Atomic Level In Situ Observation of Surface Amorphization in Anatase Nanocrystals During Light Irradiation in Water Vapor

An in situ atomic level investigation of the surface structure of anatase nanocrystals has been conducted under conditions relevant to gas phase photocatalytic splitting of water. The experiments were carried out in a modified environmental transmission electron microscope fitted with a high intensi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2013-02, Vol.13 (2), p.679-684
Main Authors: Zhang, Liuxian, Miller, Benjamin K, Crozier, Peter A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatase
Broadband
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Exact sciences and technology
Illumination
Materials science
Nanocrystalline materials
Nanocrystals
Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization
Nanostructure
Photocatalysis
Physics
Radiation effects on specific materials
Splitting
Structure of solids and liquids
crystallography
Titanium dioxide
Water vapor
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An in situ atomic level investigation of the surface structure of anatase nanocrystals has been conducted under conditions relevant to gas phase photocatalytic splitting of water. The experiments were carried out in a modified environmental transmission electron microscope fitted with a high intensity broadband light source with an illumination intensity of 1430 mW/cm2 close to 10 suns. When the titania is exposed to light and water vapor, the initially crystalline surface converts to an amorphous phase one to two monolayers thick. Spectroscopic analyses show that the amorphous layer contains titanium in a +3 oxidation state. The amorphous layer is stable and does not increase in thickness with time and is heavily hydroxylated. This disorder layer will be present on the anatase surface under reaction conditions relevant to photocatalytic splitting of water.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl304333h