| 1. |
- Tan, Shijing, et al.
(author)
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Visualizing Elementary Reactions of Methanol by Electrons and Holes on TiO2(110) Surface
- 2018
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In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 122:50, s. 28805-28814
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Direct visualization and comparison of the elementary reactions induced by electrons and holes are of importance for finding a way to conduct chemical reactions and reaction sequences in a controllable manner. As a semiconductor, TiO2 provides a playground to perform the measurements, and moreover, the information can be useful for design of high-performance TiO2-based catalysts and photocatalysts. Here, we present our investigation on the elementary reactions of CH3OH on TiO2 surface through visualization of specific elementary steps by highly controllable electron and hole injection using scanning tunneling microscopy. The distinct sequential routes and their kinetics, namely, breaking C-O and O-H bonds by electrons and breaking O-H and C-H bonds by holes, respectively, have been experimentally identified and well elucidated by density functional theory calculations. Our nonlocal h-injection experimental and theoretical results suggest that the delocalized holes in the TiO2 substrate should be responsible for the temperature-dependent h-route reactions. The locally triggered e-route reaction is associated with the fact that the location of the unoccupied hybridization states is much higher than that of the conduction band onset. Our findings resolve the long-standing debate about the intermediate species and reaction mechanism in photocatalytic oxidation of CH3OH. Our proposed protocol offers a powerful means to study elementary reactions induced by electrons and holes on a semiconductor surface in general.
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| 2. |
- Wang, Yang, et al.
(author)
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Role of point defects on the reactivity of reconstructed anatase titanium dioxide (001) surface
- 2013
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 4, s. 2214-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The chemical reactivity of different surfaces of titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been the subject of extensive studies in recent decades. The anatase TiO2(001) and its (1 x 4) reconstructed surfaces were theoretically considered to be the most reactive and have been heavily pursued by synthetic chemists. However, the lack of direct experimental verification or determination of the active sites on these surfaces has caused controversy and debate. Here we report a systematic study on an anatase TiO2(001)-(1 x 4) surface by means of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques in combination with first-principles calculations. Two types of intrinsic point defects are identified, among which only the Ti3+ defect site on the reduced surface demonstrates considerable chemical activity. The perfect surface itself can be fully oxidized, but shows no obvious activity. Our findings suggest that the reactivity of the anatase TiO2(001) surface should depend on its reduction status, similar to that of rutile TiO2 surfaces.
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