brain tissues were collected and evaluated for accumulation and distribution of TiO 2 , histopathology, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers at post-instillation time points of 2, 10, 20 and 30 days. The titanium contents in the sub-brain regions including olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results indicated that the instilled TiO 2 directly entered the brain through olfactory bulb in the whole exposure period, especially deposited in the hippocampus region. After exposure for 30 days, the pathological changes were observed in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb using Nissl staining and transmission electron microscope. The oxidative damage expressed as lipid peroxidation increased significantly, in particular in the exposed group of anatase TiO 2 particles at 30 days postexposure. Exposure to anatase TiO 2 particles also produced higher inflammation responses, in association with the significantly increased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL-1β) levels. We conclude that subtle differences in responses to anatase TiO 2 particles versus the rutile ones could be related to crystal structure. Thus, based on these results, rutile ultrafine-TiO 2 particles are expected to have a little lower risk potential for producing adverse

Formation of textured microstructure by mist deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Gang; Watanabe, Akira

2013-01-01

Unique and various textured TiO 2 films have been easily fabricated by mist deposition method on silicon and glass substrates with mild preparation conditions. Two kinds of TiO 2 nanoparticle with different shape, size, and crystal form were used as starting material, which resulted in a simple preparation process under low temperature and ordinary pressure. It was easy to control the thickness, morphology, and roughness of textured TiO 2 film by adjusting the mist deposition conditions such as deposition time, temperature, and the shape and size of nanoparticles. The optical properties of textured TiO 2 films before and after spin coating of Ag nanoparticles were investigated. The angular dependence of the reflectance was obviously reduced by textured TiO 2 surface and such effect was enhanced by Ag nanoparticles coating. A broad plasmon band of Ag grains was observed in the absorption spectrum of the textured Ag nanoparticle-coated TiO 2 film

Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for selective oxidation of amines into imines over TiO2(B)/anatase mixed-phase nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Jun; Yang, Juan; Wang, Xiaohan; Zhang, Lei; Li, Yingjie

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Visible-light photocatalytic activities for selective oxidation of amines into imines are greatly affected by the crystal structure of TiO 2 catalysts and mixed-phase TiO 2 (B)/anatase possess higher photoactivity because of the moderate adsorption ability and efficient charge separation. - Highlights: • Visible-light photocatalytic oxidation of amines to imines is studied over different TiO 2 . • Photocatalytic activities are greatly affected by the crystal structure of TiO 2 nanowires. • Mixed-phase TiO 2 (B)/anatase exhibits higher catalytic activity than single-phase TiO 2 . • Enhanced activity is ascribed to efficient adsorption ability and interfacial charge separation. • Photoinduced charge transfer mechanism on TiO 2 (B)/anatase catalysts is also proposed. - Abstract: Wirelike catalysts of mixed-phase TiO 2 (B)/anatase TiO 2 , bare anatase TiO 2 and TiO 2 (B) are synthesized via calcining precursor hydrogen titanate obtained from hydrothermal process at different temperatures between 450 and 700 °C. Under visible light irradiation, mixed-phase TiO 2 (B)/anatase TiO 2 catalysts exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison with pure TiO 2 (B) and anatase TiO 2 toward selective oxidation of benzylamines into imines and the highest photocatalytic activity is achieved by TW-550 sample consisting of 65% TiO 2 (B) and 35% anatase. The difference in photocatalytic activities of TiO 2 samples can be attributed to the different adsorption abilities resulted from their crystal structures and interfacial charge separation driven by surface-phase junctions between TiO 2 (B) and anatase TiO 2 . Moreover, the photoinduced charge transfer mechanism of surface complex is also proposed over mixed-phase TiO 2 (B)/anatase TiO 2 catalysts. Advantages of this photocatalytic system include efficient utilization of solar light, general suitability to amines, reusability and facile separation of nanowires catalysts

Synthesis and enhanced electrochemical performance of the honeycomb TiO2/LiMn2O4 cathode materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, J.Y.; Shen, J.X.; Wei, C.B.

2016-01-01

angle compare to LiMn2O4, implying that TiO2 doping induced a change of crystal structure. By performing electrochemical measurements, we observed an enhancement of specific capacity (127.28 mAhg−1) and an improvement of cycling stability in the TiO2/LiMn2O4 hybrid materials. After 100 cycles of charge...

Flow-Regulated Growth of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2 ) Nanotubes in Microfluidics.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Rong; Chen, Xinye; Wang, Zihao; Custer, David; Wan, Jiandi

2017-08-01

Electrochemical anodization of titanium (Ti) in a static, bulk condition is used widely to fabricate self-organized TiO 2 nanotube arrays. Such bulk approaches, however, require extended anodization times to obtain long TiO 2 nanotubes and produce only vertically aligned nanotubes. To date, it remains challenging to develop effective strategies to grow long TiO 2 nanotubes in a short period of time, and to control the nanotube orientation. Here, it is shown that the anodic growth of TiO 2 nanotubes is significantly enhanced (≈16-20 times faster) under flow conditions in microfluidics. Flow not only controls the diameter, length, and crystal orientations of TiO 2 nanotubes, but also regulates the spatial distribution of nanotubes inside microfluidic devices. Strikingly, when a Ti thin film is deposited on silicon substrates and anodized in microfluidics, both vertically and horizontally aligned (relative to the bottom substrate) TiO 2 nanotubes can be produced. The results demonstrate previously unidentified roles of flow in the regulation of growth of TiO 2 nanotubes, and provide powerful approaches to effectively grow long, oriented TiO 2 nanotubes, and construct hierarchical TiO 2 nanotube arrays on silicon-based materials. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Enhanced photochemical catalysis of TiO2 inverse opals by modification with ZnO or Fe2O3 using ALD and the hydrothermal method

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiatong; Sun, Cuifeng; Fu, Ming; Long, Jie; He, Dawei; Wang, Yongsheng

2018-02-01

The development of porous materials exhibiting photon regulation abilities for improved photoelectrochemical catalysis performance is always one of the important goals of solar energy harvesting. In this study, methods to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 inverse opals were discussed. TiO2 inverse opals were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using colloidal crystal templates. In addition, TiO2 inverse opal heterostructures were fabricated using colloidal heterocrystals by repeated vertical deposition using different colloidal spheres. The hydrothermal method and ALD were used to prepare ZnO- or Fe2O3-modified TiO2 inverse opals on the internal surfaces of the TiO2 porous structures. Although the photonic reflection band was not significantly varied by oxide modification, the presence of Fe2O3 in the TiO2 inverse opals enhanced their visible absorption. The conformally modified oxides on the TiO2 inverse opals could also form energy barriers and avoid the recombination of electrons and holes. The fabrication of the TiO2 photonic crystal heterostructures and modification with ZnO or Fe2O3 can enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 inverse opals.

Bactericidal Effects of HVOF-Sprayed Nanostructured TiO2 on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffery, B.; Peppler, M.; Lima, R. S.; McDonald, A.

2010-01-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been shown to exhibit photocatalytic bactericidal activity. This preliminary study focused on examining the photocatalytic activity of high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed nanostructured TiO2 coatings to kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The surfaces of the nanostructured TiO2 coatings were lightly polished before addition of the bacterial solution. Plates of P. aeruginosa were grown, and then suspended in a phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution. The concentration of bacteria used was determined by a photo-spectrometer, which measured the amount of light absorbed by the bacteria-filled solution. This solution was diluted and pipetted onto the coating, which was exposed to white light in 30-min intervals, up to 120 min. It was found that on polished HVOF-sprayed coatings exposed to white light, 24% of the bacteria were killed after exposure for 120 min. On stainless steel controls, approximately 6% of the bacteria were not recovered. These preliminary results show that thermal-sprayed nanostructured TiO2 coatings exhibited photocatalytic bactericidal activity with P. aeruginosa.

Defect types and room temperature ferromagnetism in N-doped rutile TiO2 single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Xiu-Bo; Li, Dong-Xiang; Li, Rui-Qin; Zhang, Peng; Li, Yu-Xiao; Wang, Bao-Yi

2014-06-01

The magnetic properties and defect types of virgin and N-doped TiO2 single crystals are probed by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and positron annihilation analysis (PAS). Upon N doping, a twofold enhancement of the saturation magnetization is observed. Apparently, this enhancement is not related to an increase in oxygen vacancy, rather to unpaired 3d electrons in Ti3+, arising from titanium vacancies and the replacement of O with N atoms in the rutile structure. The production of titanium vacancies can enhance the room temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM), and substitution of O with N is the onset of ferromagnetism by inducing relatively strong ferromagnetic ordering.

Phase Equilibrium of TiO2 Nanocrystals in Flame-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Changran; Camacho, Joaquin; Wang, Hai

2018-01-19

Nano-scale titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) is a material useful for a wide range of applications. In a previous study, we showed that TiO 2 nanoparticles of both rutile and anatase crystal phases could be synthesized over the size range of 5 to 20 nm in flame-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Rutile was unexpectedly dominant in oxygen-lean synthesis conditions, whereas anatase is the preferred phase in oxygen-rich gases. The observation is in contrast to the 14 nm rutile-anatase crossover size derived from the existing crystal-phase equilibrium model. In the present work, we made additional measurements over a wider range of synthesis conditions; the results confirm the earlier observations. We propose an improved model for the surface energy that considers the role of oxygen desorption at high temperatures. The model successfully explains the observations made in the current and previous work. The current results provide a useful path to designing flame-assisted chemical vapor deposition of TiO 2 nanocrystals with controllable crystal phases. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Immobilization of TiO2 nanoparticles on Fe-filled carbon nanocapsules for photocatalytic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, H.-C.; Huang, G.-L.; Chen, H.-L.; Lee, Y.-D.

2006-01-01

Using a simple sol-gel method, a novel magnetic photocatalyst was produced by immobilization of TiO 2 nano-crystal on Fe-filled carbon nanocapsules (Fe-CNC). High resolution TEM images indicated that the immobilization of TiO 2 on Fe-CNC was driven primarily by heterogeneous coagulation, whereas surface nucleation and growth was the dominant mechanism for immobilizing TiO 2 on acid-functionalized hollow CNC. The TiO 2 immobilized on Fe-CNC exhibited the anatase phase as revealed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. In comparison with free TiO 2 and TiO 2 -coated CNC, TiO 2 -coated Fe-CNC displayed good performance in the removal of NO gas under UV exposure. Due to the advantages of easy recycling and good photocatalytic efficiency, the novel magnetic photocatalyst developed here has potential use in photocatalytic applications for pollution prevention

TiO2--a prototypical memristive material.

Science.gov (United States)

Szot, K; Rogala, M; Speier, W; Klusek, Z; Besmehn, A; Waser, R

2011-06-24

Redox-based memristive switching has been observed in many binary transition metal oxides and related compounds. Since, on the one hand, many recent reports utilize TiO(2) for their studies of the memristive phenomenon and, on the other hand, there is a long history of the electronic structure and the crystallographic structure of TiO(2) under the impact of reduction and oxidation processes, we selected this material as a prototypical material to provide deeper insight into the mechanisms behind memristive switching. In part I, we briefly outline the results of the historical and recent studies of electroforming and resistive switching of TiO(2)-based cells. We describe the (tiny) stoichiometrical range for TiO(2 - x) as a homogeneous compound, the aggregation of point defects (oxygen vacancies) into extended defects, and the formation of the various Magnéli phases. Furthermore, we discuss the driving forces for these solid-state reactions from the thermodynamical point of view. In part II, we provide new experimental details about the hierarchical transformation of TiO(2) single crystals into Magnéli phases, and vice versa, under the influence of chemical, electrical and thermal gradients, on the basis of the macroscopic and nanoscopic measurements. Those include thermogravimetry, high-temperature x-ray diffraction (XRD), high-temperature conductivity measurements, as well as low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and LC-AFM (atomic force microscope equipped with a conducting tip) studies. Conclusions are drawn concerning the relevant parameters that need to be controlled in order to tailor the memristive properties.

Effects of Hydroxylation on PbS Quantum Dot Sensitized TiO2 Nanotube Array Photoelectrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhongqing; Wang, Bin; Wu, Jianchun; Dong, Qiang; Zhang, Xiaoming; Xu, He

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT: The contact state at the heterojunction interfaces greatly influences the interfacial kinetics of the photoinduced charge carriers. In this study, we used a facile NaOH pretreatment to replenish the hydroxyl groups lost during the heat treatment for crystallization of TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) prepared via anodic oxidization. By reacting the carboxylic acid groups of thioglycolic acid (TGA) with the TiO 2 surface hydroxyl groups, TGA molecules were covalently linked to the TiO 2 surface and then PbS quantum dots (QDs) were anchored onto the TNAs via the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The sample microstructure and photoelectrochemical properties were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM),current–voltage characteristics (J–V), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transient photovoltage plots and Mott-Schottky curves. The contact state and electrostatic potential distribution between TiO 2 {1 0 1} and PbS {1 1 1} planes were estimated by using first principle simulation. It was found that the NaOH pretreatment could enhance the crystallization degree of PbS QDs, decrease the crystal face mismatch, dangling bond density and the interfacial resistance between PbS QDs and TiO 2 , and accelerate the interfacial separation and transfer of photoinduced charge carriers. The first principle calculations demonstrated that the PbS QDs and TiO 2 interfacial contact was strengthened, and the built-in electric field was induced from TiO 2 {1 0 1} towards PbS {1 1 1}. These combined effects apparently improved the device photoelectrochemical performance. Compared to the sample without pretreatment, the specimen pretreated with NaOH demonstrated 19.96% and 29.93% increases in peak photoconversion efficiency after five and ten cycles of SILAR deposition, respectively.

Exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles increases Staphylococcusaureusinfection of HeLa cells

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yan; Wei, Ming-Tzo; Walker, Stephen. G.; Wang, Hong Zhan; Gondon, Chris; Brink, Peter; Guterman, Shoshana; Zawacki, Emma; Applebaum, Eliana; Rafailovich, Miriam; Ou-Yang, H. Daniel; Mironava, Tatsiana

TiO2 is one of the most common nanoparticles in industry from food additives to energy generation. Even though TiO2 is also used as an anti-bacterial agent in combination with UV, we found that, in the absence of UV, exposure of HeLa cells to TiO2 nanoparticles largely increased their risk of bacterial invasion. HeLa cells cultured with low dosage rutile and anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (0.1 mg/ml) for 24 hrs prior to exposure to bacteria had 350% and 250% respectively more bacteria infected per cell. The increase was attributed to increased LDH leakage, and changes in the mechanical response of the cell membrane. On the other hand, macrophages exposed to TiO2 particles ingested 40% fewer bacteria, further increasing the risk of infection. In combination, these two factors raise serious concerns regarding the impact of exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles on the ability of organisms to resist bacterial infection.

The influence of metal interlayers on the structural and optical properties of nano-crystalline TiO 2 films

KAUST Repository

Yang, Yong

2012-03-01

TiO 2-M-TiO 2 (M = W, Co and Ag) multilayer films have been deposited on glass substrates using reactive magnetron sputtering, then annealed in air for 2 h at 500°C. The structure, surface morphology and optical properties of the films have been studied using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. The TiO 2-W-TiO 2 and TiO 2-Co-TiO 2 films showed crystalline phases, whereas the TiO 2-Ag-TiO 2 films remained in the amorphous state. The crystallization temperature for the TiO 2-M-TiO 2 films decreased significantly compared with pure TiO 2 film deposited on quartz. Detailed analysis of the Raman spectra suggested that the crystallization of TiO 2-M-TiO 2 films was associated with the large structural deformation imposed by the oxidation of intermediate metal layers. Moreover, the optical band gap of the films narrowed due to the appearance of impurity levels as the metal ions migrated into the TiO 2 matrix. These results indicate that the insertion of intermediate metal layers provides a feasible access to improve the structural and optical properties of anatase TiO 2 films, leading to promising applications in the field of photocatalysis. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anatase TiO2 hierarchical structures composed of ultra-thin nano-sheets exposing high percentage {0 0 1} facets and their application in quantum-dot sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Dapeng; Zhang, Shuo; Jiang, Shiwei; He, Jinjin; Jiang, Kai

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: TiO 2 hierarchical structures assembled from ultra-thin nanosheets exposing ∼90% {0 0 1} facets were employed as photoanode materials to improve the performance of CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells. - Highlights: • THSs composited of nanosheets exposing high percent {0 0 1} facets were prepared. • THSs improve the QDs loading amount and light scattering of the photoanode. • THSs suppress the carrier recombination and finally lead to ∼25% PCE improvement. - Abstract: TiO 2 hierarchical structures (THSs) composed of ultra-thin nano-sheets exposing ∼90% {0 0 1} facets were prepared via a hydrothermal method. Time dependent trails revealed the formation of THSs experienced a self-assemble process. The as-prepared product were used as the photoanode materials for CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells, and the THSs/nanoparticle hybrid photoanode demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 3.47%, indicating ∼25% improvement compared with the nanoparticle cell

Fabrication of TiO2 Nanotanks Embedded in a Nanoporous Alumina Template

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Massard

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The feasibility of surface nanopatterning with TiO2 nanotanks embedded in a nanoporous alumina template was investigated. Self-assembled anodized aluminium oxide (AAO template, in conjunction with sol gel process, was used to fabricate this nanocomposite object. Through hydrolysis and condensation of the titanium alkoxide, an inorganic TiO2 gel was moulded within the nanopore cavities of the alumina template. The nanocomposite object underwent two thermal treatments to stabilize and crystallize the TiO2. The morphology of the nanocomposite object was characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM. The TiO2 nanotanks obtained have cylindrical shapes and are approximately 69 nm in diameter with a tank-to-tank distance of 26 nm. X-ray diffraction analyses performed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM with selected area electron diffraction (SAED were used to investigate the TiO2 structure. The optical properties were studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Simple method of preparing nitrogen - doped nanosized TiO2 powders of high photocatalytic activity under visible light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Van Hung; Dang Thi Thanh Le

2014-01-01

Nitrogen-doped nanosized TiO 2 powders were prepared by a simple thermal treatment method of the mixture of titanium dioxide and urea. The prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis-DRS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the crystal structure of N-TiO 2 was a mixture of anatase and rutile phases, and the average particle size was 31 nm calculated from XRD results. The UV-vis spectra indicate an increase in absorption of visible light when compared to undoped TiO 2 . The photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped TiO 2 powder was evaluated by the decomposition of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. And it was found that nitrogen-doped TiO 2 powders exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than undoped TiO 2 . Moreover, the study also showed that, the doping N atoms improve the growth of the TiO 2 crystal and phase transformation. (author)

Nuclear microscopy as a tool in TiO2 nanoparticles bioaccumulation studies in aquatic species

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, Teresa; Moita, Liliana; Silva, Luís; Mendonça, Elsa; Picado, Ana

2013-07-01

Engineered Titanium nanoparticles are used for a wide range of applications from coatings, sunscreen cosmetic additives to solar cells or water treatment agents. Inevitably environmental exposure can be expected and data on the ecotoxicological evaluation of nanoparticles are still scarce. The potential effects of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) on two model organisms, the water flea, Daphnia magna and the duckweed Lemna minor, were examined in semichronic toxicity tests. Daphnia and Lemna were exposed to TiO2 nanoparticles (average particle size value of 28 ± 11 nm (n = 42); concentration range, 1.4-25 mg/L) by dietary route and growth in medium containing the nanoparticles of TiO2, respectively. Both morphology and microdistribution of Ti in the individuals were examined by nuclear microscopy techniques. A significant amount of TiO2 was found accumulated in Daphnia exposed to nanoparticles. Nuclear microscopy imaging revealed that Ti was localized only in the digestive tract of the Daphnia, which displayed difficulty in eliminating the nanoparticles from their body. Daphnia showed higher mortality when exposed to higher concentrations of TiO2 (>10 mg/L). The exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles above 25 mg/L caused morphological alterations in Lemna. The roots became stiff and fronds colorless. The Ti mapping of cross-sections of roots and fronds showed that Ti was mainly deposited in the epidermis of the fronds and roots, with minor internalization. In summary, exposure of aquatic organisms to TiO2 nanoparticles may alter the physiology of these organisms at individual and population levels, posing risks to aquatic ecosystems.

Nuclear microscopy as a tool in TiO2 nanoparticles bioaccumulation studies in aquatic species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinheiro, Teresa; Moita, Liliana; Silva, Luís; Mendonça, Elsa; Picado, Ana

2013-01-01

Engineered Titanium nanoparticles are used for a wide range of applications from coatings, sunscreen cosmetic additives to solar cells or water treatment agents. Inevitably environmental exposure can be expected and data on the ecotoxicological evaluation of nanoparticles are still scarce. The potential effects of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) on two model organisms, the water flea, Daphnia magna and the duckweed Lemna minor, were examined in semichronic toxicity tests. Daphnia and Lemna were exposed to TiO 2 nanoparticles (average particle size value of 28 ± 11 nm (n = 42); concentration range, 1.4–25 mg/L) by dietary route and growth in medium containing the nanoparticles of TiO 2 , respectively. Both morphology and microdistribution of Ti in the individuals were examined by nuclear microscopy techniques. A significant amount of TiO 2 was found accumulated in Daphnia exposed to nanoparticles. Nuclear microscopy imaging revealed that Ti was localized only in the digestive tract of the Daphnia, which displayed difficulty in eliminating the nanoparticles from their body. Daphnia showed higher mortality when exposed to higher concentrations of TiO 2 (>10 mg/L). The exposure to TiO 2 nanoparticles above 25 mg/L caused morphological alterations in Lemna. The roots became stiff and fronds colorless. The Ti mapping of cross-sections of roots and fronds showed that Ti was mainly deposited in the epidermis of the fronds and roots, with minor internalization. In summary, exposure of aquatic organisms to TiO 2 nanoparticles may alter the physiology of these organisms at individual and population levels, posing risks to aquatic ecosystems

A fast-reliable methodology to estimate the concentration of rutile or anatase phases of TiO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. R. Zanatta

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Titanium-dioxide (TiO2 is a low-cost, chemically inert material that became the basis of many modern applications ranging from, for example, cosmetics to photovoltaics. TiO2 exists in three different crystal phases − Rutile, Anatase and, less commonly, Brookite − and, in most of the cases, the presence or relative amount of these phases are essential to decide the TiO2 final application and its related efficiency. Traditionally, X-ray diffraction has been chosen to study TiO2 and provides both the phases identification and the Rutile-to-Anatase ratio. Similar information can be achieved from Raman scattering spectroscopy that, additionally, is versatile and involves rather simple instrumentation. Motivated by these aspects this work took into account various TiO2 Rutile+Anatase powder mixtures and their corresponding Raman spectra. Essentially, the method described here was based upon the fact that the Rutile and Anatase crystal phases have distinctive phonon features, and therefore, the composition of the TiO2 mixtures can be readily assessed from their Raman spectra. The experimental results clearly demonstrate the suitability of Raman spectroscopy in estimating the concentration of Rutile or Anatase in TiO2 and is expected to influence the study of TiO2-related thin films, interfaces, systems with reduced dimensions, and devices like photocatalytic and solar cells.

Protein profiling as early detection biomarkers for TiO2 nanoparticle toxicity in Daphnia magna.

Science.gov (United States)

Sá-Pereira, Paula; Diniz, Mário S; Moita, Liliana; Pinheiro, Teresa; Mendonça, Elsa; Paixão, Susana M; Picado, Ana

2018-05-01

The mode of action for nanoparticle (NP) toxicity in aquatic organisms is not yet fully understood. In this work, a strategy other than toxicity testing was applied to Daphnia magna exposed to TiO 2 -NPs: the use of nuclear microscopy and the assessment of protein profile. D. magna is a keystone species broadly used as a model system in ecotoxicology. Titanium (Ti) was found in the D. magna digestive tract, mainly in the gut. The penetration of Ti into the epithelial region was greater at higher exposure levels and also observed in eggs in the brood pouch. The protein profile of individuals exposed to different concentrations showed that 2.8 and 5.6 mg/L TiO 2 -NP concentrations induced an over-expression of the majority of proteins, in particular proteins with molecular weight of ∼120, 85 and 15 kDa, while 11.2 mg/L TiO 2 -NP had an inhibitory effect on protein expression. The Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization with tandem time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) analysis of these proteins consistently identified them as vitellogenin (Vtg)-like proteins, associated with enzymes involved in redox balance. These results indicate that Vtg-like proteins are up-regulated in D. magna exposed to TiO 2 -NPs. Vitellogenesis is associated with the reproduction system, suggesting that TiO 2 -NP exposure can impair reproduction by affecting this process. The precise mode of action of TiO 2 -NPs is still unclear and the results from this study are a first attempt to identify specific proteins as potential markers of TiO 2 -NP toxicity in D. magna, providing useful information for future research.

