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Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎
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Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2022) | Viewed by 24899

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Regina Ciancio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CNR-IOM, 34149 Trieste, Italy
Interests: complex oxides; transmission electron microscopy; nanostructural and electronic characterization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The last few years have witnessed a great rate of technological advancement in the synthesis of anatase. Regardless of the specific fabrication technique, all anatase samples—for example, thin films, crystals, and powders—have in common that their functional properties strongly depend on chemical and phase composition, crystalline structure, presence of defects, interface properties, and surface-related properties.

The capability to control and tune the structural properties of anatase has given an enormous boost toward the understanding on fundamental properties of anatase but also to engineer heterostructures with desired properties.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research articles as well as review articles featuring the latest achievements and developments in fabrication and processing of anatase as well as in the characterization of their structural, electronic and functional properties. Subject areas include (but are not limited to) anatase thin films fabrication and processing, theory and simulation, anatase nanostructure and properties, device applications.

Dr. Regina Ciancio
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • metal oxides
  • anatase
  • thin films
  • defects
  • oxygen vacancies
  • anatase devices
  • interdiffusion
  • nanostructure
  • heterogeneous catalysis

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4725 KiB  
Article
Study of Oxygen Vacancies in TiO2 Nanostructures and Their Relationship with Photocatalytic Activity
by Alba Arenas-Hernandez, Carlos Zuñiga Islas, Mario Moreno, Wilfrido Calleja Arriaga, Julio César Mendoza-Cervantes, Netzahualcoyotl Carlos, Carlos Roberto Ascencio-Hurtado and Aurelio Heredia Jiménez
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3690; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073690 - 6 Apr 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3360
Abstract
In this research work, we present the synthesis and characterization of four different TiO2 structures, such as nanotubes, nanocavities, nanosheets assembled on nanocavities and nanobowls assembled on nanocavities, prepared by electrochemical anodization using organic electrolytes. After synthesis, the structures were thermally annealed [...] Read more.
In this research work, we present the synthesis and characterization of four different TiO2 structures, such as nanotubes, nanocavities, nanosheets assembled on nanocavities and nanobowls assembled on nanocavities, prepared by electrochemical anodization using organic electrolytes. After synthesis, the structures were thermally annealed to pass from the amorphous phase to the anatase phase, which is one of the most important crystalline structures of TiO2 due to its high photocatalytic activity and stability. The unique morphology and topography were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The elemental composition was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The anatase phase was verified by Raman microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the band gap energy was calculated by the Kubelka–Munk function, and the main defect states that generate the emission, as well as their lifetime, were determined by photoluminescence spectroscopy and time response photoluminescence (TRPL), respectively. The TiO2 nanomaterials were tested as catalysts in the photodegradation of a solution of methylene blue using a UV lamp at room temperature. The results showed complex morphologies and different surface roughness areas of these nanomaterials. Furthermore, a relationship between defect states, band gap energy, and photocatalytic activity was established. We found that the catalytic activity was improved as an effect of geometric parameters and oxygen vacancies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎)
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18 pages, 9430 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Anatase TiO2 Nanorods: Insights from Nanorods’ Formation and Self-Assembly
by Seyed Naveed Hosseini, Xiaodan Chen, Patrick J. Baesjou, Arnout Imhof and Alfons van Blaaderen
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1614; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031614 - 3 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3813
Abstract
Highly crystalline, organic-solvent-dispersible titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorods (NRs) present promising chemicophysical properties in many diverse applications. In this paper, based on a modified procedure from literature, TiO2 NRs were synthesized via a ligand-assisted nonhydrolytic sol-gel route using oleic acid as [...] Read more.
Highly crystalline, organic-solvent-dispersible titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorods (NRs) present promising chemicophysical properties in many diverse applications. In this paper, based on a modified procedure from literature, TiO2 NRs were synthesized via a ligand-assisted nonhydrolytic sol-gel route using oleic acid as the solvent, reagent, and ligand and titanium (IV) isopropoxide as the titanium precursor. This procedure produced monodisperse TiO2 NRs, as well as some semi-spherical titania nanocrystals (NCs) that could be removed by size-selective precipitation. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction results showed that the nanorods were anatase, while the semipheres also contained the TiO2(B) phase. By taking samples during the particle growth, it was found that the average length of the initially grown NRs decreased during the synthesis. Possible reasons for this unusual growth path, partially based on high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observations during the growth, were discussed. The dispersion of anatase TiO2 nanorods was capable of spontaneous formation of lyotropic liquid crystals on the TEM grid and in bulk. Considering high colloidal stability together with the large optical birefringence displayed by these high refractive index liquid crystalline domains, we believe these TiO2 NRs dispersions are promising candidates for application in transparent and switchable optics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎)
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9 pages, 2276 KiB  
Article
HAADF STEM and Ab Initio Calculations Investigation of Anatase TiO2/LaAlO3 Heterointerface
