title: "Crystallographic" holes: new insights for a beneficial structural feature for photocatalytic applications.
abstract: One of the most fundamental aspects of the heterogeneous catalysis field is the manipulation of the catalysts' activity. In photocatalysis this is carried out by maximizing the right crystal plane of a semiconductor oxide. Until now, most of the papers have achieved this by a combination of different oxides, with noble metals and sometimes with carbon nanomaterials. In this work MWCNTs (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) were applied as "crystallization promoters" in a very simple, safe, one-step hydrothermal method. By this method TiO₂ nano/micro crystals with exposed {001} facets were obtained in the first step. The next episode in the crystal manipulation "saga" was the modification of the (001) crystallographic plane's structure by creating ordered/own faceted "crystallographic holes". These elements are capable of further enhancing the obtained activity of titania microcrystals to a higher extent, as shown by the UV driven photocatalytic phenol degradation experiments. The appearance of the holes was "provoked" by simple calcination and their presence and influence were demonstrated by XPS and HRTEM.
authors.affiliation: Research Group of Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Tisza Lajos krt. 103, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary. k.hernadi@chem.u-szeged.hu pzsolt@chem.u-szeged.hu.
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vajda
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kása
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dombi
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Németh
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Danciu
authors.forename: Teodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Radu
authors.forename: Corneliu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ghica
authors.forename: Lucian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baia
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hernádi
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pap