The Effects of Leaching Process to the TiO2 Synthesis from Bangka Ilmenite

Science.gov (United States)

Wahyuningsih, S.; Ramelan, A. H.; Pramono, E.; Argawan, P.; Djatisulistya, A.; Firdiyono, F.; Sulistiyono, E.; Sari, P. P.

2018-03-01

Ilmenite mineral is a naturally occurring iron titanate (FeTiO3) and is abundant in nature. The separation of components into TiO2 and Fe2O3 must be expand. The purpose of this research is to synthesis TiO2 nanoparticles from the filtrate of Bangka ilmenite leaching process. Leaching of ilmenite was done with H2SO4 and HCl at various concentrations. The formation of TiO2 crystal determined by hydrolysis conditions and condensation reaction. TiO2 synthesized from the filtrate of sulfuric acid leaching that produced from TiO2 anatase phase when hydrolyzed in an aquaregia solvent and low concentrations of HCl (0.1M). Hydrolysis conditions at higher concentrations of HCl (1M) was produced TiO2 anatase-rutile phase. The synthesis of TiO2 from the filtrate of hydrochloric acid leaching was produced anatase phase. While the condition under the alcoholic solvent (2-propanol: H2O (v/v) = 9: 1) anatase phase crystallites grow in the temperature range up to 550 °C, above this temperature, TiO2 transform into rutile phase.

Effect of preparation conditions on the characteristics and photocatalytic activity of TiO2/purified diatomite composite photocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Zhiming; Hu, Zhibo; Yan, Yang; Zheng, Shuilin

2014-09-01

TiO2/purified diatomite composite materials were prepared through a modified hydrolysis-deposition method under low temperature using titanium tetrachloride as precursor combined with a calcination crystallization process. The microstructure and crystalline phases of the obtained composites prepared under different preparation conditions were characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The photocatalytic performance of TiO2/purified diatomite composites was evaluated by Rhodamine B as the target pollutant under UV irradiation, and the optimum preparation conditions of composites were obtained. The TiO2 crystal form in composites prepared under optimum conditions was anatase, the grain size of which was 34.12 nm. The relationships between structure and property of composite materials were analyzed and discussed. It is indicated that the TiO2 nanoparticles uniformly dispersed on the surface of diatoms, and the photocatalytic performance of the composite materials was mainly determined by the dispersity and grain size of loaded TiO2 nanoparticles.

Temperature compensation effects of TiO2 on Ca[(Li1/3Nb2/3)0.8Sn0.2]O3-δ microwave dielectric ceramic

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Mingzhe; Wei, Huanghe; Xiao, Lihua; Zhang, Kesheng; Hao, Yongde

2017-10-01

The crystal structure and dielectric properties of TiO2-modified Ca[(Li1/3Nb2/3)0.8Sn0.2]O3-δ microwave ceramics are investigated in the present paper. The crystal structure is probed by XRD patterns and their Rietveld refinement, results show that a single perovskite phase is formed in TiO2-modified Ca[(Li1/3Nb2/3)0.8Sn0.2]O3-δ ceramics with the crystal structure belonging to the orthorhombic Pbnm 62 space group. Raman spectra results indicate that the B-site order-disorder structure transition is a key point to the dielectric loss of TiO2-modified Ca[(Li1/3Nb2/3)0.8Sn0.2]O3-δ ceramics at microwave frequencies. After properly modified by TiO2, the large negative temperature coefficient of Ca[(Li1/3Nb2/3)0.8Sn0.2]O3-δ ceramic can be compensated and the optimal microwave dielectric properties can reach 𝜀r = 25.66, Qf = 18,894 GHz and TCF = -6.3 ppm/∘C when sintered at 1170∘C for 2.5 h, which manifests itself for potential use in microwave dielectric devices for modern wireless communication.

Defect annealing in Mn/Fe-implanted TiO2(rutile)

CERN Document Server

Gunnlaugsson, H P; Masenda, H; Mølholt, T E; Johnston, K; Bharuth-Ram, K; Gislason, H; Langouche, G; Naidoo, D; Ólafsson, S; Svane, A; Weyer, G

2014-01-01

A study of the annealing processes and charge state of dilute Fe in rutile TiO2 single crystals was performed in the temperature range 143-662 K, utilizing online 57Fe emission Mossbauer spectroscopy following low concentrations ( 350 K.

Low-temperature preparation and microwave photocatalytic activity study of TiO2-mounted activated carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yazi; Yang Shaogui; Hong Jun; Sun Cheng

2007-01-01

TiO 2 thin films were deposited on granular activated carbon by a dip-coating method at low temperature (373 K), using microwave radiation to enhance the crystallization of titania nanoparticles. Uniform and continuous anatase titania films were deposited on the surface of activated carbon. BET surface area of TiO 2 -mounted activated carbon (TiO 2 /AC) decreased a little in comparison with activated carbon. TiO 2 /AC possessed strong optical absorption capacity with a band gap absorption edge around 360 nm. The photocatalytic activity did not increase when the as-synthesized TiO 2 /AC was thermally treated, but was much higher than commercial P-25 in degradation of phenol by irradiation of electrodeless discharge lamps (EDLs)

Enhancement in photo-electrochemical efficiency by reducing recombination rate in branched TiO2 nanotube array on functionalizing with ZnO micro crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Boda, Muzaffar Ahmad; Ashraf Shah, Mohammad

2018-06-01

In this study, branched TiO2 nanotube array were fabricated through electrochemical anodization process at constant voltage using third generation electrolyte. On account of morphological advantage, these nanotubes shows significant enhancement in photo-electrochemical property than compact or conventional titania nanotube array. However, their photo-electrochemical efficiency intensifies on coating with ZnO micro-crystals. ZnO coated branched TiO2 nanotube array shows a photocurrent density of 27.8 mA cm‑2 which is 1.55 times the photocurrent density (17.2 mA cm‑2) shown by bare branched titania nanotubes. The significant enhancement in photocurrent density shown by the resulting ZnO/TiO2 hybrid structure is attributed to suppression in electron–hole recombination phenomenon by offering smooth pathway to photo generated excitons on account of staggered band edge positions in individual semiconductors.

Dependence of Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2-SiO2 Nanopowders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Riazian

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Structural properties and chemical composition change the photocatalytic activity in TiO2-SiO2 nanopowder composite. The SiO2-TiO2 nanostructure is synthesized based on sol–gel method. The nanoparticles are characterized by x-ray fluorescents (XRF, x- ray diffraction (XRD, tunneling electron microscopy (TEM, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, UV-vis. Spectrophotometer and furrier transmission create infrared absorption (FTIR techniques. The rate constant k for the degradation of methylen blue in its aqueous solution under UV irradiation is determined as a measure of photocatalytic activity. Dependence between photocatalytic activity and SiO2 content in the composite is determined. Rate constant k is found dependent on the content of SiO2 in the composite that calcined at 900 oC. The addition of low composition SiO2 to the TiO2 matrix (lower than 45% enhances the photocatalytic activity due to thermal stability and increasing in the surface area. The effects of chemical compositions on the surface topography and the crystallization of phases are studied.

Crystal Structure And Optical Properties Of TiO2 Thin Films Prepared By Reactive RF Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goto S.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available In sputtering deposition process of TiO2, metal Ti or sintered TiO2 target is used as deposition source. In this study, we have compared the characteristic of target materials. When TiO2 target was used, stoichiometric TiO2 films was deposited under the Ar atmosphere containing 1.0% of oxygen. The highest sputtering rate under this atmosphere was 3.9nm/min at 3.4W/cm2. But, sintered TiO2 target is fragile and cannot endure higher density of input power than 3.4W/cm2. On the other hand, Ti target needs higher oxygen concentration (8% in sputtering gas atmosphere for obtaining rutile/anatase. Even though Ti target can be input twice power density of 7.9W/cm2, the highest deposition rate for Ti target was 1.4/nm, which was ~35% of the highest rate for TiO2 target. Then we have study out the composite target consisting of Ti plate and TiO2 chips. Using the composite target, stoichiometric TiO2 films were prepared in the rate of 9.6nm/min at 6.8 W/cm2 under the atmosphere of Ar/2.5%O2. Furthermore, we have found that the TiO2 films obtained from the composite target consisted of about 100% anatase, whereas TiO2 films obtained from other target have rutile dominant structure. The optical band gap energy of the film is determined by using the Tauc plot. The calculated band gap energies for the films deposited by Ti target and composite target were 2.95 and 3.24eV, which are equivalent to that of rutile and anatase structure, respectively.

ALMA observations of TiO2 around VY Canis Majoris

Science.gov (United States)

De Beck, E.; Vlemmings, W.; Muller, S.; Black, J. H.; O'Gorman, E.; Richards, A. M. S.; Baudry, A.; Maercker, M.; Decin, L.; Humphreys, E. M.

2015-08-01

Context. Titanium dioxide, TiO2, is a refractory species that could play a crucial role in the dust-condensation sequence around oxygen-rich evolved stars. To date, gas phase TiO2 has been detected only in the complex environment of the red supergiant VY CMa. Aims: We aim to constrain the distribution and excitation of TiO2 around VY CMa in order to clarify its role in dust formation. Methods: We analyse spectra and channel maps for TiO2 extracted from ALMA science verification data. Results: We detect 15 transitions of TiO2, and spatially resolve the emission for the first time. The maps demonstrate a highly clumpy, anisotropic outflow in which the TiO2 emission likely traces gas exposed to the stellar radiation field. An accelerating bipolar-like structure is found, oriented roughly east-west, of which the blue component runs into and breaks up around a solid continuum component. A distinct tail to the south-west is seen for some transitions, consistent with features seen in the optical and near-infrared. Conclusions: We find that a significant fraction of TiO2 remains in the gas phase outside the dust-formation zone and suggest that this species might play only a minor role in the dust-condensation process around extreme oxygen-rich evolved stars like VY CMa. Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Preparation and performance of photocatalytic TiO2 immobilized on palladium-doped carbon fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yaofeng; Fu Yaqin; Ni Qingqing

2011-01-01

Pd-modified carbon fibers (CFs) are obtained by a facile oxidation-reduction method and then dip-coated in a sol-gel of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) to form supported TiO 2 /Pd-CF photocatalysts. The morphology of the Pd-modified CFs and the amount Pd deposited are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. X-ray diffraction is used to investigate the crystal structures of the TiO 2 photocatalyst. Acid orange II is used as a model contaminant to evaluate the photocatalytic properties of the photocatalyst under UV irradiation. TiO 2 /Pd-CF exhibits higher catalytic activity than TiO 2 /CF towards the degradation of acid orange II. Optimum photocatalytic performance and support properties are achieved when the Pd particle loading is about 10.8 mg/g.

The TiO2 Refraction Film for CsI Scintillator

OpenAIRE

C. C. Chen; C. W. Hun; C. J. Wang; C. Y. Chen; J. S. Lin; K. J. Huang

2015-01-01

Cesium iodide (CsI) melt was injected into anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and was solidified to CsI column. The controllable AAO channel size (10~500 nm) can makes CsI column size from 10 to 500 nm in diameter. In order to have a shorter light irradiate from each singe CsI column top to bottom the AAO template was coated a TiO2 nano-film. The TiO2 film acts a refraction film and makes X-ray has a shorter irradiation path in the CsI crystal making a stronger the photo-electron signal. Wh...

Effect of preparation conditions on the characteristics and photocatalytic activity of TiO2/purified diatomite composite photocatalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Zhiming; Hu, Zhibo; Yan, Yang; Zheng, Shuilin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • TiO 2 /purified diatomite composites were synthesized under different conditions. • The optimum preparation conditions of composites were obtained. • The obtained photocatalyst showed good photocatalytic activity. • The dispersity and grain size of loaded TiO 2 NPs are the critical factors. - Abstract: TiO 2 /purified diatomite composite materials were prepared through a modified hydrolysis-deposition method under low temperature using titanium tetrachloride as precursor combined with a calcination crystallization process. The microstructure and crystalline phases of the obtained composites prepared under different preparation conditions were characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 /purified diatomite composites was evaluated by Rhodamine B as the target pollutant under UV irradiation, and the optimum preparation conditions of composites were obtained. The TiO 2 crystal form in composites prepared under optimum conditions was anatase, the grain size of which was 34.12 nm. The relationships between structure and property of composite materials were analyzed and discussed. It is indicated that the TiO 2 nanoparticles uniformly dispersed on the surface of diatoms, and the photocatalytic performance of the composite materials was mainly determined by the dispersity and grain size of loaded TiO 2 nanoparticles

Origin of visible-light sensitivity in N-doped TiO2 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakano, Yoshitaka; Morikawa, Takeshi; Ohwaki, Takeshi; Taga, Yasunori

2007-01-01

We report on visible-light sensitivity in N-doped TiO 2 (TiO 2 :N) films that were deposited on n + -GaN/Al 2 O 3 substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering and subsequently crystallized by annealing at 550 deg. C in flowing N 2 gas. The N-doping concentration was ∼8.8%, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. From transmission electron microscopic observations and optical absorption measurements, yellow-colored TiO 2 :N samples showed an enhanced granular structure and strong absorption in the visible-light region. Photoelectron spectroscopy in air measurements showed a noticeable decrease in ionization energy of TiO 2 by the N doping. Deep-level optical spectroscopy measurements revealed two characteristic deep levels located at ∼1.18 and ∼2.48 eV below the conduction band. The 1.18 eV level is probably attributable to the O vacancy state and can be active as an efficient generation-recombination center. The pronounced 2.48 eV band is newly introduced by the N doping and contributes to band-gap narrowing of TiO 2 by mixing with the O 2p valence band. Therefore, this localized intraband is probably one origin of visible-light sensitivity in TiO 2 :N

Deliberate Design of TiO2 Nanostructures towards Superior Photovoltaic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ziqi; Liao, Ting; Sheng, Liyuan; Kou, Liangzhi; Kim, Jung Ho; Dou, Shi Xue

2016-08-01

TiO2 nanostructures are being sought after as flexibly utilizable building blocks for the fabrication of the mesoporous thin-film photoelectrodes that are the heart of the third-generation photovoltaic devices, such as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs), and the recently promoted perovskite-type solar cells. Here, we report deliberate tailoring of TiO2 nanostructures for superior photovoltaic cells. Morphology engineering of TiO2 nanostructures is realized by designing synthetic protocols in which the precursor hydrolysis, crystal growth, and oligomer self-organization are precisely controlled. TiO2 nanostructures in forms varying from isolated nanocubes, nanorods, and cross-linked nanorods to complex hierarchical structures and shape-defined mesoporous micro-/nanostructures were successfully synthesized. The photoanodes made from the shape-defined mesoporous TiO2 microspheres and nanospindles presented superior performances, owing to the well-defined overall shapes and the inner ordered nanochannels, which allow not only a high amount of dye uptake, but also improved visible-light absorption. This study provides a new way to seek an optimal synthetic protocol to meet the required functionality of the nanomaterials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Photocatalytic activity of Sulfer-doped TiO2 fiber under visible light illumination (Joint research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeyama, Akinori; Yamamoto, Shunya; Yoshikawa, Masahito; Hasegawa, Yoshio; Awatsu, Satoshi

2007-03-01

The Sol-Gel derived precursor fiber was annealed under hydrogen disulfeid (H 2 S) following oxygen atmosphere, Sulfur-doped TiO 2 fiber was obtained. Crystal structure of the fiber was identified as anatase phase of TiO 2 . The energy band gap of the fiber was narrower by about 0.06 eV than that of anatase, which showed that it could absorb visible light. The fiber contains about 0.58 atomic % of Sulfur, and they located at the oxygen lattice site of TiO 2 . Under visible light illumination, the fiber degraded Trichloroethylen (TCE) and produced carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). This shows Sulfur-doped TiO 2 fiber has the photocatalytic activity under visible light illumination. (author)

Transparent nanostructured Fe-doped TiO2 thin films prepared by ultrasonic assisted spray pyrolysis technique

Science.gov (United States)

Rasoulnezhad, Hossein; Hosseinzadeh, Ghader; Ghasemian, Naser; Hosseinzadeh, Reza; Homayoun Keihan, Amir

2018-05-01

Nanostructured TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2 thin films with high transparency were deposited on glass substrate through ultrasonic-assisted spray pyrolysis technique and were used in the visible light photocatalytic degradation of MB dye. The resulting thin films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy techniques. Based on Raman spectroscopy results, both of the TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2 films have anatase crystal structure, however, because of the insertion of Fe in the structure of TiO2 some point defects and oxygen vacancies are formed in the Fe-doped TiO2 thin film. Presence of Fe in the structure of TiO2 decreases the band gap energy of TiO2 and also reduces the electron–hole recombination rate. Decreasing of the electron–hole recombination rate and band gap energy result in the enhancement of the visible light photocatalytic activity of the Fe-doped TiO2 thin film.

Photocatalytic sterilization of TiO2 films coated on Al fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Li; Miao Lei; Tanemura, Sakae; Tanemura, Masaki

2008-01-01

Photocatalytic TiO 2 films were coated on Al fiber by sol-gel dip-coating method, and then annealed. The crystal structure and morphology of the films were performed by XRD, TEM and SEM. Photocatalytic sterilization of the films was investigated in O 2 atmosphere through purifying the aqueous solution with facultative aerobe (Bacillus cereus), aerobe (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and anaerobe (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli). In the presence of O 2 , it benefits to generate O 2 · - and ·OH at the first stage of the photocatalytic reaction, while the excess O 2 restrains the anaerobe from reproducing and accelerates the reproducing for the aerobe at the second stage of reaction. As a result, it was found that the crystal of TiO 2 films is anatase phase and the films have excellent sterilization effect against facultative aerobe and anaerobe. Nevertheless, it only decreased the bioactivity against aerobe in a short time

Preparation and properties of TiO2 films by complexing agent-assisted sol-gel method. Yuki haiishi wo mochiita sol gel ho ni yoru TiO2 usumaku no sakusei to seishitsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishide, T [Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Mizukami, F [National Chemical Laboratory for Industry, Tsukuba (Japan)

1992-09-01

In order to control optical properties of TiO2 thin films, the TiO2 films were prepared by the sol-gel method using glycols or their ether derivatives as organic ligands to study the effect of the organic ligands on the refractive indices and crystal phases. Samples were prepared as follows: Organic ligand was added into the ethanol solution of Ti(O-iso-pr) 4, and aqueous nitric acid solution was added after reflux, and sol obtained by subsequent reflux was applied on soda lime glass or silicon wafer substrates, which were baked at 400 to 900 centigrade. Three kinds of ligand such as 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethanol were used. Measured items are the film thickness, thermal characteristics, crystal phase and refractive indices of thin films. The key points are as follows: In case of TiO2 thin films on the soda lime glass substrate, the changing pattern of refractive indices by temperature changes with the kind of ligand used and further the peak strength of anatase changes with the kind of ligand used. In case of silicon wafer substrates, the peak strength of anatase and rutile changes with the kind of ligand. The refractive indices and crystal phase can be controlled by properly using the ligand. 7 refs., 11 figs.

Effect of N_2 flow rate on the properties of N doped TiO_2 films deposited by DC coupled RF magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Shou; Yang, Yong; Li, Gang; Jiang, Jiwen; Jin, Kewu; Yao, TingTing; Zhang, Kuanxiang; Cao, Xin; Wang, Yun; Xu, Genbao

2016-01-01

N doped TiO_2 films were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature using DC coupled RF magnetron sputtering with a TiO_2 ceramic target. The influences of N_2 flow rate on the deposition rate, crystal structure, chemical composition and band gap of the deposited films were investigated by Optical profiler, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The film growth rate gradually decreased with increasing N_2 flow rate. As N_2 flow rate increased, the crystallization of the films deteriorated, and the films tended to form amorphous structure. XPS analysis revealed that N dopant atoms were added at the substitutional sites into TiO_2 lattice structure. FE-SEM results showed that the grain size of the film decreased and the crystallinity degraded as N_2 flow rate increases. In addition, N doping caused an obvious red shift in the optical absorption edge. - Highlights: • N doped TiO_2 films were deposited by DC coupled RF magnetron reactive sputtering. • As N_2 flow rate increases, the crystallization of the deposited films degrades. • The higher N_2 flow rate is beneficial to form more substituted N in the film. • N doping causes an obvious red shift in the absorption wavelength.

Raman scattering and x-ray diffractometry studies of epitaxial TiO2 and VO2 thin films and multilayers on α-Al2O3(11 bar 20)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foster, C.M.; Chiarello, R.P.; Chang, H.L.M.; You, H.; Zhang, T.J.; Frase, H.; Parker, J.C.; Lam, D.J.

1993-01-01

Epitaxial thin films of TiO 2 and VO 2 single layers and TiO 2 /VO 2 multilayers were grown on (11 bar 20) sapphire (α-Al 2 O 3 ) substrates using the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition technique and were characterized using Raman scattering and four x-ray diffractometry. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the films are high quality single crystal material with well defined growth plane and small in-plane and out-of-plane mosaic. Single-layer films are shown to obey the Raman selection rules of TiO 2 and VO 2 single crystals. The close adherence to the Raman selection rules indicates the high degree of orientation of the films, both parallel and perpendicular to the growth plane. Selection rule spectra of two and three layer TiO 2 /VO 2 multilayers are dominated by the VO 2 layers with only minimal signature of the TiO 2 layers. Due to the low band gap of semiconducting vanadium dioxide, we attribute the strong signature of the VO 2 layers to resonant enhancement of the VO 2 Raman component accompanied with absorption of the both the incident and scattered laser light from the TiO 2 layers

Selective binding of oligonucleotide on TiO2 surfaces modified by swift heavy ion beam lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vicente Pérez-Girón, J.; Hirtz, M.; McAtamney, C.; Bell, A.P.; Antonio Mas, J.; Jaafar, M.; Luis, O. de; Fuchs, H.

2014-01-01

We have used swift heavy-ion beam based lithography to create patterned bio-functional surfaces on rutile TiO 2 single crystals. The applied lithography method generates a permanent and well defined periodic structure of micrometre sized square holes having nanostructured TiO 2 surfaces, presenting different physical and chemical properties compared to the surrounding rutile single crystal surface. On the patterned substrates selective binding of oligonucleotides molecules is possible at the surfaces of the holes. This immobilisation process is only being controlled by UV light exposure. The patterned transparent substrates are compatible with fluorescence detection techniques, are mechanically robust, have a high tolerance to extreme chemical and temperature environments, and apparently do not degrade after ten cycles of use. These qualities make the patterned TiO 2 substrates useful for potential biosensor applications

Dissociative and molecular oxygen chemisorption channels on reduced rutile TiO2(110): A high-resolution STM study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lira, Estephania; Hansen, Jonas Ørbæk; Huo, Peipei

2010-01-01

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to study the interaction of O2 with reduced TiO2(110)–(1 × 1) crystals. STM is the technique of choice to unravel the relation between vacancy and non-vacancy assisted O2 dissociation channel...... in the near-surface region of reduced TiO2(110) crystals, the kinetics of the two O2 dissociation channels as well as the kinetics of the diffusion and reaction of Ti interstitials....

Preparation of thermally stable anatase TiO2 photocatalyst from TiOF2 precursor and its photocatalytic activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv Kangle; Yu Jiaguo; Cui Longzhe; Chen Shulin; Li Mei

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: The prepared anatase TiO 2 from TiOF 2 shows very high thermal stability (up to 1000 o C) and the 700 o C-calcined sample showed the highest photocatalytic activity. Display Omitted Research highlights: → TiOF 2 was prepared by a simple microwave assisted hydrothermal rout. → Anatase TiO 2 prepared by calcination of TiOF 2 shows high thermal stability. → F - play an important role in the improvement thermal stability of anatase TiO 2 . → The 700 o C-calcined sample shows the highest photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: Preparation of anatase TiO 2 with high themal stability is of great importance for its environmental application. In this work, TiOF 2 was first synthesized by a simple microwave-assisted hydrothermal route using tetrabutyl titanate and hydrofluoric acid as precursors at 200 o C for 20 min. Then the resulted precipitates were calcined at different temperatures (300-1000 o C) for 2 h. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum, scanning electron microscopy, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated using Brilliant Red X3B, an anionic azo dye, as the target organic molecule under UV light irradiation. The results showed that the prepared TiOF 2 exhibited weak or no photocatalytic activity. The phase transformation of TiOF 2 to anatase TiO 2 occurred at about 300 o C. The prepared anatase TiO 2 from TiOF 2 showed very high thermal stability and the anatase-to-rutile phase transformation temperature was up to 1000 o C. Fluoride ions played an important role in the improvement of thermal stability of anatase TiO 2 by strongly adsorbing on the crystal planes of anatase to stabilize the anatase structure. The 700 o C-calcined sample showed the highest photocatalytic activity due to its relative good crystallization and high specific surface areas.

