title: Effect of nature and location of defects on bandgap narrowing in black TiO2 nanoparticles.
abstract: The increasing need for new materials capable of solar fuel generation is central in the development of a green energy economy. In this contribution, we demonstrate that black TiO(2) nanoparticles obtained through a one-step reduction/crystallization process exhibit a bandgap of only 1.85 eV, which matches well with visible light absorption. The electronic structure of black TiO(2) nanoparticles is determined by the unique crystalline and defective core/disordered shell morphology. We introduce new insights that will be useful for the design of nanostructured photocatalysts for energy applications.
authors.affiliation: CNR-Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari, Via C. Golgi 19, Milano 20133, Italy. a.naldoni@istm.cnr.it
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naldoni
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Allieta
authors.forename: Saveria
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santangelo
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marelli
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cappelli
authors.forename: Claudia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Psaro
authors.forename: Vladimiro
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dal Santo