title: Properties of disorder-engineered black titanium dioxide nanoparticles through hydrogenation.
abstract: The recent discovery of "black" TiO2 nanoparticles with visible and infrared absorption has triggered an explosion of interest in the application of TiO2 in a diverse set of solar energy systems; however, what a black TiO2 nanoparticle really is remains a mystery. Here we elucidate more properties and try to understand the inner workings of black TiO2 nanoparticles with hydrogenated disorders in a surface layer surrounding a crystalline core. Contrary to traditional findings, Ti(3+) here is not responsible for the visible and infrared absorption of black TiO2, while there is evidence of mid-gap states above the valence band maximum due to the hydrogenated, engineered disorders. The hydrogen atoms, on the other hand, can undergo fast diffusion and exchange. The enhanced hydrogen mobility may be explained by the presence of the hydrogenated, disordered surface layer. This unique structure thus may give TiO2, one of the most-studied oxide materials, a renewed potential.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri - Kansas City, Department of Chemistry, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA. chenxiaobo@umkc.edu
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: Wei-Cheng
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Oyler
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Grass
authors.forename: Baohua
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Per-Anders
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Glans
authors.forename: Peter Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jinghua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Samuel S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D006865:Hydrogenation; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013499:Surface Properties; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*; D056928:X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy
chemical_list: C009495:titanium dioxide; D006859:Hydrogen; D014025:Titanium