Hydrothermal fabrication of few-layer MoS2 nanosheets within nanopores on TiO2 derived from MIL-125(Ti) for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Fei; Li, Houfen; Yu, Hongtao; Chen, Shuo; Quan, Xie

2017-12-01

Protons tend to bond strongly with unsaturated-coordinate S element located at the edge of nano-MoS2 and are consequently reduced to H2. Therefore, increasing the active S atoms quantity will be a feasible approach to enhance hydrogen evolution. Herein we developed a porous TiO2 derived from metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as scaffold to restrict the growth and inhibit the aggregation of MoS2 nanosheets. As a result, the thickness of the prepared MoS2 nanosheets was less than 3 nm (1-4 layers), with more edges and active S atoms being exposed. This few-layer MoS2-porous TiO2 exhibits a H2 evolution rate of 897.5 μmol h-1 g-1, which is nearly twice as much as free-stand MoS2 nanosheets and twenty times more than physical mixture of MoS2 with porous TiO2. The high performance is attributed to that more active edge sites in few-layer MoS2-porous TiO2 are exposed than pure MoS2. This work provides a new method to construct MOFs derived porous structures for controlling MoS2 to expose active sites for HER.

Fabrication and characterization of uniform TiO2 nanotube arrays by ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely investigated as a key material for ... photonic crystals, catalysis, photocatalysis (Livraghi et al. 2005) and ... As a catalyst and/or catalyst support, .... of XRD analysis is supported by the Raman spectra of.

A chemical route to room-temperature synthesis of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pathan, Habib M.; Kim, Woo Young; Jung, Kwang-Deog; Joo, Oh-Shim

2005-01-01

A lot of methods are developed for the deposition of TiO 2 thin films; however, in each of these methods as-deposited films are amorphous and need further heat treatment at high temperature. In the present article, a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method was used for the preparation of TiO 2 thin films. We investigated nanocrystalline TiO 2 thin films using CBD at room temperature onto glass and ITO coated glass substrate. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques. The chemically synthesized films were nanocrystalline and composed of crystal grains of 2-3 nm

Antimicrobial Activities of TiO2 Nanoparticle Against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F Barzegary

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Organic antibacterial materials have been used as insecticides and bactericides for many years. Unfortunately, high temperatures in manufacturing process reduce their antibacterial properties. However, inorganic materials of antibacterial agents have excellent bacterial resistance and thermal stability. Over the past few decades, inorganic nanoparticles whose structures exhibit significantly novel and improved physical, chemical and biological properties and functionality due to their nano-scale size have elicited much interest. methods:The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial properties of one kind of nano-specimen (TiO2 nanoparticle against Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus. Our study was research perusal. In the first study, the optical density of E. coli and S. aureus cultures were observed in the presence of 0.01%, 0.75% and 1.5% of TiO2. In the second study, 6.3 log CFU/ml of E. coli and S. areus were separately exposed to 1.5% TiO2 at 37 ºC in water. In third study, we studied thew growth of E.coli in solid medium with and without nanoparticles. Results: The presence of 0.01% TiO2 nanoparticles didn’t have a statistically significant effect, but in the presence of 0.75% and 1.5% nanoparticles, the bacterial colonies decreased significantly. In the control group, bacterial cells survival was nearly 13 days, while complete cell death of E. coli was seen when 1.5% TiO2 was applied for 24 hours. The same experiment for S. aureu, showed that complete cell death occured when the bacterial culture was exposed to 1.5% TiO2 for 16 hours.. It was shown that presence of 1.5% TiO2 in the solid medium suppressed the growth of E. coli 5.6 times more (p < 0.001. Discussion: Our findings showed antibacterial effects of TiO2 nanoparticles against both bacteria, but S. areus bacteria were more sensitive to nanoparticles as compared to E. coli bacteria

Investigation of energy band alignments and interfacial properties of rutile NMO2/TiO2 (NM = Ru, Rh, Os, and Ir) by first-principles calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chen; Zhao, Zong-Yan

2017-11-08

In the field of photocatalysis, constructing hetero-structures is an efficient strategy to improve quantum efficiency. However, a lattice mismatch often induces unfavorable interfacial states that can act as recombination centers for photo-generated electron-hole pairs. If the hetero-structure's components have the same crystal structure, this disadvantage can be easily avoided. Conversely, in the process of loading a noble metal co-catalyst onto the TiO 2 surface, a transition layer of noble metal oxides is often formed between the TiO 2 layer and the noble metal layer. In this article, interfacial properties of hetero-structures composed of a noble metal dioxide and TiO 2 with a rutile crystal structure have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations. In particular, the Schottky barrier height, band bending, and energy band alignments are studied to provide evidence for practical applications. In all cases, no interfacial states exist in the forbidden band of TiO 2 , and the interfacial formation energy is very small. A strong internal electric field generated by interfacial electron transfer leads to an efficient separation of photo-generated carriers and band bending. Because of the differences in the atomic properties of the components, RuO 2 /TiO 2 and OsO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures demonstrate band dividing, while RhO 2 /TiO 2 and IrO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures have a pseudo-gap near the Fermi energy level. Furthermore, NMO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures show upward band bending. Conversely, RuO 2 /TiO 2 and OsO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures present a relatively strong infrared light absorption, while RhO 2 /TiO 2 and IrO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures show an obvious absorption edge in the visible light region. Overall, considering all aspects of their properties, RuO 2 /TiO 2 and OsO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures are more suitable than others for improving the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 . These findings will provide useful information

Fabrication of a TiO2-P25/(TiO2-P25+TiO2 nanotubes junction for dye sensitized solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen Huy Hao

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC, which converts solar light into electric energy, is expected to be a promising renewable energy source for today's world. In this work, dye sensitized solar cells, one containing a single layer and one containing a double layer, were fabricated. In the double layer DSSC structure, the under-layer was TiO2-P25 film, and the top layer consisted of a mixture of TiO2-P25 and TiO2 nanotubes. The results indicated that the efficiency of the DSSC with the double layer structure was a significant improvement in comparison to the DSSC consisting of only a single film layer. The addition of TiO2-P25 in the top layer caused an improvement in the adsorption of dye molecules on the film rather than on the TiO2 nanotubes only. The presence of the TiO2 nanotubes together with TiO2-P25 in the top layer revealed the enhancement in harvesting the incident light and an improvement of electron transport through the film.

TiO2 film/Cu2O microgrid heterojunction with photocatalytic activity under solar light irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junying; Zhu, Hailing; Zheng, Shukai; Pan, Feng; Wang, Tianmin

2009-10-01

Coupling a narrow-band-gap semiconductor with TiO(2) is an effective method to produce photocatalysts that work under UV-vis light irradiation. Usually photocatalytic coupled-semiconductors exist mainly as powders, and photocatalytic activity is only favored when a small loading amount of narrow-band-gap semiconductor is used. Here we propose a heavy-loading photocatalyst configuration in which 51% of the surface of the TiO(2) film is covered by a Cu(2)O microgrid. The coupled system shows higher photocatalytic activity under solar light irradiation than TiO(2) and Cu(2)O films. This improved performance is due to the efficient charge transfer between the two phases and the similar opportunity each has to be exposed to irradiation and adsorbates.

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on UASB biomass activity and dewatered sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Tushar; Mungray, Alka A; Mungray, Arvind K

2017-02-01

The accumulation of the nanowastes in the wastewater treatment plants has raised several concerns; therefore, it is an utmost priority to study the nanoparticle (NP) toxicity in such systems. In this work, the effect of TiO 2 NPs on up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) microflora and their photocatalytic effect on dewatered sludge were studied. We observed 99.98% removal of TiO 2 NPs by sludge biomass within 24 h, though negligible toxicity was found up to 100 mg/L TiO 2 concentration on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), volatile fatty acid and biogas generation. The low toxicity corresponds to the agglomeration of TiO 2 NPs in UASB sludge. Alterations in dewatered sludge biochemical composition and increase in cell damage were observed upon exposure to sunlight as evidenced by FTIR and fluorescent microscopy, respectively. Results suggest the negligible toxicity of TiO 2 NPs on UASB biomass activity; however, once exposed to open environment and sunlight, they may exert detrimental effects.

Femtosecond laser induced crystallization and permanent relief grating structures in amorphous inorganic (In2O3+1 wt % TiO2) films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katayama, Shigeru; Tsutsumi, Naoto; Nakamura, Toshitaka; Horiike, Mika; Hirao, Kazuyuki

2002-01-01

This letter presents an investigation of crystalline relief grating structures induced by irradiation of near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses on an amorphous inorganic (In 2 O 3 +1 wt % TiO 2 ) film. The shapes of crystallized relief structures were sensitive to the scanning rate and the focused point height of irradiation, and the optimized irradiation condition gave cone-shaped cross section structures. Selective wet etching on unirradiated amorphous regions using a 3% hydrochloric acid solution could make sharper relief grating structures of crystalline regions. Diffraction efficiency of the relief grating structures with Au coating was measured, and it was confirmed that first-order diffraction, efficiencies were approximately 40% and 20% for etched and nonetched samples, respectively

Excess electrons at anatase TiO2 surfaces and interfaces: insights from first principles simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Selçuk, Sencer; Selloni, Annabella

2017-07-01

TiO2 is an important technological material with widespread applications in photocatalysis, photovoltaics and self-cleaning surfaces. Excess electrons from intrinsic defects, dopants and photoexcitation play a key role in the properties of TiO2 that are relevant to its energy-related applications. The picture of excess and photoexcited electrons in TiO2 is based on the polaron model, where the electron forms a localized state that is stabilized by an accompanying lattice distortion. Here, we focus on excess and photoexcited electrons in anatase, the TiO2 polymorph most relevant to photocatalysis and solar energy conversion. For anatase, evidence of both small and large electron polarons has been reported in the literature. In addition, several studies have revealed a remarkable dependence of the photocatalytic activity of anatase on the crystal surface. After an overview of experimental studies, we briefly discuss recent progress in the theoretical description of polaronic states in TiO2, and finally present a more detailed account of our computational studies on the trapping and dynamics of excess electrons near the most common anatase surfaces and aqueous interfaces. The results of these studies provide a bridge between surface science experiments under vacuum conditions and observations of crystal-face-dependent photocatalysis on anatase, and support the idea that optimization of the ratio between different anatase facets can help enhance the photocatalytic activity of this material.

Shape-dependent Surface Energetics of Nanocrystalline TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, T.J.; Wong, S.; Levchenko, A.A.; Zhou, H.; Navrotsky, A.

2010-01-01

We report the direct determination of surface enthalpies for nanophase TiO 2 anatase with different morphologies derived from drop solution calorimetry in a molten sodium molybdate (3Na 2 Ol·4MoO 3 ) solvent at 702 C. The energetics of surface hydration has been measured using a Calvet microcalorimeter coupled with a gas dosing system. The surface enthalpies of hydrated surfaces for anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles, nanowires and sea-urchin-like assemblies are 0.51 ± 0.05, 1.07 ± 0.28, and 1.29 ± 0.16 J m -2 , respectively, whereas those of anhydrous surfaces are 0.74 ± 0.04, 1.24 ± 0.28, and 1.41 ± 0.16 J m -2 , respectively. The trend in TiO 2 , which shows higher surface enthalpies for more complex nanostructures, is consistent with that reported in ZnO. The shape-dependent surface enthalpy at the nanoscale level is discussed in terms of exposed surface structures. The enthalpies of hydration appear to be similar for all morphologies.

Optical spectroscopy of rare earth ion-doped TiO2 nanophosphors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xueyuan; Luo, Wenqin

2010-03-01

Trivalent rare-earth (RE3+) ion-doped TiO2 nanophosphors belong to one kind of novel optical materials and have attracted increasing attention. The luminescence properties of different RE3+ ions in various TiO2 nanomaterials have been reviewed. Much attention is paid to our recent progresses on the luminescence properties of RE3+ (RE = Eu, Er, Sm, Nd) ions in anatase TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by a sol-gel-solvothermal method. Using Eu3+ as a sensitive optical probe, three significantly different luminescence centers of Eu3+ in TiO2 nanoparticles were detected by means of site-selective spectroscopy at 10 K. Based on the crystal-field (CF) splitting of Eu3+ at each site, C2v and D2 symmetries were proposed for Eu3+ incorporated at two lattice sites. A structural model for the formation of multiple sites was proposed based on the optical behaviors of Eu3+ at different sites. Similar multi-site luminescence was observed in Sm(3+)- or Nd(3+)-doped TiO2 nanoparticles. In Eu(3+)-doped TiO2 nanoparticles, only weak energy transfer from the TiO2 host to the Eu3+ ions was observed at 10 K due to the mismatch of energy between the TiO2 band-gap and the Eu3+ excited states. On the contrary, efficient host-sensitized luminescences were realized in Sm(3+)- or Nd(3+)-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles due to the match of energy between TiO2 band-gap and the Sm3+ and Nd3+ excited states. The excitation spectra of both Sm(3+)- and Nd(3+)-doped samples exhibit a dominant broad peak centered at approximately 340 nm, which is associated with the band-gap of TiO2, indicating that sensitized emission is much more efficient than direct excitation of the Sm3+ and Nd3+ ions. Single lattice site emission of Er3+ in TiO2 nanocrystals can be achieved by modifying the experimental conditions. Upon excitation by a Ti: sapphire laser at 978 nm, intense green upconverted luminescence was observed. The characteristic emission of Er3+ ions was obtained both in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and

Solar-light photocatalytic disinfection using crystalline/amorphous low energy bandgap reduced TiO2

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Youngmin; Hwang, Hee Min; Wang, Luyang; Kim, Ikjoon; Yoon, Yeoheung; Lee, Hyoyoung

2016-01-01

A generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from TiO2 under solar light has been long sought since the ROS can disinfect organic pollutants. We found that newly developed crystalline/amorphous reduced TiO2 (rTiO2) that has low energy bandgap can effectively generate ROS under solar light and successfully remove a bloom of algae. The preparation of rTiO2 is a one-pot and mass productive solution-process reduction using lithium-ethylene diamine (Li-EDA) at room temperature. Interestingly only the rutile phase of TiO2 crystal was reduced, while the anatase phase even in case of both anatase/rutile phased TiO2 was not reduced. Only reduced TiO2 materials can generate ROS under solar light, which was confirmed by electron spin resonance. Among the three different types of Li-EDA treated TiO2 (anatase, rutile and both phased TiO2), the both phased rTiO2 showed the best performance to produce ROS. The generated ROS effectively removed the common green algae Chlamydomonas. This is the first report on algae degradation under solar light, proving the feasibility of commercially available products for disinfection. PMID:27121120

Photocatalytic decolorization of basic dye by TiO2 nanoparticle in photoreactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jutaporn Chanathaworn1

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Photocatalytic decolorization of rhodamine B (RB and malachite green (MG basic dyes in aqueous solution wasevaluated using TiO2 powder as a semiconductor photocatalyst under UV black light irradiation. A 0.5 L batch photoreactorcontaining dyeing solution was installed in a stainless steel chamber with air cooling under irradiation. The TiO2 powder wascharacterized by XRD observation and it was shown that the nanoparticles could be identified as 73 nm anatase crystals. Theeffects of operational parameters such as light intensity (0-114 W/m2, initial dye concentration (10-30 mg/L, and TiO2 powderloading (0.5-1.5 g/L on the decolorization of dye samples were examined. The photocatalytic decolorization rate depended onthe pollutant’s structure, such that the MG dye could be removed faster than the RB dye. Decolorization efficiency (% of thephotocatalytic system increased with increasing TiO2 loading and light intensity; however, it decreased with increasing initialdye concentration. A loading of 1.5 g TiO2/L, initial dye concentration of 20 mg/L, and light intensity of 114 W/m2 were foundto yield the highest removal efficiency of dye solution based on time requirement. The kinetics are of first order and dependon the TiO2 powder loading and dye structure. The research had a perfect application foreground.

Electronic structures and abnormal phonon behaviors of cobalt-modified Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-6%BaTiO3 single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, T.; Zhang, P.; Xu, L. P.; Chen, C.; Zhang, J. Z.; Hu, Z. G.; Luo, H. S.; Chu, J. H.

2016-10-01

Optical properties, electronic structures, and structural variations of x wt% cobalt (Co) doped Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-6%BaTiO3 (x=0%, 0.5%, 0.8%) single crystals have been studied by temperature-dependent optical ellipsometry and Raman spectra from 250 to 650 K. Based on the temperature evolution of electronic transitions (Ecp1 and Ecp2) and the phonon modes involving Ti-O vibrations, two critical temperature points exhibit an increasing trend with Co dopants, which are related to structural variations for ferroelectric to anti-ferroelectric, and anti-ferroelectric to paraelectric transition, respectively. Additionally, distinguishing abnormal phonon behaviors can be observed from Raman spectra for the crystal of x=0.5% and 0.8%, which show reverse frequency shift of the modes involving Ti-O vibration. It can be ascribed to different relative concentration of Co2+ and Co3+ in the crystals, which has been confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy data.

Electronic structures and abnormal phonon behaviors of cobalt-modified Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-6%BaTiO3 single crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Huang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Optical properties, electronic structures, and structural variations of x wt% cobalt (Co doped Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-6%BaTiO3 (x=0%, 0.5%, 0.8% single crystals have been studied by temperature-dependent optical ellipsometry and Raman spectra from 250 to 650 K. Based on the temperature evolution of electronic transitions (Ecp1 and Ecp2 and the phonon modes involving Ti-O vibrations, two critical temperature points exhibit an increasing trend with Co dopants, which are related to structural variations for ferroelectric to anti-ferroelectric, and anti-ferroelectric to paraelectric transition, respectively. Additionally, distinguishing abnormal phonon behaviors can be observed from Raman spectra for the crystal of x=0.5% and 0.8%, which show reverse frequency shift of the modes involving Ti-O vibration. It can be ascribed to different relative concentration of Co2+ and Co3+ in the crystals, which has been confirmed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy data.

Damage evolution in Xe-ion irradiated rutile (TiO2) single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, F.; Sickafus, K.E.; Evans, C.R.; Nastasi, M.

1999-01-01

Rutile (TiO 2 ) single crystals with (110) orientation were irradiated with 360 keV Xe 2+ ions at 300 K to fluences ranging from 2 x 10 19 to 1 x 10 20 Xe/m 2 . Irradiated samples were analyzed using: (1) Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy combined with ion channeling analysis (RBS/C); and (2) cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). Upon irradiation to a fluence of 2 x 10 19 Xe/m 2 , the sample thickness penetrated by the implanted ions was observed to consist of three distinct layers: (1) a defect-free layer at the surface (thickness about 12 nm) exhibiting good crystallinity; (2) a second layer with a low density of relatively large-sized defects; and (3) a third layer consisting of a high concentration of small defects. After the fluence was increased to 7 x 10 19 Xe/m 2 , a buried amorphous layer was visible by XTEM. The thickness of the amorphous layer was found to increase with increasing Xe ion fluence. The location of this buried amorphous layer was found to coincide with the measured peak in the Xe concentration (measured by RBS/C), rather than with the theoretical maximum in the displacement damage profile. This observation suggests the implanted Xe ions may serve as nucleation sites for the amorphization transformation. The total thickness of the damaged microstructure due to ion irradiation was always found to be much greater than the projected range of the Xe ions. This is likely due to point defect migration under the high stresses induced by ion implantation

Electron microscopy observation of TiO2 nanocrystal evolution in high-temperature atomic layer deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jian; Li, Zhaodong; Kvit, Alexander; Krylyuk, Sergiy; Davydov, Albert V; Wang, Xudong

2013-01-01

Understanding the evolution of amorphous and crystalline phases during atomic layer deposition (ALD) is essential for creating high quality dielectrics, multifunctional films/coatings, and predictable surface functionalization. Through comprehensive atomistic electron microscopy study of ALD TiO2 nanostructures at designed growth cycles, we revealed the transformation process and sequence of atom arrangement during TiO2 ALD growth. Evolution of TiO2 nanostructures in ALD was found following a path from amorphous layers to amorphous particles to metastable crystallites and ultimately to stable crystalline forms. Such a phase evolution is a manifestation of the Ostwald-Lussac Law, which governs the advent sequence and amount ratio of different phases in high-temperature TiO2 ALD nanostructures. The amorphous-crystalline mixture also enables a unique anisotropic crystal growth behavior at high temperature forming TiO2 nanorods via the principle of vapor-phase oriented attachment.

One-step synthesis of hierarchically porous hybrid TiO2 hollow spheres with high photocatalytic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ruiping; Ren, Feng; Yang, Jinlin; Su, Weiming; Sun, Zhiming; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Chang-an

2016-03-01

Hierarchically porous hybrid TiO2 hollow spheres were solvothermally synthesized successfully by using tetrabutyl titanate as titanium precursor and hydrated metal sulfates as soft templates. The as-prepared TiO2 spheres with hierarchically pore structures and high specific surface area and pore volume consisted of highly crystallized anatase TiO2 nanocrystals hybridized with a small amount of metal oxide from the hydrated sulfate. The proposed hydrated-sulfate assisted solvothermal (HAS) synthesis strategy was demonstrated to be widely applicable to various systems. Evaluation of the hybrid TiO2 hollow spheres for the photo-decomposition of methyl orange (MO) under visible-light irradiation revealed that they exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and durability.

Self-assembled supramolecular system PDINH on TiO2 surface enhances hydrogen production.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin; Lv, Xingshuai; Zhang, Qianqian; Huang, Baibiao; Wang, Peng; Qin, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Xiaoyang; Dai, Ying

2018-09-01

Constructing organic-inorganic hybrids is one of the hopeful strategies to improve photocatalyst performance. In this study, perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PDINH) and commercial TiO 2 P25 are chosen as raw materials to construct a PDINH/TiO 2 organic-inorganic hybrid, which has higher photocatalytic H 2 production activity and photocurrent intensity than pure PDINH and TiO 2 , respectively. The apparent quantum efficiency for H 2 production over 0.5%PDINH/TiO 2 reaches as high as 70.69% using irradiation at 365 nm. Moreover, XRD, DRS, HRTEM, FT-IR, and XPS are used to characterize the crystal structure, optical absorption, morphology, molecular structure, and chemical bonds, as well as the elemental and chemical states of PDINH/TiO 2 organic-inorganic hybrid. The interfaces between PDINH and TiO 2 , which largely determine photocatalytic performance, is also analyzed systematically. Furthermore, charge density difference (Δρ) is used to analyze the electron-ion interactions of PDINH and TiO 2 , and reveals that substantial charge transfer occurs from PDINH to TiO 2 . Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Physics properties of TiO_2 films produced by dip-coating technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teloeken, A.C.; Alves, A.K.; Berutti, F.A.; Tabarelli, A.; Bergmann, C.P.

2014-01-01

The use of titanium dioxide (TiO_2) as a photocatalyst to produce hydrogen has been of great interest because of their chemical stability, low cost and non-toxicity. TiO_2 occurs in three different crystal forms: rutile, anatase and brokita. Among these, the anatase phase generally exhibits the best photocatalytic behavior, while the rutile phase is the most stable. Among the various techniques of deposition, dip-coating technique produces films with good photocatalytic properties, using simple and inexpensive equipment. In this work TiO_2 films were obtained by dip-coating. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, contact angle measurements and photocurrent. The microstructure and physical properties were evaluated in relation of the temperature and the addition of an additive. (author)

TiO2 aerogel–metal organic framework nanocomposite: a new class ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2018-02-05

Feb 5, 2018 ... titanium dioxide in association with a monolayer of dye molecules is .... Zn–MOF has not affected the anatase phase formation of. TiO2 crystals ..... [15] Xin X, Scheiner M, Ye M and Lin Z 2011 Langmuir 27 14594. [16] Kim B ...

Photoelectrolchemical performance of PbS/CdS quantum dots co-sensitized TiO2 nanosheets array film photoelectrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Huizhen; Li, Xue; Liu, Li; Niu, Jiasheng; Ding, Dong; Mu, Yannan; Su, Pengyu; Wang, Guangxia; Fu, Wuyou; Yang, Haibin

2015-01-01

Herein, PbS/CdS quantum dots (QDs) co-sensitized titanium dioxide nanosheets array (TiO 2 NSs) films were reported for the first time. The TiO 2 NSs films exposed {001} facets were vertically grown on transparent conductive fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates by a facile hydrothermal method. The PbS/CdS QDs were assembled on TiO 2 NSs photoelectrode by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). The X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) verified that QDs with a diameter less than 20 nm were uniformly anchored on the surface of the TiO 2 NSs films. The QDs co-sensitization can significantly extend the absorption range and increase the absorption property of the photoelectrode by UV–vis absorption spectra. The optimal photoelectrolchemical (PEC) performance of PbS/CdS QDs co-sensitization TiO 2 NSs was with photocurrent density of 6.12 mA cm −2 under an illumination of AM 1.5 G, indicating the TiO 2 NSs films co-sensitized by PbS/CdS QDs have potential applications in solar cells. - Highlights: • TiO 2 nanosheets films were fabricated by a simple hydrothermal. • TiO 2 nanosheets film exposed high energy facets was with gaps. • PbS/CdS co-sensitized TiO 2 nanosheets film was obtained for the first time. • Photocurrent intensity of the novel photoelectrode increased to 6.12 mA cm −2

Enhanced the hydrophobic surface and the photo-activity of TiO2-SiO2 composites

Science.gov (United States)

Wahyuni, S.; Prasetya, A. T.