by Mahabul Islam, Piu Rajak, Daniel Knez, Sandeep Kumar Chaluvadi, Pasquale Orgiani, Giorgio Rossi, Goran Dražić and Regina Ciancio
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1489; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031489 - 29 Jan 2022
Viewed by 3949
Abstract
The understanding of the origin of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the surface of anatase TiO2 remains a challenging issue. In particular, in TiO2 ultra-thin films, it is extremely difficult to distinguish intrinsic effects, due to the physics of the [...] Read more.
The understanding of the origin of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the surface of anatase TiO2 remains a challenging issue. In particular, in TiO2 ultra-thin films, it is extremely difficult to distinguish intrinsic effects, due to the physics of the TiO2, from extrinsic effects, such as those arising from structural defects, dislocations, and the presence of competing phases at the film/substrate interface. It is, therefore, mandatory to unambiguously ascertain the structure of the TiO2/substrate interface. In this work, by combining high angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), density functional theory calculations, and multislice image simulations, we have investigated the nature of strainless anatase TiO2 thin films grown on LaAlO3 substrate. In particular, the presence of oxygen vacancies in anatase TiO2 has been proved to stabilize the formation of an extra alloy layer, Ti2AlO4, by means of interface rearrangement. Our results, therefore, elucidate why the growth of anatase TiO2 directly on LaAlO3 substrate has required the deposition of a TiOx extra-layer to have a 2DEG established, thus confirming the absence of a critical thickness for the TiO2 to stabilize a 2DEG at its surface. These findings provide fundamental insights on the underlying formation mechanism of the 2DEG in TiO2/LAO hetero-interfaces to engineer the 2DEG formation in anatase TiO2 for tailored applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎)
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16 pages, 2986 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Phenol Degradation by Silica-Modified Titanium Dioxide
by Diana Rakhmawaty Eddy, Soraya Nur Ishmah, Muhamad Diki Permana, M. Lutfi Firdaus, Iman Rahayu, Yaser A. El-Badry, Enas E. Hussein and Zeinhom M. El-Bahy
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 9033; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11199033 - 28 Sep 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3333
Abstract
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely applied as a photocatalyst for wastewater treatment due to its high photocatalytic activity and it can remove various harmful organic pollutants effectively. Under heated system, however, TiO2 is prone to agglomeration that decrease its [...] Read more.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely applied as a photocatalyst for wastewater treatment due to its high photocatalytic activity and it can remove various harmful organic pollutants effectively. Under heated system, however, TiO2 is prone to agglomeration that decrease its abilities as a photocatalyst. In order to overcome the agglomeration and increase its thermal resistance, addition of silica (SiO2) as supporting material is proposed in this research. Silica or silicon dioxide can be extracted from natural resources such as beach sand. Here, we report the application of a composite photocatalyst of TiO2/SiO2 to remove phenolic compounds in wastewater. The photocatalyst was synthesized by adding SiO2 from beach sand onto TiO2 through impregnation methods. The results of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that TiO2 was present in the anatase phase. The highest crystallinity was obtained by TiO2/SiO2 ratios of 7:1. SEM results showed that the shape of the particles was spherical. Further characterizations were conducted using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and a particle size analyzer (PSA). By using the optimized condition, 96.05% phenol was degraded by the synthesized photocatalyst of TiO2/SiO2, under UV irradiation for 120 min. The efficiency of the TiO2/SiO2 is 3.5 times better than commercial TiO2 P25 for the Langmuir–Hinshelwood first-order kinetic model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎)
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15 pages, 4988 KiB  
Article
Effect of Urea Addition on Anatase Phase Enrichment and Nitrogen Doping of TiO2 for Photocatalytic Abatement of Methylene Blue
by Maira Asif, Muhammad Zafar, Parveen Akhter, Murid Hussain, Adeel Umer, Abdul Razzaq and Woo-Young Kim
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(17), 8264; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11178264 - 6 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3748
Abstract
TiO2-based materials are commonly employed as photocatalysts for industrial wastewater treatment. The primary reasons of employing TiO2 include cost effectiveness, ready availability, eco-friendliness, non-toxic behavior, and exceptional resistance towards photo-corrosion. However, the wider band gap of pure TiO2 restricts [...] Read more.
TiO2-based materials are commonly employed as photocatalysts for industrial wastewater treatment. The primary reasons of employing TiO2 include cost effectiveness, ready availability, eco-friendliness, non-toxic behavior, and exceptional resistance towards photo-corrosion. However, the wider band gap of pure TiO2 restricts its performance because of its optical absorption of solar light to the ultraviolet (UV) region only, and to some extent of photo-excited charge recombination. In the present work an attempt is made to develop a facile synthesis approach by using urea, a cheap chemical precursor, to form nitrogen doped TiO2 with the key objective of extended light absorption and thus enhanced photocatalytic performance. It was also observed that the urea-induced anatase phase enrichment of TiO2 is another key factor in promoting the photocatalytic performance. The photocatalysts prepared by varying the amount of urea as a nitrogen dopant precursor, are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) to evaluate their crystallinity, morphology, functional groups, and charge separation properties, respectively. Moreover, the surface area was also estimated by physicochemical adsorption. The maximum nitrogen-doped sample yielded >99% photodegradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) dye-simulated wastewater as compared to a pure TiO2 sample which exhibited 6.46% efficiency. The results show that the simultaneous factors of nitrogen doping and anatase phase enhancement contributes significantly towards the improvement of photocatalytic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎)
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Review