2017-02-01

The aim of this research is to develop nanomaterials for coating applications. This research studied the effect of various TiO2-SiO2 composites in acrylic paint to enhance the hydrophobic properties of the substrate. Titanium dioxide containing silica in the range 20-35 mol% has been synthesized using sol-gel route. The XRD’s spectra show that increasing SiO2 content in the composite, decreasing its crystalline properties but increasing the surface area. TiO2-SiO2 composite was dispersed in acrylic paint in 2% composition by weight. The largest contact angle was 70, which produced by the substrate coated with TS-35-modified acrylic paint. This study also investigated the enhanced photo-activity of TiO2-SiO2 modified with poly-aniline. The XRD spectra show that the treatment does not change the crystal structure of TiO2. The photo-activity of the composite was evaluated by degradation of Rhodamine-B with visible light. The best performance of the degradation process was handled by the composite treated with 0.1mL anilines per gram of TiO2-SiO2 composite (TSP-A). On the other side, the contact angle 70 has not shown an excellent hydrophobic activity. However, the AFM spectra showed that nanoroughness has started to form on the surface of acrylic paint modified with TiO2-SiO2 than acrylic alone.

[Study of the phase transformation of TiO2 with in-situ XRD in different gas].

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Li-Jing; Guo, Lie-Jin

2011-04-01

TiO2 sample was prepared by sol-gel method from chloride titanium. The phase transformation of the prepared TiO2 sample was studied by in-situ XRD and normal XRD in different gas. The experimental results showed that the phase transformation temperatures of TiO2 were different under in-situ or normal XRD in different kinds of gas. The transformation of amorphous TiO2 to anatase was controlled by kinetics before 500 degrees C. In-situ XRD showed that the growth of anatase was inhibited, but the transformation of anatase to rutile was accelerated under inactive nitrogen in contrast to air. Also better crystal was obtained under hydrogen than in argon. These all showed that external oxygen might accelerate the growth of TiO2, but reduced gas might partly counteract the negative influence of lack of external oxygen. The mechanism of phase transformation of TiO2 was studied by in-situ XRD in order to control the structure in situ.

Construction of anatase/rutile TiO2 hollow boxes for highly efficient photocatalytic performance

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Changchao; Zhang, Xiao; Yang, Ping

2018-02-01

Hollow TiO2 hierarchical boxes with suitable anatase and rutile ratios were designed for photocatalysis. The unique hierarchical structure was fabricated via a Topotactic synthetic method. CaTiO3 cubes were acted as the sacrificial templates to create TiO2 hollow hierarchical boxes with well-defined phase distribution. The phase composition of the hollow TiO2 hierarchical boxes is similar to that of TiO2 P25 nanoparticles (∼80% anatase, and 20% rutile). Compared with nanaoparticles, TiO2 hollow boxes with hierarchical structures exhibited an excellent performance in the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue organic pollutant. Quantificationally, the degradation rate of the hollow boxes is higher than that of TiO2 P25 nanoparticles by a factor of 2.7. This is ascribed that hollow structure provide an opportunity for using incident light more efficiently. The surface hierarchical and well-organized porous structures are beneficial to supply more active sites and enough transport channels for reactant molecules. The boxes consist of single crystal anatase and rutile combined well with each other, which gives photon-generated carriers transfer efficiently.

A pressure tuned stop-flow atomic layer deposition process for MoS2 on high porous nanostructure and fabrication of TiO2/MoS2 core/shell inverse opal structure

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xianglin; Puttaswamy, Manjunath; Wang, Zhiwei; Kei Tan, Chiew; Grimsdale, Andrew C.; Kherani, Nazir P.; Tok, Alfred Iing Yoong

2017-11-01

MoS2 thin films are obtained by atomic layer deposition (ALD) in the temperature range of 120-150 °C using Mo(CO)6 and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) as precursors. A pressure tuned stop-flow ALD process facilitates the precursor adsorption and enables the deposition of MoS2 on high porous three dimensional (3D) nanostructures. As a demonstration, a TiO2/MoS2 core/shell inverse opal (TiO2/MoS2-IO) structure has been fabricated through ALD of TiO2 and MoS2 on a self-assembled multilayer polystyrene (PS) structure template. Due to the self-limiting surface reaction mechanism of ALD and the utilization of pressure tuned stop-flow ALD processes, the as fabricated TiO2/MoS2-IO structure has a high uniformity, reflected by FESEM and FIB-SEM characterization. A crystallized TiO2/MoS2-IO structure can be obtained through a post annealing process. As a 3D photonic crystal, the TiO2/MoS2-IO exhibits obvious stopband reflecting peaks, which can be adjusted through changing the opal diameters as well as the thickness of MoS2 layer.

TiO2-TiO2 composite resistive humidity sensor: ethanol crosssensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghalamboran, Milad; Saedi, Yasin

2016-01-01

The fabrication method and characterization results of a TiO 2 -TiO 2 composite bead used for humidity sensing along with its negative cross-sensitivity to ethanol vapor are reported. The bead shaped resistive sample sensors are fabricated by the drop-casting of a TiO 2 slurry on two Pt wire segments. The dried bead is pre-fired at 750°C and subsequently impregnated with a Ti-based sol. The sample is ready for characterization after a thermal annealing at 600°C in air. Structurally, the bead is a composite of the micron-sized TiO 2 crystallites embedded in a matrix of nanometric TiO 2 particle aggregates. The performance of the beads as resistive humidity sensors is recorded at room temperature in standard humidity level chambers. Results evince the wide dynamic range of the sensors fabricated in the low relative humidity range. While the sensor conductance is not sensitive to ethanol vapor in dry air, in humid air, sensor's responses are negatively affected by the contaminant. (paper)

Preparation of TiO sub 2 nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation: Ambient pressure dependence of crystallization

CERN Document Server

Matsubara, M; Yamaki, T; Itoh, H; Abe, H

2003-01-01

Pulsed laser ablation (PLA) with a KrF excimer laser was used to prepare fine particles of titanium dioxide (TiO sub 2). The ablation in an atmosphere of Ar and O sub 2 (5:5) at total pressures of >= 1 Torr led to the formation of TiO sub 2 nanoparticles composed of anatase and rutile structures without any suboxides. The weight fraction of the rutile/anatase crystalline phases was dependent on the pressure of the Ar/O sub 2 gas. The TiO sub 2 nanoparticles had a spherical shape and their size, ranging from 10 and 14 nm, also appeared to be dependent on the ambient pressure. (author)

Completely oriented anatase TiO2 nanoarrays: topotactic growth and orientation-related efficient photocatalysis

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jingling; Wu, Qili; He, Shiman; Yan, Jing; Shi, Jianying; Chen, Jian; Wu, Mingmei; Yang, Xianfeng

2015-08-01

A TiO2 film has been facilely grown on a Ti foil via a general and simple acid vapor oxidation (AVO) strategy. Based on detailed characterization by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found that the TiO2 film was composed of anatase nanoarrays highly oriented along their direction, resulting in a large exposed {001} top surface on the film. The growth mechanism based on a topotactic transformation was proposed according to a careful study of time-dependent experimental results. Resulting from the evaluation of photocatalytic performance compared with a commercial TiO2 photocatalyst (Degussa P25), the as-prepared oriented anatase TiO2 film showed higher efficiency for degradation of atrazine and acid orange II (AOII). The performance of photocatalysis is highly relevant to the preferential orientation. The efficient photocatalysis could be attributed to the highly reactive {001} facets on the anatase nanoarrays with super-hydrophilicity.A TiO2 film has been facilely grown on a Ti foil via a general and simple acid vapor oxidation (AVO) strategy. Based on detailed characterization by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found that the TiO2 film was composed of anatase nanoarrays highly oriented along their direction, resulting in a large exposed {001} top surface on the film. The growth mechanism based on a topotactic transformation was proposed according to a careful study of time-dependent experimental results. Resulting from the evaluation of photocatalytic performance compared with a commercial TiO2 photocatalyst (Degussa P25), the as-prepared oriented anatase TiO2 film showed higher efficiency for degradation of atrazine and acid orange II (AOII). The performance of photocatalysis is highly relevant to the preferential orientation. The efficient photocatalysis could be attributed to the highly reactive {001

Hierarchical (0 0 1) facet anatase/rutile TiO2 heterojunction photoanode with enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Hongyi; Zhao, Guohua; Zhang, Ya-nan; Wang, Yanbin; Cao, Tongcheng

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► (0 0 1) facet TiO 2 photoanode with large surface area is reported for the first time. ► Ordered heterojunction further improves light absorption in (0 0 1) facet TiO 2 system. ► (0 0 1) facet TiO 2 photoanode possesses promoted photoelectrocatalytic performance. ► Photoelectrical enhancement mechanism is clarified by electrochemical methods. ► Photogenerated carrier and lifetime are remarkably enhanced by ingenious design. -- Abstract: A hierarchical heterojunction TiO 2 photoanode with large surface/body ratio is reported to exhibit high oxidation activity due to the constructing of anatase TiO 2 with exposed (0 0 1) facets. The mixed-phase photoanode is fabricated through surfactant-assisted anchoring ultrathin anatase nanosheets on vertically ordered rutile nanorod arrays. This cactaceae-like TiO 2 possesses high-exposed (0 0 1) facets outer layer, large specific surface area (375 m 2 g −1 ), efficient photo-to-current conversion (8.2%) and excellent photocatalytic ability to degrade bisphenol A. The greatly promoted photoelectric and photocatalytic performance results from the synergetic effects of the architecture design of high-active (0 0 1) facets and hierarchical heterojunctions. The mechanism analysis reveals that the remarkable increase of photogenerated carrier concentration (2.40 × 10 22 cm −3 ) improves photocatalytic activity, by virtue of constructing staggered energy levels, suppressing the recombination of electrons and holes, and extending the electron lifetime (133 ms)

Review of Liquidus Surface and Phase Equilibria in the TiO2-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO-CaO Slag System at PO2 Applicable in Fluxed Titaniferous Magnetite Smelting

Science.gov (United States)

Goso, Xolisa; Nell, Johannes; Petersen, Jochen

The current liquidus surface and phase equilibria established in air for fluxed titaniferous magnetite (titanomagnetite) slags conforming to a composition of 37.19% TiO2, 19.69% SiO2, 13.12% Al2O3, and 30.00% of various ratios of CaO+MgO were reviewed at applicable PO2 using FactSage simulation and phase composition of a real plant titanomagnetite slag. The testwork included the incorporation into FactSage of a private MgTi2O5-Al2TiO5 pseudobrookite solution model. The results of the investigation showed that the liquidus surface and Ti3+/ Ti4+ mass fraction ratio increased with decreasing the PO2, At low PO2, perovskite crystallizes as a primary phase at high CaO content. The spinel solution, i.e. (Mg)(Al,Ti)O4, generally crystallizes as the primary phase at high MgO contents, though it is replaced by MgTi2O5-Al2TiO5 solution at PO2 of 10-10 atm to 10-15 atm. An intermediate equilibrium phase diagram established at PO2 of 10-16 atm is proposed. This phase diagram does not show the observed primary phase crystallization competition, however, the phase composition of a real titanomagnetite slag produced by Evraz Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation in South Africa does show primary phase crystallization competition between (Mg)(Al,Ti)2O4 and MgTi2O5-Al2TiO5. Smelting involving such slags is likely conducted around the transition PO2, i.e. PO2 of about 10-16 atm. Complex modelling with MgTi2O5, Al2TiO5 and Ti3O5 end members and experiments are underway to verify and update the intermediate phase diagram.

Ion-irradiation resistance of the orthorhombic Ln_2TiO_5 (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy) series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aughterson, Robert D.; Lumpkin, Gregory R.; Ionescu, Mihail; Reyes, Massey de los; Gault, Baptiste; Whittle, Karl R.; Smith, Katherine L.; Cairney, Julie M.

2015-01-01

The response of Ln_2TiO_5 (where Ln is a lanthanide) compounds exposed to high-energy ions was used to test their suitability for nuclear-based applications, under two different but complementary conditions. Eight samples with nominal stoichiometry Ln_2TiO_5 (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy), of orthorhombic (Pnma) structure were irradiated, at various temperatures, with 1 MeV Kr"2"+ ions in-situ within a transmission electron microscope. In each case, the fluence was increased until a phase transition from crystalline to amorphous was observed, termed critical dose D_c. At certain elevated temperatures, the crystallinity was maintained irrespective of fluence. The critical temperature for maintaining crystallinity, T_c, varied non-uniformly across the series. The T_c was consistently high for La, Pr, Nd and Sm_2TiO_5 before sequential improvement from Eu to Dy_2TiO_5 with T_c's dropping from 974 K to 712 K. In addition, bulk Dy_2TiO_5 was irradiated with 12 MeV Au"+ ions at 300 K, 723 K and 823 K and monitored via grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). At 300 K, only amorphisation is observed, with no transition to other structures, whilst at higher temperatures, specimens retained their original structure. The improved radiation tolerance of compounds containing smaller lanthanides has previously been attributed to their ability to form radiation-induced phase transitions. No such transitions were observed here. - Highlights: • First ion-irradiation studies on a number of novel compounds including Pr_2TiO_5, Eu_2TiO_5 and Tb_2TiO_5. • Systematic in-situ ion-irradiation study of almost complete Ln_2TiO_5 series (Ln = lanthanides) with orthorhombic crystal structure type. • The first grazing incidence study of bulk irradiated Dy_2TiO_5 looking for irradiation induced phase transition.

Investigation on the Photoelectrocatalytic Activity of Well-Aligned TiO2 Nanotube Arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaomeng Wu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Well-aligned TiO2 nanotube arrays were fabricated by anodizing Ti foil in viscous F− containing organic electrolytes, and the crystal structure and morphology of the TiO2 nanotube array were characterized and analyzed by XRD, SEM, and TEM, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 nanotube arrays was evaluated in the photocatalytic (PC and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC degradation of methylene blue (MB dye in different supporting solutions. The excellent performance of ca. 97% for color removal was reached after 90 min in the PEC process compared to that of PC process which indicates that a certain external potential bias favors the promotion of the electrode reaction rate on TiO2 nanotube array when it is under illumination. In addition, it is found that PEC process conducted in supporting solutions with low pH and containing Cl− is also beneficial to accelerate the degradation rate of MB.

Analysis of Ti valence states in resistive switching regions of a rutile TiO2‑ x four-terminal memristive device

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Kengo; Takeuchi, Shotaro; Tohei, Tetsuya; Ikarashi, Nobuyuki; Sakai, Akira

2018-06-01

We have performed Ti valence state analysis of our four-terminal rutile TiO2‑ x single-crystal memristors using scanning transmission electron microscopy–electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM–EELS). Analysis of Ti-L2,3 edge EELS spectra revealed that the electrocolored region formed by the application of voltage includes a valence state reflecting highly reduced TiO2‑ x due to the accumulation of oxygen vacancies. Such a valence state mainly exists within ∼50 nm from the crystal surface and extends along specific crystal directions. These electrically reduced surface layers are considered to directly contribute to the resistive switching (RS) in the four-terminal device. The present results add new insights into the microscopic mechanisms of the RS phenomena and should contribute to further development and improvements of TiO2‑ x based memristive devices.

The effect of different exposed facets on the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of o-chlorophenol using p-type Cu_2O crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sang, Wenjing; Zhang, Gong; Lan, Huachun; An, Xiaoqiang; Liu, Huijuan

2017-01-01

Although it is known that the efficacy of photoelectrocatalysts is enhanced by increasing the amount of high energy surface exposed, the development of a universal synthesis method with both superior activity and simplicity is needed for scalable applications. We herein controllably fabricated cuprous oxide (Cu_2O) micro crystals with different morphologies, evolving from cubes, cuboctahedra, truncated octahedra and finally to octahedra on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates, by a facile electrochemical deposition method. The structures of facet-engineered Cu_2O samples and the underlying mechanism for the morphology evolution were investigated. The separation of photogenerated hole-electron pairs on Cu_2O crystals with different exposed facets was characterized by measuring the photocurrent densities with chopped illumination, which increased with the increased concentrations of PVP: the octahedral Cu_2O crystals, with the highest proportion of {111} facets exposed, exhibited the lowest electro-hole recombination in contrast to the cubes, cuboctahedra, and truncated octahedra, respectively. The photoelectrocatalytic degradation efficiency of the o-chlorophenol (2-CP) pollutant under sunlight irradiation with Cu_2O-coated photocathode was further investigated to reveal the effect of different exposed facets. Due to the increased number of surface active sites available for degradation reactions, the octahedral Cu_2O microcrystals presented higher photoelectrocatalytic activity compared to other shapes. Active oxygen species detected by electron spin-resonance (ESR) spectrometry implied that abundant superoxide radicals (O_2"●"−) were the dominant active radicals in the degradation.

Enhancing the photoresponse and photocatalytic properties of TiO2 by controllably tuning defects across {101} facets

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Piaopiao; Hood, Zachary D.; Adhikari, Shiba P.; Xu, Yunfan; Yang, Shize; Wu, Sujuan

2018-03-01

Introducing defects into semiconductors with well-controlled exposed facets offers an effective route for the development of photocatalytic materials with greatly improved properties. Here, we report a facile ethylene glycol reduction procedure to make anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) with different concentrations of exposed {001} and {101} facets, leading to different surficial defects. TiO2 with increased concentrations of {101} facets shows a 5-fold improvement in photocurrent generation as well as improved photocatalytic activity towards water splitting under visible light irradiation. The improved activity is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies as well as the variable surface chemical states, which collectively induce a slower recombination rate of photo-induced electron-hole pairs. This work also highlights a feasible strategy to obtain the defective TiO2 and explore the synergistic effect of surface defects and different concentrations of exposed {001} and {101} facets for photocurrent and photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation.

Glass-ceramic nuclear waste forms obtained by crystallization of SiO 2-Al 2O 3-CaO-ZrO 2-TiO 2 glasses containing lanthanides (Ce, Nd, Eu, Gd, Yb) and actinides (Th): Study of the crystallization from the surface

Science.gov (United States)

Loiseau, P.; Caurant, D.

2010-07-01

Glass-ceramic materials containing zirconolite (nominally CaZrTi 2O 7) crystals in their bulk can be envisaged as potential waste forms for minor actinides (Np, Am, Cm) and Pu immobilization. In this study such matrices are synthesized by crystallization of SiO 2-Al 2O 3-CaO-ZrO 2-TiO 2 glasses containing lanthanides (Ce, Nd, Eu, Gd, Yb) and actinides (Th) as surrogates. A thin partially crystallized layer containing titanite and anorthite (nominally CaTiSiO 5 and CaAl 2Si 2O 8, respectively) growing from glass surface is also observed. The effect of the nature and concentration of surrogates on the structure, the microstructure and the composition of the crystals formed in the surface layer is presented in this paper. Titanite is the only crystalline phase able to significantly incorporate trivalent lanthanides whereas ThO 2 precipitates in the layer. The crystal growth thermal treatment duration (2-300 h) at high temperature (1050-1200 °C) is shown to strongly affect glass-ceramics microstructure. For the system studied in this paper, it appears that zirconolite is not thermodynamically stable in comparison with titanite growing form glass surface. Nevertheless, for kinetic reasons, such transformation (i.e. zirconolite disappearance to the benefit of titanite) is not expected to occur during interim storage and disposal of the glass-ceramic waste forms because their temperature will never exceed a few hundred degrees.

Superhydrophilicity of TiO2 nano thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammadizadeh, M.R.; Ashkarran, A.A.

2007-01-01

Full text: Among the several oxide semiconductors, titanium dioxide has a more helpful role in our environmental purification due to its photocatalytic activity, photo-induced superhydrophilicity, and as a result of them non-toxicity, self cleaning, and antifogging effects. After the discovery of superhydrophilicity of titanium dioxide in 1997, several researches have been performed due to its nature and useful applications. The superhydrophilicity property of the surface allows water to spread completely across the surface rather than remains as droplets, thus making the surface antifog and easy-to-clean. The distinction of photo-induced catalytic and hydrophilicity properties of TiO 2 thin films has been accepted although, the origin of hydrophilicity property has not been recognized completely yet. TiO 2 thin films on soda lime glass were prepared by the sol-gel method and spin coating process. The calcination temperature was changed from 100 to 550 C. XRD patterns show increasing the content of polycrystalline anatase phase with increasing the calcination temperature. The AFM results indicate granular morphology of the films, which particle size changes from 22 to 166 nm by increasing the calcination temperature. The RBS, EDX and Raman spectroscopy of the films show the ratio of Ti:O∼0.5, and diffusion of sodium ions from substrate into the layer, by increasing the calcination temperature. The UV/Vis. spectroscopy of the films indicates a red shift by increasing the calcination temperature. The contact angle meter experiment shows that superhydrophilicity of the films depends on the formation of anatase crystal structure and diffused sodium content from substrate to the layer. The best hydrophilicity property was observed at 450 C calcination temperature, where the film is converted to a superhydrophilic surface after 10 minutes under 2mW/cm 2 UV irradiation. TiO 2 thin film on Si(111), Si(100), and quartz substrates needs less time to be converted to

One-step preparation and photocatalytic performance of vanadium doped TiO2 coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilić, R.; Stojadinović, S.; Radić, N.; Stefanov, P.; Dohčević-Mitrović, Z.; Grbić, B.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we have investigated one-step preparation of vanadium doped TiO 2 coatings formed by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) of titanium in electrolyte containing 10 g/L Na 3 PO 4 ·12H 2 O + 0.5 g/L NH 4 VO 3 . The morphology, phase structure, and elemental composition of the formed coatings were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS) was employed to evaluate the band gap energy of obtained coatings. Vanadium doped TiO 2 coatings are partly crystallized and mainly composed of anatase phase TiO 2 , with up to about 2 wt% of vanadium present in the surface layer of the oxide. The valence band photoelectron spectra and UV–Vis DRS showed that vanadium doped TiO 2 coatings exhibit notable red shift with respect to the pure TiO 2 coatings. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by monitoring the degradation of methyl orange under simulated sunlight conditions. Photocatalytic activity of vanadium doped TiO 2 coatings increases with PEO time. Prolonged PEO times result in higher roughness of obtained coatings, thus increasing surface area available for methyl orange degradation. Vanadium doped TiO 2 coatings obtained after 180 s of PEO time exhibit the best photocatalytic activity and about 67% of methyl orange is degraded after 12 h of irradiation under simulated sunlight. - Highlights: • One-step preparation of V-doped TiO 2 coatings in 10 g/L Na 3 PO 4 ·12H 2 O + 0.5 g/L NH 4 VO 3 . • Properties of obtained coatings strongly depend on microdischarge characteristics. • Band gap of V-doped TiO 2 coatings is shifted towards red side of the spectrum. • V-doped TiO 2 coatings have better photocatalytic activity than pure TiO 2 . • After 12 h of simulated sunlight irradiation, 67% of methyl orange was decomposed

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dyes under sunlight using biocompatible TiO2 nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Bharati, B.; Sonkar, A. K.; Singh, N.; Dash, D.; Rath, Chandana

2017-08-01

As TiO2 is one of the most popular photocatalysts, we have studied here the photocatalytic degradation of the most common dyestuffs like rhodamine B (RhB), congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB), which mainly come from the textile and photographic industries using nanoparticles of TiO2. Nanoparticles of TiO2 synthesized through a simple and cost effective sol-gel technique crystallizes in the anatase phase, showing a band gap less than that of bulk value. Particles consisting of coherently scattered domains of size 33 nm are found to be agglomerated and polycrystalline in nature. While the degradation rates of MB, CR and RhB after irradiating with a renewable source of energy, i.e. sunlight, show 100% degradation, TiO2 irradiated with UV light of 4.8 eV shows a much slower degradation rate. To use the waste water after photocatalysis, we examine further the biocompatibile nature of the TiO2 nanoparticles by platelet interaction activity, hemolysis effect and MTT assay. It is worth mentioning here that TiO2 nanoparticles are found to be highly hemocompatible, show no platelet aggregation, and the level of intracellular ROS in human platelets does not show significant change in ROS level. We conclude that TiO2 nanoparticles constitute an excellent photocatalyst and biocompatible material, and that after photocatalytic degradation of dye effluents obtained from textile industries, purified water can be used in agriculture and domestic sectors.

Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of CeO2-doped TiO2 Composite Nanocrystals

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Oman ZUAS

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Pure TiO2 and CeO2-doped TiO2 (3 % CeO2-97 %TiO2 composite nanocrystals were synthesized via co-precipitation method and characterized using TGA, XRD, FTIR, DR-UV-vis and TEM. The XRD data revealed that the phase structure of the synthesized samples was mainly in pure anatase having crystallite size in the range of 7 nm – 11 nm. Spherical shapes with moderate aggregation of the crystal particles were observed under the TEM observation. The presence of the CeO2 at TiO2 site has not only affected morphologically but also induced the electronic property of the TiO2 by lowering the band gap energy from 3.29 eV (Eg-Ti to 3.15 eV (Eg-CeTi. Performance evaluation of the synthesized samples showed that both samples have a strong adsorption capacity toward Congo red (CR dye in aqueous solution at room temperature experiment, where  the capacity of the CeTi was higher than the Ti sample. Based on DR-UV data, the synthesized samples obtained in this study may also become promising catalysts for photo-assisted removal of synthetic dye in aqueous solution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.19.4.2732

Glass-ceramic enamels derived from the Li2O-Na2O-Al2O3-TiO2-SiO2 system

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SNEZANA R. GRUJIC

2002-02-01

Full Text Available The results of research on the conditions for obtaining model glass-ceramic enamels, derived from the basic Li2O-Na2O-Al2O3-TiO2-SiO2 system, by varying the initial composition and thermal treatment conditions, are presented in this paper. Segregation of the crystal phases in the glassy-matrix was carried out during subsequent thermal treatment. The formation of different crystal phases was evidenced through the results of differential-thermal analysis and X-ray powder diffraction analysis.

TiO2 assisted photo-oxidative pretreatment of wheat straw for biogas production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Awais, Muhammad; Alvarado-Morales, Merlin; Tsapekos, Panagiotis

Photo-catalytic oxidation is an advanced oxidation process in which a catalyst is used to absorb light energy and oxidize the target substrates such as organic polymers. A number of metal oxides and metal ions can efficiently increase substrate’s depolymerisation during the process of photo...... to be markedly higher in the pretreated samples that were exposed for 180min with 1.5 wt% and 2 wt% of TiO2 compared to the untreated wheat straw. Moreover, it was concluded that the products of lignin oxidation and also, the presence of TiO2 did not inhibit the AD process. Finally, UV treatment or TiO2 alone......-catalytic oxidation. Titanium oxide (TiO2) is a photo-catalyst that in its rutile and anatase forms presents the property to enhance the photo-oxidation of lignin-containing substrates. Due to lignin is one of the major obstacles in methane production from lignocellulosic biomass, its destruction is a necessary step...

The effects of solvent on photocatalytic properties of Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterojunction under visible light irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Qiyao; Huang, Yunfang; Xu, Hui; Luo, Dan; Huang, Feiyue; Gu, Lin; Wei, Yuelin; Zhao, Huang; Fan, Leqing; Wu, Jihuai

2018-04-01

Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterojunction photocatalysts with two different microstructures were controllably fabricated via a facile two-step synthetic route. XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, BET-surface, DRS, PL spectra, photoelectrochemical measurement (Mott-Schottky), and zeta-potential analyzer were employed to clarify structural and morphological characteristics of the obtained products. The results showed that Bi2WO6 nanoparticles/nanosheets grew on the primary TiO2 nanorods. The TiO2 nanorods used as a synthetic template inhibit the growth of Bi2WO6 crystals along the c-axis, resulting in Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterostructure with one-dimensional (1D) morphology. The photocatalytic properties of Bi2WO6/TiO2 heterojunction photocatalysts were strongly dependent on their shapes and structures. Compared with bare Bi2WO6 and TiO2, Bi2WO6/TiO2 composite have stronger adsorption ability and better visible light photocatalytic activities towards organic dyes. The Bi2WO6/TiO2 composite prepared in EG solvent with optimal Bi:Ti ratio of 2:12 (S-TB2) showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which could totally decompose Rhodamine B within 10 min upon irradiation with visible light (λ > 422 nm), and retained the high photocatalytic performance after five recycles, confirming its stability and practical usability. The results of PL indicated that Bi2WO6 and TiO2 could combine well to form a heterojunction structure which facilitated electron-hole separation, and lead to the increasing photocatalytic activity.

Plasma-spraying synthesis of high-performance photocatalytic TiO2 coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Yasuo; Maeda, Masakatsu; Ohmori, Akira; Shibata, Yoshitaka; Miyano, Yasuyuki; Murai, Kensuke

2014-01-01

Anatase (A-) TiO 2 is a photocatalytic material that can decompose air-pollutants, acetaldehyde, bacteria, and so on. In this study, three kinds of powder (A-TiO 2 without HAp, TiO 2 + 10mass%HAp, and TiO 2 +30mass%HAp, where HAp is hydroxyapatite and PBS is polybutylene succinate) were plasma sprayed on biodegradable PBS substrates. HAp powder was mixed with A-TiO 2 powder by spray granulation in order to facilitate adsorption of acetaldehyde and bacteria. The crystal structure was almost completely maintained during the plasma spray process. HAp enhanced the decomposition of acetaldehyde and bacteria by promoting adsorption. A 10mass% HAp content was the most effective for decomposing acetaldehyde when plasma preheating of the PBS was not carried out before the plasma spraying. The plasma preheating of PBS increased the yield rate of the spray process and facilitated the decomposition of acetaldehyde by A-TiO 2 coatings without HAp. HAp addition improved photocatalytic sterilization when plasma preheating of the PBS was performed

Preparation of micro/nanostructure TiO2 spheres by controlling pollen as hard template and soft template.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaohui; Xu, Bin; Zhang, Xuehong; Song, Xiuqin; Chen, Rufen

2014-09-01

In this paper, micro/nanostructure TiO2 spheres were synthesized by a sunflower pollen induced and self-assembly mineralization process, in which a titania precursor and pollen reacted in one-pot at normal pressure. In this paper, the bio-template advantage, as hard and soft template is fully demonstrated. The superiority of our synthesis is that we not only can control pollen as hard template, but also can control it as soft template only by changing reactions temperature. Under 80 degrees C of water bath, TiO2 microspheres which replicated the morphology of pollen were prepared by controlling pollen as hard template. Under 100 degrees C, hierarchical TiO2 spheres with complicated morphology, different from pollen template, were synthesized by using pollen as soft template. At the same time, judicious choice of the amount of pollen affords the synthesis of hierarchical structures spheres with adjustable morphology and crystal structure. The morphology can be tuned from microspheres constructed from TiO2 nanorods to nanospheres constructed from TiO2 nanoparticles, and the crystal structure can be tuned from rutile to anatase. More over this anatase phase can be keep better even at high temperature of 1000 degrees C. The as-prepared micro/nano structure photocatalysts not only have high photocatalytic activities, but also have good separability and reuse performance.

Formation of hydroxyl radicals and kinetic study of 2-chlorophenol photocatalytic oxidation using C-doped TiO2, N-doped TiO2, and C,N Co-doped TiO2 under visible light.

Science.gov (United States)

Ananpattarachai, Jirapat; Seraphin, Supapan; Kajitvichyanukul, Puangrat

2016-02-01

This work reports on synthesis, characterization, adsorption ability, formation rate of hydroxyl radicals (OH(•)), photocatalytic oxidation kinetics, and mineralization ability of C-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2), N-doped TiO2, and C,N co-doped TiO2 prepared by the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to analyze the titania. The rate of formation of OH(•) for each type of titania was determined, and the OH-index was calculated. The kinetics of as-synthesized TiO2 catalysts in photocatalytic oxidation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) under visible light irradiation were evaluated. Results revealed that nitrogen was incorporated into the lattice of titania with the structure of O-Ti-N linkages in N-doped TiO2 and C,N co-doped TiO2. Carbon was joined to the Ti-O-C bond in the C-doped TiO2 and C,N co-doped TiO2. The 2-CP adsorption ability of C,N co-doped TiO2 and C-doped TiO2 originated from a layer composed of a complex carbonaceous mixture at the surface of TiO2. C,N co-doped TiO2 had highest formation rate of OH(•) and photocatalytic activity due to a synergistic effect of carbon and nitrogen co-doping. The order of photocatalytic activity per unit surface area was the same as that of the formation rate of OH(•) unit surface area in the following order: C,N co-doped TiO2 > C-doped TiO2 > N-doped TiO2 > undoped TiO2.

Crystal structures of orthorhombic, hexagonal, and cubic compounds of the Sm(x)Yb(2−x)TiO5 series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aughterson, Robert D.; Lumpkin, Gregory R.; Reyes, Massey de los; Sharma, Neeraj; Ling, Christopher D.; Gault, Baptiste; Smith, Katherine L.; Avdeev, Maxim; Cairney, Julie M.

2014-01-01

A series of single phase compounds with nominal stoichiometry Sm (x) Yb (2−x) TiO 5 (x=2, 1.4, 1, 0.6, and 0) have been successfully fabricated to generate a range of crystal structures covering the most common polymorphs previously discovered in the Ln 2 TiO 5 series (Ln=lanthanides and yttrium). Four of the five samples have not been previously fabricated in bulk, single phase form so their crystal structures are refined and detailed using powder synchrotron and single crystal x-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Based on the phase information from diffraction data, there are four crystal structure types in this series; orthorhombic Pnma, hexagonal P6 3 /mmc, cubic (pyrochlore-like) Fd-3m and cubic (fluorite-like) Fm-3m. The cubic materials show modulated structures with variation between long and short range ordering and the variety of diffraction techniques were used to describe these complex crystal structure types. - Graphical abstract: A high resolution image of the compound Sm 0.6 Yb 1.4 TiO 5 showing contrast from lattice fringes and the corresponding fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the HREM image with pyrochlore related diffraction spots marked “P” and fluorite marked “F”. The crystal is oriented down the [1 1 0] zone axis based on the Fd-3m structure. The ideal crystal structure (no vacancies) of the cubic, pyrochlore-like (Sm 0.6 Yb 1.4 TiO 5 ). - Highlights: • First fabrication of bulk single-phase material with stoichiometry Sm 2 TiO 5 . • Systematic study of crystal structure types within Ln 2 TiO 5 series (Ln=lanthanides). • A novel technique using IFFT of HREM images to study cubic structures

D-sorbitol-induced phase control of TiO2 nanoparticles and its application for dye-sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Shaikh, Shoyebmohamad F.; Mane, Rajaram S.; Min, Byoung Koun; Hwang, Yun Jeong; Joo, Oh-Shim

2016-02-01

Using a simple hydrothermal synthesis, the crystal structure of TiO2 nanoparticles was controlled from rutile to anatase using a sugar alcohol, D-sorbitol. Adding small amounts of D-sorbitol to an aqueous TiCl4 solution resulted in changes in the crystal phase, particle size, and surface area by affecting the hydrolysis rate of TiCl4. These changes led to improvements of the solar-to-electrical power conversion efficiency (η) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) fabricated using these nanoparticles. A postulated reaction mechanism concerning the role of D-sorbitol in the formation of rutile and anatase was proposed. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering analyses were used to better understand the interaction between the Ti precursor and D-sorbitol. The crystal phase and size of the synthesized TiO2 nanocrystallites as well as photovoltaic performance of the DSSC were examined using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and photocurrent density-applied voltage spectroscopy measurement techniques. The DSSC fabricated using the anatase TiO2 nanoparticles synthesized in the presence of D-sorbitol, exhibited an enhanced η (6%, 1.5-fold improvement) compared with the device fabricated using the rutile TiO2 synthesized without D-sorbitol.

One-Step Nonaqueous Synthesis of Pure Phase TiO2 Nanocrystals from TiCl4 in Butanol and Their Photocatalytic Properties

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Tieping Cao

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Pure phase TiO2 nanomaterials were synthesized by an autoclaving treatment of TiCl4 with butanol as a single alcohol source. It was found that the control of molar ratio of TiCl4 to butanol played an important role in determining the TiO2 crystal phase and morphology. A high molar ratio of TiCl4 to butanol favored the formation of anatase nanoparticles, whereas rutile nanorods were selectively obtained at a low molar ratio of TiCl4 to butanol. Evaluation of the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized TiO2 was performed in terms of decomposition of organic dye rhodamine B under ultraviolet irradiation. It turned out that the as-synthesized TiO2 crystallites possessed higher photocatalytic activities toward bleaching rhodamine B than Degussa P25, benefiting from theirhigh surface area, small crystal size as well as high crystallinity.

Photosensitization of TiO2 P25 with CdS Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Applications

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Trenczek-Zając A.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A TiO2/CdS coupled system was prepared by mixing the TiO2 P25 with CdS synthesized by means of the precipitation method. It was found that the specific surface area (SSA of both components is extremely different and equals 49.5 for TiO2 and 145.4 m2·g−1 for CdS. The comparison of particle size distribution and images obtained by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM showed agglomeration of nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction (XRD patterns suggest that CdS crystallizes in a mixture of cubic and hexagonal phases. Optical reflectance spectra revealed a gradual shift of the fundamental absorption edge towards longer wavelengths with increasing CdS molar fraction, which indicates an extension of the absorption spectrum of TiO2. The photocatalytic activity in UV and UV-vis was tested with the use of methyl orange (MO. The Langmuir–Hinshelwood model described well the photodegradation process of MO. The results showed that the photocatalytic behaviour of the TiO2/CdS mixture is significantly better than that of pure nanopowders.

Investigating the solubility and cytocompatibility of CaO-Na2 O-SiO2 /TiO2 bioactive glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Wren, Anthony W; Coughlan, Aisling; Smith, Courtney M; Hudson, Sarah P; Laffir, Fathima R; Towler, Mark R

2015-02-01

This study aims to investigate the solubility of a series of titanium (TiO2 )-containing bioactive glasses and their subsequent effect on cell viability. Five glasses were synthesized in the composition range SiO2 -Na2 O-CaO with 5 mol % of increments TiO2 substituted for SiO2 . Glass solubility was investigated with respect to (1) exposed surface area, (2) particle size, (3) incubation time, and (4) compositional effects. Ion release profiles showed that sodium (Na(+) ) presented high release rates after 1 day and were unchanged between 7 and 14 days. Calcium (Ca(2+) ) release presented a significant change at each time period and was also composition dependent, where a reduction in Ca(2+) release is observed with an increase in TiO2 concentration. Silica (Si(4+) ) release did not present any clear trends while no titanium (Ti(4+) ) was released. Cell numbers were found to increase up to 44%, compared to the growing control population, with a reduction in particle size and with the inclusion of TiO2 in the glass composition. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Block copolymer directed synthesis of mesoporous TiO 2 for dye-sensitized solar cells

KAUST Repository

Nedelcu, Mihaela

2009-01-01

The morphology of TiO2 plays an important role in the operation of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. By using polyisoprene-block- ethyleneoxide (PI-b-PEO) copolymers as structure directing agents for a sol-gel based synthesis of mesoporous TiO2, we demonstrate a strategy for the detailed control of the semiconductor morphology on the 10 nm length scale. The careful adjustment of polymer molecular weight and titania precursor content is used to systematically vary the material structure and its influence upon solar cell performance is investigated. Furthermore, the use of a partially sp 2 hybridized structure directing polymer enables the crystallization of porous TiO2 networks at high temperatures without pore collapse, improving its performance in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. © 2009 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Optical and Morphological Properties of ZnO- and TiO2-Derived Nanostructures Synthesized via a Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Method

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Nosipho Moloto

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was used to synthesize ZnO and TiO2 nanostructures. The experimental results show that the method resulted in crystalline monodispersed ZnO nanorods that have pointed tips with hexagonal crystal phase. TiO2 nanotubes were also formed with minimum bundles. The mechanism for the formation of the tubes was validated by HRTEM results. The optical properties of both ZnO and TiO2 nanostructures showed characteristics of strong quantum confinement regime. The photoluminescence spectrum of TiO2 nanotubes shows good improvement from previously reported data.

Structural, optical, and magnetic properties of polycrystalline Co-doped TiO2 synthesized by solid-state method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouaine, Abdelhamid; Schmerber, G.; Ihiawakrim, D.; Derory, A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Influence of Co doping on the TiO 2 tetragonal structure. ► Decrease of the energy band gap after doping with Co atoms. ► Appearance of ferromagnetism in Co-doped TiO 2 diluted magnetic semiconductors. - Abstract: We have used a solid-state method to synthesize polycrystalline Co-doped TiO 2 diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) with Co concentrations of 0, and 0.5 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that Co doped TiO 2 crystallizes in the rutile tetragonal structure with no additional peaks. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) did not indicate the presence of magnetic parasitic phases and confirmed that Co ions are uniformly distributed inside the samples. Optical absorbance measurements showed an energy band gap which decreases after doping with the Co atoms into the TiO 2 matrix. Magnetization measurements revealed a paramagnetic behavior for the as-prepared Co-doped TiO 2 and a ferromagnetic behavior for the same samples after annealed under a mixture of H 2 /N 2 atmosphere.

Relationship of O2 Photodesorption in Photooxidation of Acetone on TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henderson, Michael A.

2008-01-01

Organic photooxidation on TiO2 invariably involves the coexistence of organic species with oxygen on the surface at the same time. In the case of acetone and oxygen, both species exhibit their own interesting photochemistry on TiO2, but interdependences between the two are not understood. In this study, a rutile TiO2(110) surface possessing 7% surface oxygen vacancy sites is used as a model surface to probe the relationship between O2 photodesorption and acetone photodecomposition. Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and photon stimulated desorption (PSD) measurements indicate that coadsorbed oxygen is essential to acetone photodecomposition on this surface, however the form of oxygen (molecular and dissociative) is not known. The first steps in acetone photodecomposition on TiO2(110) involve thermal activation with oxygen to form an acetone diolate ((CH3)2COO) species followed by photochemical decomposition to adsorbed acetate (CH3COO) and an ejected CH3 radical that is detected in PSD. Depending on the surface conditions, O2 PSD is also observed during the latter process. However, the time scales for the two PSD events (CH3 and O2) are quite different, with the former occurring at ∼10 times faster than the latter. By varying the preheating conditions or performing pre-irradiation on an O2 exposed surface, it becomes clear that the two PSD events are uncorrelated. That is, the O2 species responsible for O2 PSD is not a significant participant in the photochemistry of acetone on TiO2(110) and likely originates from a minority form of O2 on the surface. The CH3 and O2 PSD events do not appear to be in competition with each other suggesting either that ample charge carriers exist under the experimental conditions employed or that different charge carriers or excitation mechanisms are involved

Modification of physicochemical and thermal properties of starch films by incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Oleyaei, Seyed Amir; Zahedi, Younes; Ghanbarzadeh, Babak; Moayedi, Ali Akbar

2016-08-01

In this research, potato starch and TiO2 nanoparticles (0.5, 1 and 2wt%) films were developed. Influences of different concentrations of TiO2 on the functional properties of nanocomposite films (water-related properties, mechanical characteristics, and UV transmittance) were investigated. XRD, FTIR, and DSC analyses were used to characterize the morphology and thermal properties of the films. The results revealed that TiO2 nanoparticles dramatically decreased the values of water-related properties (water vapor permeability: 11-34%; water solubility: 1.88-9.26%; moisture uptake: 2.15-11.18%). Incorporation of TiO2 led to a slight increment of contact angle and tensile strength, and a decrease in elongation at break of the films. TiO2 successfully blocked more than 90% of UV light, while opacity and white index of the films were enhanced. Glass transition temperature and melting point of the films were positively affected by the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. The result of XRD study exhibited that due to a limited agglomeration of TiO2 nanoparticles, the mean crystal size of TiO2 increased. Formation of new hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups of starch and nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. In conclusion, TiO2 nanoparticles improved the functional properties of potato starch film and extended the potential for food packaging applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-temperature sputtering of crystalline TiO2 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musil, J.; Herman, D.; Sicha, J.

2006-01-01

This article reports on the investigation of reactive magnetron sputtering of transparent, crystalline titanium dioxide films. The aim of this investigation is to determine a minimum substrate surface temperature T surf necessary to form crystalline TiO 2 films with anatase structure. Films were prepared by dc pulsed reactive magnetron sputtering using a dual magnetron operating in bipolar mode and equipped with Ti(99.5) and ceramic Ti 5 O 9 targets. The films were deposited on unheated glass substrates and their structure was characterized by x-ray diffraction and surface morphology by atomic force microscopy. Special attention is devoted to the measurement of T surf using thermostrips pasted to the glass substrate. It was found that (1) T surf is considerably higher (approximately by 100 deg. C or more) than the substrate temperature T s measured by the thermocouple incorporated into the substrate holder and (2) T surf strongly depends on the substrate-to-target distance d s-t , the magnetron target power loading, and the thermal conductivity of the target and its cooling. The main result of this study is the finding that (1) the crystallization of sputtered TiO 2 films depends not only on T surf but also on the total pressure p T of sputtering gas (Ar+O 2 ), partial pressure of oxygen p O 2 , the film deposition rate a D , and the film thickness h (2) crystalline TiO 2 films with well developed anatase structure can be formed at T surf =160 deg. C and low values of a D ≅5 nm/min (3) the crystalline structure of TiO 2 film gradually changes from (i) anatase through (ii) anatase+rutile mixture, and (iii) pure rutile to x-ray amorphous structure at T surf =160 deg. C and p T =0.75 Pa when p O 2 decreases and a D increases above 5 nm/min, and (4) crystallinity of the TiO 2 films decreases with decreasing h and T surf . Interrelationships between the structure of TiO 2 film, its roughness, T surf , and a D are discussed in detail. Trends of next development are

Study of Sn and Mg doping effects on TiO2/Ge stack structure by combinatorial synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Nagata, Takahiro; Suzuki, Yoshihisa; Yamashita, Yoshiyuki; Ogura, Atsushi; Chikyow, Toyohiro

2018-04-01

The effects of Sn and Mg doping of a TiO2 film on a Ge substrate were investigated to improve leakage current properties and Ge diffusion into the TiO2 film. For systematic analysis, dopant-composition-spread TiO2 samples with dopant concentrations of up to 20.0 at. % were fabricated by RF sputtering and a combinatorial method. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the instability of Mg doping of TiO2 at dopant concentrations above 10.5 at. %. Both Sn and Mg dopants reduced Ge diffusion into TiO2. Sn doping enhanced the crystallization of the rutile phase, which is a high-dielectric-constant phase, although the Mg-doped TiO2 film indicated an amorphous structure. Sn-doping indicated systematic leakage current reduction with increasing dopant concentration. Doping at Sn concentrations higher than 16.8 at. % improved the leakage properties (˜10-7 A/cm2 at -3.0 V) and capacitance-voltage properties of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) operation. The Sn doping of TiO2 may be useful for interface control and as a dielectric material for Ge-based MIS capacitors.

Study of the highly ordered TiO2 nanotubes physical properties prepared with two-step anodization

Science.gov (United States)

Pishkar, Negin; Ghoranneviss, Mahmood; Ghorannevis, Zohreh; Akbari, Hossein

2018-06-01

Highly ordered hexagonal closely packed titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO2 NTs) were successfully grown by a two-step anodization process. The TiO2 NTs were synthesized by electrochemical anodization of titanium foils in an ethylene glycol based electrolyte solution containing 0.3 wt% NH4F and 2 vol% deionized (DI) water at constant potential (50 V) for 1 h at room temperature. Physical properties of the TiO2 NTs, which were prepared via one and two-step anodization, were investigated. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed that anodization and subsequently peeled off the TiO2 NTs caused to the periodic pattern on the Ti surface. In order To study the nanotubes morphology, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) was used, which was revealed that the two-step anodization resulted highly ordered hexagonal TiO2 NTs. Crystal structures of the TiO2 NTs were mainly anatase, determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Optical studies were performed by Diffuse Reflection Spectra (DRS) and Photoluminescence (PL) analysis showed that the band gap of TiO2 NTs prepared via two-step anodization was lower than the band gap of samples prepared by one-step anodization process.

Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of porous TiO2 films prepared by ODA/sol-gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wenjie; Bai Jiawei

2012-01-01

Porous TiO 2 films were deposited on SiO 2 pre-coated glass-slides by sol-gel method using octadecylamine (ODA) as template. The amount of ODA in the sol played an important role on the physicochemical properties and photocatalytic performance of the TiO 2 films. The films prepared at different conditions were all composed of anatase titanium dioxide crystals, and TiO 2 crystalline size got larger with increasing ODA amount. The maximum specific surface area of 41.5 m 2 /g was obtained for TiO 2 powders prepared from titanium sol containing 2.0 g ODA. Methyl orange degradation rate was enhanced along with increasing ODA amount and reached the maximal value at 2.0 g addition of ODA. After 40 min of UV-light irradiation, methyl orange degradation rate reached 30.5% on the porous film, which was about 10% higher than that on the smooth film. Porous TiO 2 film showed almost constant activity with slight decrease from 30.5% to 28.5% after 4 times of recycles.