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32 pages, 3582 KiB  
Review
Titanium Dioxide-Based Photocatalysts for Degradation of Emerging Contaminants including Pharmaceutical Pollutants
by Rafal Krakowiak, Joanna Musial, Paweł Bakun, Marcin Spychała, Beata Czarczynska-Goslinska, Dariusz T. Mlynarczyk, Tomasz Koczorowski, Lukasz Sobotta, Beata Stanisz and Tomasz Goslinski
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8674; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188674 - 17 Sep 2021
Cited by 50 | Viewed by 5394
Abstract
Contamination of the environment has been a growing problem in recent years. Due to the rapid growth in human population, the expansion of cities, along with the development of industry, more and more dangerous chemicals end up in the environment, especially in soil [...] Read more.
Contamination of the environment has been a growing problem in recent years. Due to the rapid growth in human population, the expansion of cities, along with the development of industry, more and more dangerous chemicals end up in the environment, especially in soil and water. For the most part, it is not possible to effectively remove chemicals through traditional remediation techniques, because those used in treatment plants are not specifically designed for this purpose. Therefore, new approaches for water remediation are in great demand. Many efforts have been focused on applications of photocatalysis for the remediation of chemical pollutants including drugs. Titanium(IV) oxide nanoparticles have particularly been considered as potential photocatalysts due to their favorable properties. In this article, we present the problem of emerging contaminants including drugs and discuss the use of photocatalysts based on titanium(IV) oxide nanoparticles for their degradation. A wide selection of materials, starting from bare TiO2, via its hybrid and composite materials, are discussed including those based on carbonaceous materials or connections with macrocyclic structures. Examples of photodegradation experiments on TiO2-based materials including those performed with various active pharmaceutical ingredients are also included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anatase Chemistry, Nanostructures and Functionalities‎)
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