Production and Characterization of TiO2 Nanofilms for Hemocompatible and Photocatalytic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Schvezov, C. E.; Vera, M. L.; Schuster, J. M.; Rosenberger, M. R.

2017-10-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings are currently produced for hemocompatible and photocatalytic applications by using two techniques: sol-gel and anodic oxidation. In this review, the research advances on TiO2 nanofilms produced with these techniques are presented, with a focus on different aspects such as process parameters, morphology, roughness, crystal structure, adhesion, wear and erosion resistance, corrosion resistance, hemocompatibility, toxicity, plaque and bacterial adhesion, and heterogeneous photocatalysis of immobilized porous material. This review was presented at the 3rd Pan American Materials Congress at the 2017 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition in San Diego, California, USA.

Toxicological effect of TiO2 nanoparticle-induced myocarditis in mice

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Fashui; Wang, Ling; Yu, Xiaohong; Zhou, Yingjun; Hong, Jie; Sheng, Lei

2015-08-01

Currently, impacts of exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) on the cardiovascular system are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TiO2 NPs induce myocarditis and its underlying molecular mechanism in the cardiac inflammation in mice. Mice were exposed to TiO2 NPs for 6 months; biochemical parameters of serum and expression of Th1-related and Th2-related cytokines in the heart were investigated. The results showed that TiO2 NP exposure resulted in cardiac lesions coupling with pulmonary inflammation; increases of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), C-reaction protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH), adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels; and a reduction of nitric oxide (NOx) level in the serum. These were associated with increases of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), creatine kinase, CRP, adhesion molecule-1, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)1, STAT3, or STAT6, GATA-binding domain-3, GATA-binding domain-4, endothelin-1 expression levels, and T-box expressed in T cells expression level that is the master regulator of pro-inflammatory cytokines and transcription factors in the heart. These findings imply that TiO2 NP exposure may increase the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases.

Copper doping enhanced the oxidative stress-mediated cytotoxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles in A549 cells.

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Ahmad, J; Siddiqui, M A; Akhtar, M J; Alhadlaq, H A; Alshamsan, A; Khan, S T; Wahab, R; Al-Khedhairy, A A; Al-Salim, A; Musarrat, J; Saquib, Q; Fareed, M; Ahamed, M

2018-05-01

Physicochemical properties of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) can be tuned by doping with metals or nonmetals. Copper (Cu) doping improved the photocatalytic behavior of TiO 2 NPs that can be applied in various fields such as environmental remediation and nanomedicine. However, interaction of Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs with human cells is scarce. This study was designed to explore the role of Cu doping in cytotoxic response of TiO 2 NPs in human lung epithelial (A549) cells. Characterization data demonstrated the presence of both TiO 2 and Cu in Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs with high-quality lattice fringes without any distortion. The size of Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs (24 nm) was lower than pure TiO 2 NPs (30 nm). Biological results showed that both pure and Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. Low mitochondrial membrane potential and higher caspase-3 enzyme (apoptotic markers) activity were also observed in A549 cells exposed to pure and Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs. We further observed that cytotoxicity caused by Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs was higher than pure TiO 2 NPs. Moreover, antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine effectively prevented the reactive oxygen species generation, glutathione depletion, and cell viability reduction caused by Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs. This is the first report showing that Cu-doped TiO 2 NPs induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in A549 cells. This study warranted further research to explore the role of Cu doping in toxicity mechanisms of TiO 2 NPs.

Functionalized TiO2 nanoparticle containing isocyanate groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ou, Baoli; Li, Duxin; Liu, Qingquan; Zhou, Zhihua; Liao, Bo

2012-01-01

Functionalized TiO 2 nanoparticle containing isocyanate groups can extend the TiO 2 nanoparticle chemistry, and may promote their many potential applications such as in polymer composites and coatings. This paper describes a facile method to prepare functionalized TiO 2 nanoparticle with highly reactive isocyanate groups on its surface, via the reaction between toluene-2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI) and hydroxyl on TiO 2 nanoparticle surface. The main effect factors on the reaction of TiO 2 with TDI were studied by determining the reaction extent of hydroxyl groups on TiO 2 surface. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed that reactive isocyanate groups were covalently attached to the TiO 2 nanoparticle surface. The dispersion of the TDI-functionalized TiO 2 nanoparticle was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Owing to the TDI molecules covalently bonded on TiO 2 nanoparticle surface, it was established that the TiO 2 nanoparticle can be uniformly dispersed in toluene, thus indicating that this functionalization method can prevent TiO 2 nanoparticle from agglomerating. -- Highlights: ► TiO 2 nanoparticle was functionalized with toluene-2, 4-diisocyanate. ► Functionalized TiO 2 nanoparticle can be uniformly dispersed in xylene. ► Compatibility of TiO 2 nanoparticle and organic solvent is significantly improved. ► TiO 2 containing isocyanate groups can extend the TiO 2 nanoparticle chemistry.

Aqueous Hg(2+) associates with TiO2 nanoparticles according to particle size, changes particle agglomeration, and becomes less bioavailable to zebrafish.

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Boran, Halis; Boyle, David; Altinok, Ilhan; Patsiou, Danae; Henry, Theodore B

2016-05-01

Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) have unique physicochemistry and potential to interact with other substances in the aqueous phase. Here, gene [metallothionein 2 (mt2)] expression changes in larval zebrafish were used to evaluate the association between aqueous Hg(2+) and TiO2 (NPs and bulk particle size control) to investigate the relationship between changes in Hg(2+) behavior and TiO2 size. During 24h exposures, TiO2 agglomerates increased in size and in the presence of 25μg Hg(2+)/L, greater increases in size were observed. The concentration of Hg(2+) in suspension also decreased in the presence of TiO2-NPs. Mercury increased expression of mt2 in larval zebrafish, but this response was lessened when zebrafish were exposed to Hg(2+) in the presence of TiO2-NPs, and which suggests that TiO2-NPs alter the bioavailability of Hg(2+) to zebrafish larvae. This ameliorative effect of TiO2 was also likely due to surface binding of Hg(2+) because a greater decrease in mt2 expression was observed in the presence of 1mg/L TiO2-NPs than 1mg/L TiO2-bulk. In conclusion, the results show that Hg(2+) will associate with TiO2-NPs, TiO2-NPs that have associated Hg(2+) will settle out of the aqueous phase more rapidly, and agglomerates will deliver associated Hg(2+) to sediment surfaces. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biocompatibility and Surface Properties of TiO2 Thin Films Deposited by DC Magnetron Sputtering

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López-Huerta, Francisco; Cervantes, Blanca; González, Octavio; Hernández-Torres, Julián; García-González, Leandro; Vega, Rosario; Herrera-May, Agustín L.; Soto, Enrique

2014-01-01

We present the study of the biocompatibility and surface properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering. These films are deposited on a quartz substrate at room temperature and annealed with different temperatures (100, 300, 500, 800 and 1100 °C). The biocompatibility of the TiO2 thin films is analyzed using primary cultures of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of Wistar rats, whose neurons are incubated on the TiO2 thin films and on a control substrate during 18 to 24 h. These neurons are activated by electrical stimuli and its ionic currents and action potential activity recorded. Through X-ray diffraction (XRD), the surface of TiO2 thin films showed a good quality, homogeneity and roughness. The XRD results showed the anatase to rutile phase transition in TiO2 thin films at temperatures between 500 and 1100 °C. This phase had a grain size from 15 to 38 nm, which allowed a suitable structural and crystal phase stability of the TiO2 thin films for low and high temperature. The biocompatibility experiments of these films indicated that they were appropriated for culture of living neurons which displayed normal electrical behavior. PMID:28788667

Highly photocatalytic TiO_2 interconnected porous powder fabricated by sponge-templated atomic layer deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Shengqiang; Zhao, Yuting; Huang, Gaoshan; Li, Menglin; Mei, Yongfeng; Wang, Jiao; Zheng, Lirong; Baunack, Stefan; Schmidt, Oliver G; Gemming, Thomas

2015-01-01

A titanium dioxide (TiO_2) interconnected porous structure has been fabricated by means of atomic layer deposition of TiO_2 onto a reticular sponge template. The obtained freestanding TiO_2 with large surface area can be easily taken out of the water to solve a complex separation procedure. A compact and conformal nanocoating was evidenced by morphologic characterization. A phase transition, as well as production of oxygen vacancies with increasing annealing temperature, was detected by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The photocatalytic experimental results demonstrated that the powder with appropriate annealing treatment possessed excellent photocatalytic ability due to the co-action of high surface area, oxygen vacancies and the optimal crystal structure. (paper)

Enhanced visible light photocatalytic properties of Fe-doped TiO2 nanorod clusters and monodispersed nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Y.; Wei, J.H.; Xiong, R.; Pan, C.X.; Shi, J.

2011-01-01

In order to get photocatalysts with desired morphologies and enhanced visible light responses, the Fe-doped TiO 2 nanorod clusters and monodispersed nanoparticles were prepared by modified hydrothermal and solvothermal method, respectively. The microstructures and morphologies of TiO 2 crystals can be controlled by restraining the hydrolytic reaction rates. The Fe-doped photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis), N 2 adsorption-desorption measurement (BET), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The refinements of the microstructures and morphologies result in the enhancement of the specific surface areas. The Fe 3+ -dopants in TiO 2 lattices not only lead to the significantly extending of the optical responses from UV to visible region but also diminish the recombination rates of the electrons and holes. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by photocatalytic decomposition of formaldehyde in air under visible light illumination. Compared with P25 (TiO 2 ) and N-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles, the Fe-doped photocatalysts show high photocatalytic activities under visible light.

Differential genomic effects of six different TiO2 nanomaterials on human liver HepG2 cells

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Engineered nanoparticles are reported to cause liver toxicity in vivo. To better assess the mechanism of the in vivo liver toxicity, we used the human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2) as a model system. Human HepG2 cells were exposed to 6 TiO2 nanomaterials (with dry primary partic...

Influence of material properties on TiO2 nanoparticle agglomeration.

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Dongxu Zhou

Full Text Available Emerging nanomaterials are being manufactured with varying particle sizes, morphologies, and crystal structures in the pursuit of achieving outstanding functional properties. These variations in these key material properties of nanoparticles may affect their environmental fate and transport. To date, few studies have investigated this important aspect of nanoparticles' environmental behavior. In this study, the aggregation kinetics of ten different TiO2 nanoparticles (5 anatase and 5 rutile each with varying size was systematically evaluated. Our results show that, as particle size increases, the surface charge of both anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles shifts toward a more negative value, and, accordingly, the point of zero charge shifts toward a lower value. The colloidal stability of anatase sphere samples agreed well with DLVO theoretical predictions, where an increase in particle size led to a higher energy barrier and therefore greater critical coagulation concentration. In contrast, the critical coagulation concentration of rutile rod samples correlated positively with the specific surface area, i.e., samples with higher specific surface area exhibited higher stability. Finally, due to the large innate negative surface charge of all the TiO2 samples at the pH value (pH = 8 tested, the addition of natural organic matter was observed to have minimal effect on TiO2 aggregation kinetics, except for the smallest rutile rods that showed decreased stability in the presence of natural organic matter.

Enhancement of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Efficiency Using Mixed-Phase TiO2 Nanoparticles as Photoanode

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Yi-Hua Fan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC is a potential candidate to replace conventional silicon-based solar cells because of high efficiency, cheap cost, and lower energy consumption in comparison with silicon chip manufacture. In this report, mixed-phase (anatase and rutile nanoparticles TiO2 photoanode was synthesized to investigate material characteristics, carriers transport, and photovoltaic performance for future DSSC application. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD, photoluminescence (PL, and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to characterize mixed TiO2 particles. Subsequently, various mixed-phase TiO2 anodes in DSSC devices were measured by electrical impedance spectra (EIS and energy efficiency conversion. The overall energy conversion efficiency of DSSC chip was improved as a result of the increase of rutile phase of TiO2 (14% in anatase matrix. Synergistic effects including TiO2 crystallization, reduction of defect density level in energy band, longer lifetime of photoexcited electrons, and lower resistance of electron pathway all contributed to high efficiency of light energy conversion.

TiO2-Based Nanomaterials for Gas Sensing-Influence of Anatase and Rutile Contributions.

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Zakrzewska, K; Radecka, M

2017-12-01

The paper deals with application of three nanomaterial systems: undoped TiO 2 , chromium-doped TiO 2 :Cr and TiO 2 -SnO 2 synthesized by flame spray synthesis (FSS) technique for hydrogen sensing. The emphasis is put on the role of anatase and rutile polymorphic forms of TiO 2 in enhancing sensitivity towards reducing gases. Anatase-to-rutile transformation is achieved by annealing of undoped TiO 2 in air at 700 °C, specific Cr doping and modification with SnO 2 . Undoped TiO 2 and TiO 2 -SnO 2 exhibit n-type behaviour and while TiO 2 : 5 at.% Cr is a p-type semiconductor. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been applied to determine anatase-to-rutile weight ratio as well as anatase and rutile crystal size. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used to characterize the structure and morphological parameters. Optical reflectometry enabled to find and compare the band gaps E g of anatase and rutile predominated compositions. Electrical properties, i.e. the electrical conductivity and values of constant phase element (CPE), have been established on the basis of impedance spectroscopy. Dynamic responses of the electrical resistance as a function of hydrogen concentration revealed that predominance of rutile in anatase/rutile mixture is beneficial for gas sensing. Partial transformation to rutile in all three material systems under study resulted in an increased sensitivity towards hydrogen. It is proposed that this effect can be explained in a similar way as in photocatalysis, i.e. by specific band alignment and electron transfer from rutile to anatase to facilitate oxygen preadsorption on the surface of anatase grains.

SURFACE MODIFICATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR THIN FILM OF TiO2 ON GRAPHITE SUBSTRATE BY Cu-ELECTRODEPOSITION

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Fitria Rahmawati

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Surface modification of graphite/TiO2 has been done by mean of Cu electrodeposition. This research aims to study the effect of Cu electrodeposition on photocatalytic enhancing of TiO2. Electrodeposition has been done using CuSO4 0,4 M as the electrolyte at controlled current. The XRD pattern of modified TiO2 thin film on graphite substrate exhibited new peaks at 2θ= 43-44o and 2θ= 50-51o that have been identified as Cu with crystal cubic system, face-centered crystal lattice and crystallite size of 26-30 nm. CTABr still remains in the material as impurities. Meanwhile, based on morphological analysis, Cu particles are dissipated in the pore of thin film. Graphite/TiO2/Cu has higher photoconversion efficiency than graphite/TiO2.   Keywords: semiconductor, graphite/TiO2, Cu electrodeposition

Composition and crystal structure of N doped TiO2 film deposited at different O2 flow rate by direct current sputtering.

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Ding, Wanyu; Ju, Dongying; Chai, Weiping

2011-06-01

N doped Ti02 films were deposited by direct current pulse magnetron sputtering system at room temperature. The influence of 02 flow rate on the crystal structure of deposited films was studied by Stylus profilometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometer. The results indicate that the 02 flow rate strongly controls the growth behavior and crystal structure of N doped Ti02 film. It is found that N element mainly exists as substitutional doped state and the chemical stiochiometry is near to TiO1.68±0.06N0.11±0.01 for all film samples. N doped Ti02 film deposited with 2 sccm (standard-state cubic centimeter per minute) 02 flow rate is amorphous structure with high growth rate, which contains both anatase phase and rutile phase crystal nucleuses. In this case, the film displays the mix-phase of anatase and rutile after annealing treatment. While N doped Ti02 film deposited with 12 cm(3)/min 02 flow rate displays anatase phase before and after annealing treatment. And it should be noticed that no TiN phase appears for all samples before and after annealing treatment. Copyright © 2011 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TiO2 nanoparticles for enhancing the refractive index of hydrogels for ophthalmological applications

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Hampp, Norbert; Dams, Christian; Badur, Thorben; Reinhardt, Hendrik

2017-02-01

Intraocular lenses (IOL) are currently the only treatment for cataract dependent vision impairment and blindness [1]. A polymer suitable for IOL manufacture needs to meet a plurality of properties, biocompatibility, excellent transmission in the visible range, a high flexibility for micro invasive surgery, a high refractive index as well as a good ABBE-number, just to mention the most important ones [2]. We present the use of in situ generated TiO2-nanoparticles to enhance the refractive index of poly-HEMA hydrogels - with are suitable polymers for IOL manufacture[3] - from 1.44 to 1.527 at 589.3 nm combined with an excellent ABBE-number of 54. The nanoparticles were prepared using titaniumdiisopropoxide- bis(acetylacetonate) as a precursor. First the titanium salt was diffused into the poly-HEMA matrix and then it was transformed into TiO2 in boiling water. The resulting pHEMA [TiO2] hydrogel was dried for 10 days under ambient conditions. By lathing these polymers were machined into lens precursors, the so-called Saturn-rings. After reswelling in physiological saline solutions flexible polymer lenses with high surface quality, shape memory and superior optical properties were obtained. The crystal structure of the formed TiO2 nanoparticles was identified as anatase via Xray. No release of titanium ions or TiO2 nanoparticles was observe under physiological conditions. Such hybrid materials of TiO2 nanoparticles and poly-HEMA like hydrogels are promising materials for IOL.

TiO2 flower-like nanostructures decorated with CdS/PbS nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trenczek-Zajac, Anita; Kusior, Anna; Lacz, Agnieszka; Radecka, Marta; Zakrzewska, Katarzyna

2014-01-01

Highlights: • TiO 2 flower-like nanostructures were prepared with the use of Ti foil and 30% H 2 O 2 . • QDs of CdS and PbS were deposited using the SILAR method. • The SILAR method makes it possible to control the size of QDs. • Band gap energy of CdS was found to be 2.35 eV. • Sensitization of TiO 2 with CdS or PbS improves the photoelectrochemical properties. - Abstract: Flower-like nanostructures of TiO 2 were prepared by immersing Ti foil in 30% H 2 O 2 at 80 °C for times varying from 15 to 240 min. Upon annealing at 450 °C in an Ar atmosphere, the received amorphous samples crystallized in an anatase structure with rutile as a minority phase. SEM images revealed that partially formed flowers were present at the surface of the prepared samples as early as after 15 min of immersion. The size of the individual flowers increased from 400–800 nm after 15 min of reaction to 2.5–6.0 μm after 240 min. It was also found that surface is very rough and surface development is considerable. After 45 min of immersion, the nanoflowers were sensitized with CdS and PbS quantum dots (QDs-CdS/QDs-PbS) deposited using the SILAR method from water- and methanol-based precursor solutions at different concentrations (0.001–0.1 M). QDs-CdS crystallized in the hawleyite structure, while QDs-PbS in the galena form. SEM analysis showed the tendency of quantum dots to agglomerate at high concentrations of the precursor in water-based solutions. QDs obtained from methanol-based solutions were uniformly distributed. The produced QDs-PbS were smaller than QDs-CdS. Based on the optical reflectance spectra, the band-gap energies of TiO 2 nanostructures with and without QDs were calculated to be 3.32 eV for flower-like TiO 2 nanostructures and 2.35 eV for QDs-CdS. The photoelectrochemical behaviour of nanoflowers was found to improve significantly after the deposition of QDs-CdS

H2O-EG-assisted synthesis of uniform urchinlike rutile TiO2 with superior lithium storage properties.

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Chen, Jun Song; Liang, Yen Nan; Li, Yongmei; Yan, Qingyu; Hu, Xiao

2013-10-23

A facile green method to synthesize uniform nanostructured urchinlike rutile TiO2 is demonstrated. Titanium trichloride was selected as the TiO2 precursor, and a mixed solvent containing H2O and ethylene glycol was used. By using this binary medium, the nucleation and crystal growth of rutile TiO2 can be regulated, giving rise to very uniform urchinlike structures with tailorable sizes. As confirmed by the SEM and TEM analysis, large particles with dense aggregation of needle-like building blocks or small ones with loosely packed subunits could be obtained at different reaction conditions. The as-prepared samples were applied as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries, and they were shown to have superior properties with a high reversible capacity of 140 mA h g(-1) at a high current rate of 10 C for up to 300 cycles, which is almost unmatched by other rutile TiO2-based electrodes. A stable capacity of 88 mA h g(-1) can also be delivered at an extremely high rate of 50 C, suggesting the great potential of the as-prepared product for high-rate lithium-ion batteries.

Optical studies of cobalt implanted rutile TiO2 (110) surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshi, Shalik Ram; Padmanabhan, B.; Chanda, Anupama; Mishra, Indrani; Malik, V.K.; Mishra, N.C.; Kanjilal, D.; Varma, Shikha

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The present study displays formation of nanostructures after Co implantation on TiO 2 surfaces. • Preferential sputtering leads to the creation of oxygen vacancies on the surface. • A large enhancement in visible light absorbance (nearly 5 times compared to pristine) is observed. • Creation of self-organized nanostructures and Ti 3+ oxygen vacancies promote photoabsorption. • Formation of Co-nanoclusters and Co–Ti–O phase play concerted role in enhancing photo-absorption. - Abstract: Present study investigates the photoabsorption properties of single crystal rutile TiO 2 (110) surfaces after they have been implanted with low fluences of cobalt ions. The surfaces, after implantation, demonstrate fabrication of nanostructures and anisotropic nano-ripple patterns. Creation of oxygen vacancies (Ti 3+ states), development of cobalt nano-clusters as well as band gap modifications have also been observed. Results presented here demonstrate that fabrication of self organized nanostructures, upon implantation, along with the development of oxygen vacancies and ligand field transitions of cobalt ion promote the enhancement of photo-absorbance in both UV (∼2 times) and visible (∼5 times) regimes. These investigations on nanostructured TiO 2 surfaces can be important for photo-catalysis.

QCM gas sensor characterization of ALD-grown very thin TiO2 films

Science.gov (United States)

Boyadjiev, S.; Georgieva, V.; Vergov, L.; Szilágyi, I. M.

2018-03-01

The paper presents a technology for preparation and characterization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films suitable for gas sensor applications. Applying atomic layer deposition (ALD), very thin TiO2 films were deposited on quartz resonators, and their gas sensing properties were studied using the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method. The TiO2 thin films were grown using Ti(iOPr)4 and water as precursors. The surface of the films was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) used for a composition study. The research was focused on the gas-sensing properties of the films. Films of 10-nm thickness were deposited on quartz resonators with Au electrodes and the QCMs were used to build highly sensitive gas sensors, which were tested for detecting NO2. Although very thin, these ALD-grown TiO2 films were sensitive to NO2 already at room temperature and could register as low concentrations as 50 ppm, while the sorption was fully reversible, and the sensors could be fully recovered. With the technology presented, the manufacturing of gas sensors is simple, fast and cost-effective, and suitable for energy-effective portable equipment for real-time environmental monitoring of NO2.

Preparation of TiO2 Nanocrystallite Powders Coated with 9 mol% ZnO for Cosmetic Applications in Sunscreens

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Moo-Chin Wang

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The preparation of TiO2 nanocrystallite powders coated with and without 9 mol% ZnO has been studied for cosmetic applications in sunscreens by a co-precipitation process using TiCl4 and Zn(NO32·6H2O as starting materials. XRD results show that the phases of anatase TiO2 and rutile TiO2 coexist for precursor powders without added ZnO (T-0Z and calcined at 523 to 973 K for 2 h. When the T-0Z precursor powders are calcined at 1273 K for 2 h, only the rutile TiO2 appears. In addition, when the TiO2 precursor powders contain 9 mol% ZnO (T-9Z are calcined at 873 to 973 K for 2 h, the crystallized samples are composed of the major phase of rutile TiO2 and the minor phases of anatase TiO2 and Zn2Ti3O8. The analyses of UV/VIS/NIR spectra reveal that the absorption of the T-9Z precursor powders after being calcined has a red-shift effect in the UV range with increasing calcination temperature. Therefore, the TiO2 nanocrystallite powders coated with 9 mol% ZnO can be used as the attenuate agent in the UV-A region for cosmetic applications in sunscreens.

XAFS Study on TiO2 Photocatalyst Loaded on Zeolite Synthesized from Steel Slag

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwahara, Yasutaka; Ohmichi, Tetsutaro; Mori, Kosuke; Katayama, Iwao; Yamashita, Hiromi

2007-01-01

The convenient route for the synthesis of Y-zeolites by utilizing steel slag as a material source was developed. Through hydrothermal treatment, well-crystallized Y-zeolite was obtained. We also synthesized TiO2-loaded Y-zeolites by an impregnation method. The structure of titanium oxide species highly dispersed on the zeolite, which couldn't be detected by XRD patterns, was investigated by XAFS analysis. Photocatalytic activity for decomposition of 2-propanol in liquid phase was found to be enhanced by the hydrophobic surface property of zeolite. It has been demonstrated that the zeolite synthesized from steel slag would be applicable as a promising support of TiO2 photocatalyst

Visible-light photocatalytic performances of TiO2 nanoparticles modified by trace derivatives of PVA

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Le SHI

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In order to study the visible-light photocatalytic activity and catalysis stability of nanocomposites, a TiO2-based visible-light photocatalyst is prepared by surface-modification of TiO2 nanoparticles using trace conjugated derivatives from polyvinyl alcohol (DPVA via a facile method. The obtained DPVA/TiO2 nanocomposites are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, Fourier transform infrared Spectra (FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. With Rhodamine B (RhB as a model pollutant, the visible-light photocatalytic activity and stability of DPVA/TiO2 nanocomposites are investigated by evaluating the RhB decomposition under visible light irradiation. The results reveal that the trace conjugated polymers on the TiO2 surface doesn’t change the crystalline and crystal size of TiO2 nanoparticles, but significantly enhances their visible-light absorbance and visible-light photocatalytic activity. The nanocomposite with the PVA and TiO2 mass ratio of 1∶200 exhibits the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity. The investigated nanocomposites exhibit well visible-light photoctatalytic stability. The photogenerated holes are thought as the main active species for the RhB photodegradation in the presence of the DPVA/TiO2 nanocomposites.

Phosphorus doped TiO2 as oxygen sensor with low operating temperature and sensing mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Zhizhong; Wang, Jiejie; Liao, Lan; Pan, Haibo; Shen, Shuifa; Chen, Jianzhong

2013-01-01

Nano-scale TiO 2 powders doped with phosphorus were prepared by sol–gel method. The characterization of the materials was performed by XRD, BET, FT-IR spectroscopy, Zeta potential measurement and XPS analysis. The results indicate that the phosphorus suppresses the crystal growth and phase transformation and, at the same time, increases the surface area and enhances the sensitivity and selectivity for the P-doped TiO 2 oxygen sensors. In this system, the operating temperature is low, only 116 °C, and the response time is short. The spectra of FT-IR and XPS show that the phosphorus dopant presents as the pentavalent-oxidation state in TiO 2 , further phosphorus can connect with Ti 4+ through the bond of Ti-O-P. The positive shifts of XPS peaks indicate that electron depleted layer of P-doped TiO 2 is narrowed compared with that of pure TiO 2 , and the results of Zeta potential illuminate that the density of surface charge carrier is intensified. The adsorptive active site and Lewis acid characteristics of the surface are reinforced by phosphorus doping, where phosphorus ions act as a new active site. Thus, the sensitivity of P-doped TiO 2 is improved, and the 5 mol% P-doped sample has the optimal oxygen sensing properties.

Analysis of the activity of photocatalytic TiO_2 nanofilms of pure tungsten doped

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, L.G.; Bergmann, C.P.; Alves, A.K.

2014-01-01

Titanium oxide semiconductor is an n-type widely used in advanced oxidation processes and purification processes of the environment. However, due to the fact that their structures are activated only under UV irradiation, limiting the use of sunlight, several alternatives are being sought aiming to overcome this limitation. Among them, the construction of bicomponent films of TiO_2 (3.0-3.2 eV) coupled to a lower band gap semiconductor such as WO_3 (2.5-2.8 eV) semiconductors such as oxides have electronic properties, optical and photoelectrochemical complementary, forming a film with the possibility of photoexcitation in a wider region of the spectrum. In this work nanofilms TiO_2 and TiO_2/WO_3 were obtained by a spin coater and photoactivity was assessed. The technique of X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed in determining the formed crystallite size and the morphology and crystal structure of the films was analyzed by scanning (SEM) electron microscopy. (author)

Al2TiO5-ZrTiO4-ZrO2 composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, F.J.

1990-01-01

The characterization and properties of ceramic composites containing the phases Al 2 TiO 5 , ZrTiO 4 , and ZrO 2 are described. The low thermal expansions are apparently due to a combination of microcracking by the titanate phases and a contractive phase transformation by the ZrO 2 . The crystal chemistry and microstructure of the product are processing dependent. Although the composites represent a complex microcracking system, the low thermal expansions and high-temperature stability make them potential candidates for commercial application requiring thermal shock resistance

Synthesis of Fe2O3/TiO2 nanorod-nanotube arrays by filling TiO2 nanotubes with Fe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohapatra, Susanta K; Banerjee, Subarna; Misra, Mano

2008-01-01

Synthesis of hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) nanostructures on a titania (TiO 2 ) nanotubular template is carried out using a pulsed electrodeposition technique. The TiO 2 nanotubes are prepared by the sonoelectrochemical anodization method and are filled with iron (Fe) by pulsed electrodeposition. The Fe/TiO 2 composite is then annealed in an O 2 atmosphere to convert it to Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 nanorod-nanotube arrays. The length of the Fe 2 O 3 inside the TiO 2 nanotubes can be tuned from 50 to 550 nm by changing the deposition time. The composite material is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible studies to confirm the formation of one-dimensional Fe 2 O 3 /TiO 2 nanorod-nanotube arrays. The present approach can be used for designing variable one-dimensional metal oxide heterostructures

The protective roles of TiO2 nanoparticles against UV-B toxicity in Daphnia magna.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jie; Wang, Wen-Xiong

2017-09-01

Aquatic environments are increasingly under environmental stress due to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and potential inputs of nanoparticles with intense application of nanotechnology. In this study, we investigated the interaction between UV-B radiation and titanium nanoparticles (TiO 2 -NPs) in a model freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna. UV-B toxicity to Daphnia magna was examined when the daphnids were exposed to a range of TiO 2 -NPs concentrations with an initial 5 or 10min of 200μW/cm 2 UV-B radiation. In addition, UV-B toxicity was also examined in the presence of TiO 2 -NPs in the body of daphnids. Our results demonstrated that the daphnid mortality under UV-B radiation decreased significantly in the presence of TiO 2 -NPs both in the water and in the body, indicating that TiO 2 -NPs had some protective effects on D. magna against UV-B. Such protective effect was mainly caused by the blockage of UV-B by TiO 2 -NPs adsorption. UV-B produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the water and in the daphnids, which was not sufficient to cause mortality of daphnids over short periods of radiation. Previous studies focused on the effects of TiO 2 -NPs on the toxicity of total UV radiation, and did not attempt to differentiate the potential diverse roles of UV-A and UV-B. Our study indicated that TiO 2 -NPs may conversely protect the UV-B toxicity to daphnids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solvothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals with {001} facets using titanic acid nanobelts for superior photocatalytic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Yuhui; Zong, Lanlan; Li, Qiuye; Li, Chen; Li, Junli; Yang, Jianjun

2017-01-01

Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals exposed with {001} facets were fabricated by solvothermal strategy in HF-C4H9OH mixed solution, using titanic acid nanobelts (TAN) as a precursor. The shape of TAN is a long flat plane with a high aspect ratio, and F- is easily adsorbed on the surface of the nanobelts, inducing a higher exposure of {001} facet of TiO2 nanoparticles during the structure reorganization. The exposed percentage of {001} facets could vary from 40 to 77% by adjusting the amount of HF. The as-prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope. The photocatalytic measurement showed that TiO2 nanocrystals with 77% {001} facets exhibited much superior photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of methyl orange, methylene blue, and rhodamine B. And what's more, the mineralization rate of methyl orange was as high as 96% within 60 min. The photocatalytic enhancement is due to a large amount of the high energetic {001} facets exposing, the special truncated octahedral morphology and a stronger ability for dyes adsorption.

Structural and vibrational investigations of Nb-doped TiO2 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uyanga, E.; Gibaud, A.; Daniel, P.; Sangaa, D.; Sevjidsuren, G.; Altantsog, P.; Beuvier, T.; Lee, Chih Hao; Balagurov, A.M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We studied the evolutions of structure for TiO 2 thin film as changes with Nb doping and temperatures. • Up to 800 °C, the grain size of Nb 0.1 Ti 0.9 O 2 is smaller than for pure TiO 2 because doped Nb hinders the growth of the TiO 2 grains. • There was no formation of the rutile phase at high temperature. • Nb doped TiO 2 films have high electron densities at 400–700 °C. • Nb dope extends the absorbance spectra of TiO 2 which leads to the band gap reduce. - Abstract: Acid-catalyzed sol–gel and spin-coating methods were used to prepare Nb-doped TiO 2 thin film. In this work, we studied the effect of niobium doping on the structure, surface, and absorption properties of TiO 2 by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectometry (XRR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy at various annealing temperatures. EDX spectra show that the Nb:Ti atomic ratios of the niobium-doped titania films are in good agreement with the nominal values (5 and 10%). XPS results suggest that charge compensation is achieved by the formation of Ti vacancies. Specific niobium phases are not observed, thus confirming that niobium is well incorporated into the titania crystal lattice. Thin films are amorphous at room temperature and the formation of anatase phase appeared at an annealing temperature close to 400 °C. The rutile phase was not observed even at 900 °C (XRD and Raman spectroscopy). Grain sizes and electron densities increased when the temperature was raised. Nb-doped films have higher electron densities and lower grain sizes due to niobium doping. Grain size inhibition can be explained by lattice stress induced by the incorporation of larger Nb 5+ ions into the lattice. The band gap energy of indirect transition of the TiO 2 thin films was calculated to be about 3.03 eV. After niobium doping, it decreased to 2.40 eV

Effect of TiO2 on the Gas Sensing Features of TiO2/PANi Nanocomposites

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Duong Ngoc Huyen

2011-02-01

Full Text Available A nanocomposite of titanium dioxide (TiO2 and polyaniline (PANi was synthesized by in-situ chemical polymerization using aniline (ANi monomer and TiCl4 as precursors. SEM pictures show that the nanocomposite was created in the form of long PANi chains decorated with TiO2 nanoparticles. FTIR, Raman and UV-Vis spectra reveal that the PANi component undergoes an electronic structure modification as a result of the TiO2 and PANi interaction. The electrical resistor of the nanocomposite is highly sensitive to oxygen and NH3 gas, accounting for the physical adsorption of these gases. A nanocomposite with around 55% TiO2 shows an oxygen sensitivity of 600–700%, 20–25 times higher than that of neat PANi. The n-p contacts between TiO2 nanoparticles and PANi matrix give rise to variety of shallow donors and acceptor levels in the PANi band gap which enhance the physical adsorption of gas molecules.

Photoelectrochemical energy conversion obtained with ultrathin organo-metallic-chemical-vapor-deposition layer of FeS2 (pyrite) on TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ennaoui, A.; Fiechter, S.; Tributsch, H.; Giersig, M.; Vogel, R.; Weller, H.

1992-01-01

Ultrathin (10 to 20 nm thick), polycrystalline films of FeS 2 (pyrite) were grown on TiO 2 (anatase) by chemical vapor deposition. The FeS 2 films were characterized using optical absorption and high-resolution electron microscopy. Photoelectrochemical solar cells, using TiO 2 (anatase) coated with FeS 2 ultrathin films, generated high open-circuit photo-voltages, of up to 600 mV, compared with a single crystal of pyrite electrode (200 mV). The photoelectrochemical behavior shows a strong dependence of photovoltage and photocurrent on the pH of the solution. This paper reports that it is explained by electron injection from the conduction band of FeS 2 to the conduction band of TiO 2 . Regeneration of holes is taking place by electron transfer from the redox system in the electrolyte

Properties of TiO2 prepared by acid treatment of BaTiO3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, Kiyoshi; Yanagisawa, Tomoki; Kameshima, Yoshikazu; Nakajima, Akira

2007-01-01

TiO 3 powders were prepared by acid treatment of BaTiO 3 and their properties were investigated. The BaTiO 3 powder was subjected to HNO 3 in concentrations ranging from 10 -3 to 8 M at 90 deg. C for 0.5-6 h. Dissolution of BaTiO 3 and precipitation of TiO 2 occurred at acid concentrations of 2-5 M. BaTiO 3 dissolves completely to form a clear solution at reaction times of 0.5-1 h, but a rutile precipitate is formed after 2 h of acid treatment. By contrast, anatase is precipitated by adjusting the pH of the clear solution to 2-3 using NaOH or NH 4 OH solution. The rutile crystals were small and rod-shaped, consisting of many small coherent domains connected by grain boundaries with small inclination angles and edge dislocations, giving them a high specific surface area (S BET ). With increasing HNO 3 concentration, the S BET value increased from 100 to 170 m 2 /g while the crystallite size decreased from 25 to 11 nm. The anatase crystals obtained here were very small equi-axial particles with a smaller crystallite size than the rutile and S BET values of about 270 m 2 /g (higher than the rutile samples). The photocatalytic activity of these TiO 2 was determined from the decomposition rate of Methylene Blue under ultraviolet irradiation. Higher decomposition rates were obtained with larger crystallite sizes resulting from heat treatment. The maximum decomposition rates were obtained in samples heated at 500-600 deg. C. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO 2 was found to depend more strongly on the sample crystallite size than on S BET

Highly uniform bipolar resistive switching characteristics in TiO2/BaTiO3/TiO2 multilayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, W. J.; Zhang, X. Y.; Wang, Ying; Zheng, Yue; Lin, S. P.; Luo, J. M.; Wang, B.; Li, Z. X.

2013-01-01

Nanoscale multilayer structure TiO 2 /BaTiO 3 /TiO 2 has been fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrate by chemical solution deposition method. Highly uniform bipolar resistive switching (BRS) characteristics have been observed in Pt/TiO 2 /BaTiO 3 /TiO 2 /Pt cells. Analysis of the current-voltage relationship demonstrates that the space-charge-limited current conduction controlled by the localized oxygen vacancies should be important to the resistive switching behavior. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that oxygen vacancies in TiO 2 play a crucial role in the resistive switching phenomenon and the introduced TiO 2 /BaTiO 3 interfaces result in the high uniformity of bipolar resistive switching characteristics

Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2 Microspheres Functionalized with Porphyrin

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Jin-Hua Cai

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In order to utilize visible light more efficiently in the photocatalytic reaction, TiO2 microspheres sensitized by 5-(4-allyloxyphenyl-10,15,20-tri(4-methylphenylporphyrin (APTMPP were prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, nitrogen physisorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and so forth, The characterization results indicated that APTMPP-MPS-TiO2 was composed of the anatase crystal phase. The morphology of the composite materials was spheriform with size of 0.3–0.7 μm and the porphyrin was chemisorbed on the surface of TiO2 through a Si–O–Ti bond. The photooxidation of α-terpinene was employed as the model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of APTMPP-MPS-TiO2 microspheres under visible light. The results indicated that the photodegradation of α-terpinene was significantly enhanced in the presence of the APTMPP-MPS-TiO2 compared with the nonmodified TiO2 under visible light.

Photocatalytic properties and selective antimicrobial activity of TiO2(Eu)/CuO nanocomposite

Science.gov (United States)

Michal, Robert; Dworniczek, Ewa; Caplovicova, Maria; Monfort, Olivier; Lianos, Panagiotis; Caplovic, Lubomir; Plesch, Gustav

2016-05-01

TiO2(Eu)/CuO nanocomposites were prepared by precipitation method. The anatase nanocrystallites with a size of 26 nm exhibited well crystallized and characteristical dipyramidal morphology and {1 0 1} and {0 0 1} faceting. Transmission electron microscopy photographs with atomic resolution showed that the Eu(III) dopants were bounded on surface of titania. In the composites, the CuO nanocrystals exhibiting a monoclinic tenorite structure with a size in the range from 2 to 5 nm were grafted to the surface of titania. The influence of copper(II) oxide led to distinct selectivity in the photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties of the investigated TiO2(Eu)/CuO nanocomposites. While the presence of CuO nanocrystals strongly increased the photocatalytic production of hydrogen by ethanol reforming, it decreased the activity in photoinduced total mineralization of phenol comparing with non-modified TiO2(Eu). In investigated TiO2(Eu)/CuO powders, the photoinduced antimicrobial activity against membranes of Enterococcus species was influenced by the selective binding of CuO to the surface of the microorganism leading to distinct selectivity in their action. The activity against Enterococcus faecalis was higher than against Enterococcus faecium.

Fabrication and optical properties of TiO sub 2 nanowire arrays made by sol-gel electrophoresis deposition into anodic alumina membranes

CERN Document Server

Lin, Y; Yuan, X Y; Xie, T; Zhang, L D

2003-01-01

Ordered TiO sub 2 nanowire arrays have been successfully fabricated into the nanochannels of a porous anodic alumina membrane by sol-gel electrophoretic deposition. After annealing at 500 deg. C, the TiO sub 2 nanowire arrays and the individual nanowires were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM and TEM images show that these nanowires are dense and continuous with a uniform diameter throughout their entire length. XRD and SAED analysis together indicate that these TiO sub 2 nanowires crystallize in the anatase polycrystalline structure. The optical absorption band edge of TiO sub 2 nanowire arrays exhibits a blue shift with respect of that of the bulk TiO sub 2 owing to the quantum size effect.

Structural and optical characterization of electrodeposited CdSe in mesoporous anatase TiO2 for regenerative quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sauvage, Frédéric; Davoisne, Carine; Philippe, Laetitia; Elias, Jamil

2012-01-01

We investigated CdSe-sensitized TiO 2 solar cells by means of electrodeposition under galvanostatic control. The electrodeposition of CdSe within the mesoporous film of TiO 2 gives rise to a uniform, thickness controlled, conformal layer of nanostructured CdSe particles intimately wrapping the anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles. This technique has the advantage of providing not only a fast method for sensitization ( 2 –CdSe core–shell structure followed by the growth of an assembly of CdSe nanoparticles resembling cauliflowers. This assembly exhibits at its core a mosaic texture with crystallites of about 3 nm in size, in contrast to a shell composed of well-crystallized single crystals between 5 and 10 nm in size. Preliminary results on the photovoltaic performance of such a nanostructured composite of TiO 2 and CdSe show 0.8% power conversion efficiency under A.M.1.5 G conditions—100 mW cm −2 in association with a new regenerative redox couple based on cobalt(+III/+II) polypyridil complex (V oc = 485 mV, J sc = 4.26 mA cm −2 , ff=0.37). (paper)

TiO2-ITO and TiO2-ZnO nanocomposites: application on water treatment

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Bessais B.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available One of the most promising ideas to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO2 is to couple this photocatalyst with other semiconductors. In this work, we report on the development of photo-catalytic properties of two types of composites based on TiO2 – ITO (Indium Tin Oxide and TiO2 – ZnO deposited on conventional ceramic substrates. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD and transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM. The photo-catalytic test was carried out under UV light in order to reduce/oxidize a typical textile dye (Cibacron Yellow. The experiment was carried out in a bench scale reactor using a solution having a known initial dye concentration. After optimization, we found that both nanocomposites exhibit better photocatalytic activity compared to the standard photocatalyst P25 TiO2.

Assessment of Environmental Performance of TiO2 Nanoparticles Coated Self-Cleaning Float Glass

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Martina Pini

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, superhydrophilic and photocatalytic self-cleaning nanocoatings have been widely used in the easy-to-clean surfaces field. In the building sector, self-cleaning glass was one of the first nanocoating applications. These products are based on the photocatalytic property of a thin layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2 nanoparticles deposited on the surface of any kind of common glass. When exposed to UV radiation, TiO2 nanoparticles react with the oxygen and water molecules adsorbed on their surface to produce radicals leading to oxidative species. These species are able to reduce or even eliminate airborne pollutants and organic substances deposited on the material’s surface. To date, TiO2 nanoparticles’ benefits have been substantiated; however, their ecological and human health risks are still under analysis. The present work studies the ecodesign of the industrial scale-up of TiO2 nanoparticles self-cleaning coated float glass production performed by the life cycle assessment (LCA methodology and applies new human toxicity indicators to the impact assessment stage. Production, particularly the TiO2 nanoparticle application, is the life cycle phase most contributing to the total damage. According to the ecodesign approach, the production choices carried out have exacerbated environmental burdens.

Facile synthesis and characterization of N-doped TiO2/C nanocomposites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Tiekun; Fu, Fang; Yu, Dongsheng; Cao, Jianliang; Sun, Guang

2018-02-01

Ultrafine anatase N-doped TiO2 nanocrystals modified with carbon (denoted as N-doped TiO2/C) were successfully prepared via a facile and low-cost approach, using titanium tetrachloride, aqueous ammonia and urea as starting materials. The phase composition, surface chemical composition, morphological structure, electronic and optical properties of the as-prepared photocatalysts were well characterized and analyzed. On the basis of Raman spectral characterization combining with the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), it could be concluded that N dopant ions were successfully introduced into TiO2 crystal lattice and carbon species were modified on the surface or between the nanoparticles to form N-doped TiO2/C nanocomposites. Compared with that of bare TiO2, the adsorption band edge of N-doped TiO2/C nanocomposites were found to have an evident red-shift toward visible light region, implying that the bandgap of N-doped TiO2/C nanocomposites is narrowed and the visible light absorption capacity is significantly enhanced due to N doping and carbon modification. The photoactivity of the as-prepared photocatalytsts was tested by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light (λ > 420 nm), and the results showed that the N-doped TiO2/C nanocomposites exhibited much higher photodegradation rate than pure TiO2 and N-doped TiO2, which was mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of the enhanced light harvesting, augmented catalytic active sites and efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.

TiO2 beads and TiO2-chitosan beads for urease immobilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ispirli Doğaç, Yasemin; Deveci, İlyas; Teke, Mustafa; Mercimek, Bedrettin

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study is to synthesize TiO 2 beads for urease immobilization. Two different strategies were used to immobilize the urease on TiO 2 beads. In the first method (A), urease enzyme was immobilized onto TiO 2 beads by adsorption and then crosslinking. In the second method (B), TiO 2 beads were coated with chitosan-urease mixture. To determine optimum conditions of immobilization, different parameters were investigated. The parameters of optimization were initial enzyme concentration (0.5; 1; 1.5; 2 mg/ml), alginate concentration (1; 2; 3%), glutaraldehyde concentration (1; 2; 3% v/v) and chitosan concentration (2; 3; 4 mg/ml). The optimum enzyme concentrations were determined as 1.5 mg/ml for A and 1.0 mg/ml for B. The other optimum conditions were found 2.0% (w/v) for alginate concentration (both A and B); 3.0 mg/ml for chitosan concentration (B) and 2.0% (v/v) for glutaraldehyde concentration (A). The optimum temperature (20-60 °C), optimum pH (3.0-10.0), kinetic parameters, thermal stability (4–70 °C), pH stability (4.0-9.0), operational stability (0-230 min) and reusability (20 times) were investigated for characterization. The optimum temperatures were 30 °C (A), 40 °C (B) and 35 °C (soluble). The temperature profiles of the immobilized ureases were spread over a large area. The optimum pH values for the soluble urease and immobilized urease prepared by using methods (A) and (B) were found to be 7.5, 7.0, 7.0, respectively. The thermal stabilities of immobilized enzyme sets were studied and they maintained 50% activity at 65 °C. However, at this temperature free urease protected only 15% activity. - Highlights: • TiO 2 and TiO 2 -chitosan beads for urease immobilization have been prepared and characterized. • The beads used in this work are good matrices for the immobilization of urease. • The immobilized urease was shown to have good properties and stabilities (pH and thermal stability, operational stability). • The 50

Photocatalytic activity of TiO2/Nb2O5/PANI and TiO2/Nb2O5/RGO as new nanocomposites for degradation of organic pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zarrin, Saviz; Heshmatpour, Felora

2018-06-05

In this study, highly active titanium dioxide modified by niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ), polymer (PANI) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) were successfully prepared. The morphology, structure, surface area and light absorption properties of the present nanocomposites for removal of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) were investigated and compared with those of TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 and TiO 2 nanoparticles. The characterization techniques such as XRD, FT-IR, UV-vis, SEM, EDX, BET and TEM were employed in order to identify the nanocomposites. Also, photocatalytic properties of TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 /PANI and TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 /RGO nanocomposites under visible light irradiation were studied. In this way, the obtained results were compared to each other and also compared to TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 and TiO 2 nanoparticles. In this context, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal follows the photodegradation in observed performance. The results indicate that reduced TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 nanocomposite is effectively modified by graphene oxide to give TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 /RGO composite. The TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 /RGO exhibits significantly higher photocatalytic activity in degradation of organic dyes under visible light rather than that of TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 /PANI, TiO 2 /Nb 2 O 5 and pure TiO 2 . Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synergistic effect of N- and F-codoping on the structure and photocatalytic performance of TiO2.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jiemei; Liu, Zongming; Zhang, Haitao; Huang, Taizhong; Han, Jitian; Zhang, Yihe; Chong, Daohuang

2015-02-01

Three types of TiO2 nanostructures were synthesized via a facile hydrolysis method at 195°C. Effects of the preparation method and doping with N and F on the crystal structure and photocatalytic performance of TiO2 were investigated. The nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller porosimetry, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and fluorescent emission spectra. Their photo-catalytic activity was examined by the photodegradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution under both ultra-violet and visible light irradiation. The results show that nitrogen and fluorine co-doped anatase TiO2 had the characteristics of a smaller crystalline size, broader light absorption spectrum and lower charge recombination than pure TiO2. Most importantly, more efficient photocatalytic activity under both ultra-violet and visible light was observed. The obtained N-F-TiO2 nanomaterial shows considerable potential for water treatment under sunlight irradiation. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A novel synthesis method for TiO2 particles with magnetic Fe3O4 cores.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Qi; Zhang, Keqiang; An, Yi

2014-01-01

TiO2@(AC/Fe3O4) (AC is activated carbon) was prepared by using AC and Fe3O4 as joint support. The morphological features, crystal structure, and magnetism of the final product were characterized. The results indicate that TiO2 particles formed on the surface of AC and Fe3O4; the sizes of TiO2 and Fe3O4 were 0.5 and 0.7 μm respectively, and that of AC fell within a wide range. The highly crystalline cubic structures of the TiO2 particles was in accord with the standard X-ray diffractometry spectrum of magnetite and anatase. The maximum saturation magnetization of TiO2@(AC/Fe3O4) was 75 emu g(-1), which was enough to support magnetic recovery. The rate of methylene blue (MB) removal photocatalyzed by TiO2@(AC/Fe3O4) was higher by 50% than that achieved with AC/Fe3O4 photocatalysis, and similar to that achieved with TiO2@AC. The removal rate (kobs) decreased drastically from 1.77 × 10(-2) to 9.36 × 10(-3)min(-1) when the initial concentration of MB solution increased from 2.0 to 5.0 mg L(-1). The kobs value increased from 9.41 × 10(-3) to 1.34 × 10(-2)min(-1) with increasing photocatalyst dosage from 0.2 to 1.0 g, then slightly decreased to 1.33 × 10(-2)min(-1) at 2.0 g dosage.

Different modes of TiO2 uptake by Ceriodaphnia dubia: relevance to toxicity and bioaccumulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalai, Swayamprava; Iswarya, V; Bhuvaneshwari, M; Pakrashi, Sunandan; Chandrasekaran, N; Mukherjee, Amitava

2014-07-01

The extensive environmental exposure of engineered metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) may result in their bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms leading to their biotransfer in a food chain through various routes in a freshwater ecosystem. The present study focuses on the possible modes of TiO2 NP trophic transfer to Ceriodaphnia dubia, in presence and/absence of its diet, Scenedesmus obliquus (primary producer). The acute exposure studies (48h) were designed to have daphnids exposed to (i) the free NPs, (ii) both the free and the algae-borne NPs; and (iii) only the algae-borne NPs in separate tests to understand the possible routes of NP transfer. The dietary uptake of TiO2 NPs (algae-borne) was found to be the primary route for NP biotransfer with ∼70% of total NP uptake. Interestingly, in a separate study it was noticed that the NPs coated with algal exudates were easily taken up by daphnids as compared to pristine NPs of same concentrations, leading to their higher bioaccumulation. A chronic toxicity study, where daphnids were exposed to both free and algae-borne NPs for 21 days was undertaken to comprehend the TiO2 NP effect on daphnia growth and reproduction upon chronic exposure and also the bioaccumulation potential. Both acute and chronic exposure studies suggested higher bioaccumulation of TiO2 in daphnids when the particles were less toxic to the diet (algae). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biocorrosion studies of TiO2 nanoparticle-coated Ti-6Al-4V implant in simulated biofluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaveri, Nikita; McEwen, Gerald D.; Karpagavalli, Ramji; Zhou Anhong

2010-01-01

The corrosion behaviors of the TiO 2 nanoparticles coated bioimplant Ti-6Al-4V exposed to three different simulated biofluids (SBF), namely, (1) NaCl solution, (2) Hank's solution, and (3) Cigada solution, were studied by using micro-Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The different electrochemical impedance spectroscopy models were applied to fit the data obtained from the implants before and after the coating of TiO 2 nanoparticles (50-100 nm). It was found that the TiO 2 nanoparticle coatings increased the thickness of the pre-existing oxide layer on the Ti-6Al-4V surface, serving to improve the bioimplant corrosion resistance.

Biocorrosion studies of TiO2 nanoparticle-coated Ti-6Al-4V implant in simulated biofluids

Science.gov (United States)

Zaveri, Nikita; McEwen, Gerald D.; Karpagavalli, Ramji; Zhou, Anhong

2010-06-01

The corrosion behaviors of the TiO2 nanoparticles coated bioimplant Ti-6Al-4V exposed to three different simulated biofluids (SBF), namely, (1) NaCl solution, (2) Hank's solution, and (3) Cigada solution, were studied by using micro-Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The different electrochemical impedance spectroscopy models were applied to fit the data obtained from the implants before and after the coating of TiO2 nanoparticles (50-100 nm). It was found that the TiO2 nanoparticle coatings increased the thickness of the pre-existing oxide layer on the Ti-6Al-4V surface, serving to improve the bioimplant corrosion resistance.

Glass forming in La2O3-TiO2-ZrO2 ternary system by containerless processing

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, Masashi; Kentei Yu, Yu; Kumar, Vijaya; Masuno, Atsunobu; Inoue, Hiroyuki; Odawara, Osamu; Yoda, Shinichi

The containerless processing is an appropriate method to create new glasses, because it sup-presses nucleation at the boundary between liquid and crucible during solidification and it enables molten samples to be solidified without crystallization. Recently, we have succeeded in forming BaTi2 O5 glass in the bulk state by using an aerodynamic levitation furnace. BaTi2 O5 glass includes no traditional glass network former and it possesses high electric permittivity [1, 2]. From the point of view of optical application, BaTi2 O5 glass has high refractive indices over 2.1. BaTi2 O5 glass, however, vitrify only in a small sphere, and it crystallize when its diameter exceed 1.5 mm. In order to synthesize new titanate oxide glasses which possess higher refractive indices and larger diameter than BaTi2 O5 , La and Zr can be used as substitutive components. When Ba is replaced with La, refractive indices are expected to increase because of the heavier element. The addition of a third element is thought to be effective for enhance-ment of glass formation ability and Zr can be a candidate because Ti and Zr are homologous. In this research, we have succeeded in forming new bulk glass in La2 O3 -TiO2 -ZrO2 ternary system by means of the aerodynamic levitation furnace. We investigated the glass forming region, thermal properties and optical properties of La2 O3 -TiO2 -ZrO2 glass. Glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature, density, refractive indices and transmittance spectra were varied depending on the chemical composition. Reference [1] J. Yu et al, "Fabrication of BaTi2O5 Glass-Ceramics with Unusual Dielectric Properties during Crystallization", Chem-istry of Materials, 18 (2006) 2169-2173. [2] J. Yu et al., "Comprehensive Structural Study of Glassy and Metastable Crystalline BaTi2O5", Chemistry of Materials, 21 (2009) 259-263.

The Effects of Anchor Groups on (1) TiO2-Catalyzed Photooxidation and (2) Linker-Assisted Assembly on TiO2

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Ian Mark

Quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) are a popular target for research due to their potential for highly efficient, easily tuned absorption. Typically, light is absorbed by quantum dots attached to a semiconductor substrate, such as TiO2, via bifunctional linker molecules. This research aims to create a patterned monolayer of linker molecules on a TiO2 film, which would in turn allow the attachment of a patterned layer of quantum dots. One method for the creation of a patterned monolayer is the functionalization of a TiO2 film with a linker molecule, followed by illumination with a laser at 355 nm. This initiates a TiO 2-catalyzed oxidation reaction, causing loss of surface coverage. A second linker molecule can then be adsorbed onto the TiO2 surface in the illuminated area. Towards that end, the behaviors of carboxylic and phosphonic acids adsorbed on TiO2 have been studied. TiO2 films were functionalized by immersion in solutions a single adsorbate and surface coverage was determined by IR spectroscopy. It is shown that phosphonic acids attain higher surface coverage than carboxylic acids, and will displace them from TiO2 when in a polar solvent. Alkyl chain lengths, which can influence stabilities of monolayers, are shown not to have an effect on this relationship. Equilibrium binding data for the adsorption of n-hexadecanoic acid to TiO2 from a THF solution are presented. It is shown that solvent polarity can affect monolayer stability; carboxylates and phosphonates undergo more desorption into polar solvents than nonpolar. Through illumination, it was possible to remove nearly all adsorbed linkers from TiO2. However, the illuminated areas were found not to be receptive to attachment by a second adsorbate. A possible reason for this behavior is presented. I also report on the synthesis and characterization of a straight-chain, thiol-terminated phosphonic acid. Initial experiments involving monolayer formation and quantum dot attachment are presented

Study on mechanism of photocatalytic performance of La-doped TiO2/Ti photoelectrodes by theoretical and experimental methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xin Yanjun; Liu Huiling

2011-01-01

TiO 2 photoelectrodes with various nanostructures have been successfully prepared by the anodization method. The morphology, microstructure and optical properties of as-prepared photoelectrodes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet/visible light diffuse reflectance spectra (UV/vis/DRS), surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and photocurrent. The electronic structure and optical properties of La doped/undoped TiO 2 photoelectrodes with different crystal structures were calculated by the density function theory. The photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic activities of as-prepared photoelectrodes were evaluated. The results showed that the anodization potentials played a crucial role in the surface morphology and microstructure. Both results of theoretical calculations and experimental tests demonstrated that La-doped photoelectrodes were more sensitive to light than undoped one. The difference of photoelectrodes performance was ascribed to the crystal configuration, impurity energy levels and long-range orientation moving of photogenerated carriers. - Graphical abstract: Photophysical chemistry processes in as-prepared TiO 2 photoelectrodes. Overall scheme of TiO 2 photoelectrodes: (A) movement of photoelectrons and holes without bias potentials; (B) movement of photoelectrons and holes at applied bias potentials; (a) and (b) were the transmission of photogenerated electrons and holes of local enlargement of (A) (black open circle): (a) photoelectrons movement in P-TiO 2 photoelectrodes and La-TiO 2 photoelectrodes, the red dot line denotes the top of valence band (VB) and the bottom of conduction band (CB) of pure photoelectrodes; (b) photoelectrons movement in P-160 and La-160 TiO 2 photoelectrodes (mixed crystal phase). The number refers to as follows: (1) transmission process of photoelectrons and holes; (2) recombination process of photoelectrons and holes. Arrows represent the moving direction of

Interaction of TiO2 nanoparticles with the marine microalga Nitzschia closterium: Growth inhibition, oxidative stress and internalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia, Bin; Chen, Bijuan; Sun, Xuemei; Qu, Keming; Ma, Feifei; Du, Meirong

2015-01-01

The toxicity of TiO 2 engineered nanoparticles (NPs) to the marine microalga Nitzschia closterium was investigated by examining growth inhibition, oxidative stress and uptake. The results indicated that the toxicity of TiO 2 particles to algal cells significantly increased with decreasing nominal particle size, which was evidenced by the 96 EC 50 values of 88.78, 118.80 and 179.05 mg/L for 21 nm, 60 nm and 400 nm TiO 2 particles, respectively. The growth rate was significantly inhibited when the alga was exposed to 5 mg/L TiO 2 NPs (21 nm). Measurements of antioxidant enzyme activities showed that superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities were first induced and subsequently inhibited following exposure to 5 mg/L TiO 2 NPs. The depletion of antioxidant enzymes with a concomitant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and reactive oxygen species (ROS) posed a hazard to membrane integrity. A combination of flow cytometry analysis, transmission electron microscopy and Ti content measurement indicated that TiO 2 NPs were internalized in N. closterium cells. The level of extracellular ROS, which was induced by TiO 2 NPs under visible light, was negligible when compared with the intracellular ROS level (accounting for less than 6.0% of the total ROS level). These findings suggest that elevated TiO 2 nanotoxicity in marine environments is related to increased ROS levels caused by internalization of TiO 2 NPs. - Highlights: • Inhibition of marine microalgae by TiO 2 NPs and bulk particles was evaluated. • Aggregation of TiO 2 NPs and bulk particles was observed in marine algal test medium. • TiO 2 NPs induced damage to algal cell membranes as detected by flow cytometry. • Increased TiO 2 nanotoxicity to algal cells was caused by internalization of NPs

Synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with beta-cyclodextrin as a supramolecular shell.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Landong; Sun, Xiaohong; Yang, Yali; Guan, Naijia; Zhang, Fuxiang

2006-11-20

We report a novel, green hydrothermal-synthesis route to well-dispersed anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with particle sizes of 9-16 nm in the presence of beta-CD (beta-cyclodextrin). During the synthesis process, the CD-containing synthesis mixture assembled in both longitudinal and latitudinal directions. Driven by the interaction between molecules, the beta-CDs assembled in the longitudinal direction to form long-chain compounds, whereas in the latitudinal direction, they tended to form regular aggregates through coordination with the Ti species from the hydrolysis of tetrabutyl titanate. In view of the effect of the coordination and the steric hindrance of beta-CDs as a supramolecular shell, homogeneous nuclei and slow growth of TiO2 crystals during the synthesis process was observed, which was responsible for the formation of uniform TiO2 nanoparticles. The low beta-CD dosage and the high product yield (>90%) demonstrated well the potential of this synthesis route in the large-scale industrial production of anatase nanoparticles.

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy study of Ca-modified rutile TiO2(110 in bulk water

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Giulia Serrano

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Despite the rising technological interest in the use of calcium-modified TiO2 surfaces in biomedical implants, the Ca/TiO2 interface has not been studied in an aqueous environment. This investigation is the first report on the use of in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM to study calcium-modified rutile TiO2(110 surfaces immersed in high purity water. The TiO2 surface was prepared under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV with repeated sputtering/annealing cycles. Low energy electron diffraction (LEED analysis shows a pattern typical for the surface segregation of calcium, which is present as an impurity on the TiO2 bulk. In situ STM images of the surface in bulk water exhibit one-dimensional rows of segregated calcium regularly aligned with the [001] crystal direction. The in situ-characterized morphology and structure of this Ca-modified TiO2 surface are discussed and compared with UHV-STM results from the literature. Prolonged immersion (two days in the liquid leads to degradation of the overlayer, resulting in a disordered surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, performed after immersion in water, confirms the presence of calcium.

A practical demonstration of water disinfection using TiO2 films and sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelover, Silvia; Gómez, Luis A; Reyes, Karina; Teresa Leal, Ma

2006-10-01

The scope of this study is the assessment of the efficiency of solar disinfection by heterogeneous photocatalysis with sol-gel immobilized (titanium dioxide) TiO2 films over glass cylinders. The solar disinfection process known as SODIS was considered as a reference. Spring water naturally polluted with coliform bacteria was exposed to sunlight in plastic bottles with and without TiO2 over simple solar collectors and the disinfection effectiveness was measured. Total and fecal coliforms quantification was performed by means of the chromogenic substrate method in order to obtain the efficiency of each disinfection treatment. The disinfection with TiO2 was more efficient than the SODIS process, inactivating total coliforms as well as fecal coliforms. On a sunny day (more than 1000 W m(-2) irradiance), it took the disinfection with immobilized TiO2 15 min of irradiation to inactivate the fecal coliforms to make them undetectable. For inactivation of total coliforms, 30 min was required, so that in less than half the time it takes SODIS, the treated water complies with the microbial standards for drinking water in Mexico. Another important part of this study has been to determine the bacterial regrowth in water after the disinfection processes were tested. After SODIS, bacterial regrowth of coliforms was observed. In contrast, when using the TiO2 catalyst, coliforms regrowth was not detected, neither for total nor for fecal coliforms. The disinfection process using TiO2 kept treated water free of coliforms at least for seven days after sun irradiation. This demonstration opens the possibility of application of this simple method in rural areas of developing countries.

Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of Ce-doped TiO2 and TiO2 nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arruda, L.B.; Pereira, E.A.; Paula, F.R.; Lisboa Filho, P.N.

2016-01-01

Full text: One-dimensional nanostructures have been intensively studied, from the point of view of their synthesis and mechanisms of formation, as well as their applications in photonics, solar energy conversion, environmental and photocatalysis, since their properties due high surface area, electrical conductivity and light dispersion effects. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be an effective multifunctional material especially when the particle size is less than 50 nm exhibit photoinduced activities that originate from the semiconductor band gap. TiO2 is semiconductor more used in photocatalysis, for this reason various properties have been thoroughly investigated in order to show that the photocatalytic activity and TiO2 reaction mechanism are influenced by structure, defects and impurities, surface morphology. and interfaces in addition to the concentration of dopants, such as rare-earth elements. Cerium ions, for example, vary between Ce4+ and Ce3 + oxidation state making the cerium oxide appear as CeO2 and Ce2O3 under oxidation and reduction conditions. These different electronic structures of Ce3+ (4f15d0) and Ce4+ (4f05d0) provide different catalytic and optical properties at the TiO2. In this work, samples of Ce-doped TiO2 and TiO2 were synthesized by alkali route, and its photocatalytic activity analyzed in order to create a relationship between the response obtained and the structure and morphology of each sample. Alkali route consists in submitting TiO2 (anatase) powder directly in medium of the NaOH (10M) and maintained at 120°C/20 hours by a glycerin bath with subsequent washed with water and HCl (0.1M) until reaching the desired pH. The synthesized samples were then studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B (Rh.B) it was performed under UV irradiation and visible light in air. For the obtained

Synthesis and photocatalytic activity of Ce-doped TiO2 and TiO2 nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arruda, L.B.; Pereira, E.A.; Paula, F.R.; Lisboa Filho, P.N. [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), SP (Brazil)

2016-07-01

Full text: One-dimensional nanostructures have been intensively studied, from the point of view of their synthesis and mechanisms of formation, as well as their applications in photonics, solar energy conversion, environmental and photocatalysis, since their properties due high surface area, electrical conductivity and light dispersion effects. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be an effective multifunctional material especially when the particle size is less than 50 nm exhibit photoinduced activities that originate from the semiconductor band gap. TiO2 is semiconductor more used in photocatalysis, for this reason various properties have been thoroughly investigated in order to show that the photocatalytic activity and TiO2 reaction mechanism are influenced by structure, defects and impurities, surface morphology. and interfaces in addition to the concentration of dopants, such as rare-earth elements. Cerium ions, for example, vary between Ce4+ and Ce3 + oxidation state making the cerium oxide appear as CeO2 and Ce2O3 under oxidation and reduction conditions. These different electronic structures of Ce3+ (4f15d0) and Ce4+ (4f05d0) provide different catalytic and optical properties at the TiO2. In this work, samples of Ce-doped TiO2 and TiO2 were synthesized by alkali route, and its photocatalytic activity analyzed in order to create a relationship between the response obtained and the structure and morphology of each sample. Alkali route consists in submitting TiO2 (anatase) powder directly in medium of the NaOH (10M) and maintained at 120°C/20 hours by a glycerin bath with subsequent washed with water and HCl (0.1M) until reaching the desired pH. The synthesized samples were then studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic decomposition of rhodamine B (Rh.B) it was performed under UV irradiation and visible light in air. For the obtained

Textural, structural and electrical properties of TiO2 nanoparticles using Brij 35 and P123 as surfactants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dora Solís et al

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of the use of the triblock copolymer Pluronic P123[(PEO20(PPO70(PEO20, Aldrich] and the non-ionic polyoxyethylene-lauryl ether Brij 35 as surfactants on the textural, structural and electrical properties of nanosized TiO2 is analyzed in this work. The as-obtained samples were thermally treated at 400 °C to eliminate the surfactant, promote dehydroxylation and crystallize the sample. The TiO2 samples were characterized by thermal analysis, N2 physisorption, x-ray diffraction analysis, micro-Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To evaluate the TiO2 electrical features, I–V data were obtained. The x-ray diffraction results show that in the chemical synthesis using surfactants, the crystallite size is smaller than that of the commercial sample. The Raman spectroscopy results clearly indicate that, when P123 is used, the anatase phase of TiO2 is obtained, whereas when Brij 35 is used a mixture of the anatase and brookite phases is obtained. The specific surface area and crystallite size of the TiO2 prepared as indicated above are higher and smaller, respectively, than the corresponding properties found in commercial TiO2. The I–V plot showed a nonlinear behavior of the nanosized TiO2. The samples obtained with P123 showed the best electrical conductivity.

Thermodynamic investigation of the phase equilibrium boundary between TiO2 rutile and its α-PbO2-type high-pressure polymorph

Science.gov (United States)

Kojitani, Hiroshi; Yamazaki, Monami; Kojima, Meiko; Inaguma, Yoshiyuki; Mori, Daisuke; Akaogi, Masaki

2018-06-01

Heat capacity (C P) of rutile and α-PbO2 type TiO2 (TiO2-II) were measured by the differential scanning calorimetry and thermal relaxation method. Using the results, standard entropies at 1 atm and 298.15 K of rutile and TiO2-II were determined to be 50.04(4) and 46.54(2) J/mol K, respectively. Furthermore, thermal expansivity (α) determined by high-temperature X-ray diffraction measurement and mode Grüneisen parameters obtained by high-pressure Raman spectroscopy suggested the thermal Grüneisen parameter (γ th) for TiO2-II of 1.7(1). By applying the obtained low-temperature C P and γ th, the measured C P and α data of TiO2-II were extrapolated to higher temperature region using a lattice vibrational model calculation, as well as rutile. Internally consistent thermodynamic data sets of both rutile and TiO2-II assessed in this study were used to thermodynamically calculate the rutile‒TiO2-II phase equilibrium boundary. The most plausible boundary was obtained to be P (GPa) = 0.0074T (K) - 1.7. Our boundary suggests that the crystal growth of TiO2-II observed below 5.5 GPa and 900 K in previous studies advanced in its stability field. The phase boundary calculation also suggested small, exothermic phase transition enthalpy from rutile to TiO2-II at 1 atm and 298.15 K of - 0.5 to - 1.1 kJ/mol. This implies that the thermodynamic stability of rutile at 1 atm above room temperature is due to larger contribution of entropy term.

Nano titanium dioxide photocatalytic protein tyrosine nitration: A potential hazard of TiO2 on skin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Naihao; Zhu Zhening; Zhao Xuqi; Tao Ran; Yang Xiangliang; Gao Zhonghong

2008-01-01

Protein tyrosine nitration is a prevalent post-translational modification which occurs as a result of oxidative and nitrative stress, it may be directly involved in the onset and/or progression of diseases. Considering the existence of nano titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) in environment and sunscreen products along with the high content of nitrite in sweat, the UV-exposed skin may be a significant target for the photosensitized damage. In this paper, tyrosine nitration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was initiated in the UV-irradiated reaction mixture containing 0.2-3.0 mg/ml of three commercially nano TiO 2 products and 0.25-1.0 mM NO 2 - . It was found that anatase TiO 2 and Degussa P25 TiO 2 showed prominent photocatalytic activity on promoting the formation of protein tyrosine nitration, and the optimum condition for the reaction was around physiological pH. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic effect of rutile on protein tyrosine nitration was subtle. The potential physiological significance of nano TiO 2 -photocatalytic protein nitration was also demonstrated in mouse skin homogenate. Although the relationship between photocatalytic protein tyrosine nitration and chronic cutaneous diseases needs further study, the toxicity of nano TiO 2 to the skin disease should be paid more attention in the production and utilization process

Oxidative desulfurization of thiophene on TiO2/ZSM-12 zeolite

OpenAIRE

Santos,Marília Ramalho Figueiredo dos; Pedrosa,Anne Michelle Garrido; Souza,Marcelo José Barros de

2016-01-01

In this work the hydrothermal synthesis of ZSM-12 zeolite was performed, varying the MTEACl/SiO2 ratio, where the synthesis temperature was 140 ºC and the crystallization time was 144 hours. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FTIR and TG. TiO2/ZSM-12 catalysts were used with titanium ions concentrations of 5, 10 and 15%. The oxidative desulfurization (ODS) reactions were performed using a model mixture containing n-heptane as solvent and thiophene as sulfur compound, H2O2 as an oxidizin...

Optical, Electrical, and Crystal Properties of TiO2 Thin Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition on Silicon and Glass Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Kupa, I.; Unal, Y.; Cetin, S. S.; Durna, L.; Topalli, K.; Okyay, A. K.; Ates, H.

2018-05-01

TiO2 thin films have been deposited on glass and Si(100) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique using tetrakis(diethylamido)titanium(IV) and water vapor as reactants. Thorough investigation of the properties of the TiO2/glass and TiO2/Si thin films was carried out, varying the deposition temperature in the range from 100°C to 250°C while keeping the number of reaction cycles fixed at 1000. Physical and material property analyses were performed to investigate optical and electrical properties, composition, structure, and morphology. TiO2 films grown by ALD may represent promising materials for future applications in optoelectronic devices.