A structural investigation of titanium dioxide photocatalysts

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-4596(91)90255-G· OSTI ID:7202618

Bickley, R I ^[1]; Gonzalez-Carreno, T ^[2]; Lees, J S; Tilley, R J.D. ^[3]; Palmisano, L ^[4]

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1. Univ. of Bradford (United Kingdom)
2. Inst. de Fisica-Quimica Mineral, Madrid (Spain)
3. Univ. College of Wales, Cardiff (United Kingdom)
4. Univ. di Palermo (Italy)

A study of the structure and the morphology of a titanium dioxide photocatalyst (Degussa P25) reveals multiphasic material consisting of an amorphous state, together with the crystalline phases anatase and rutile in the approximate proportions 80/20. Transmission electron microscopy provides evidence that some individual particles are a mixture of the amorphous state with either the anatase phase or with the rutile phase, and that some particles, which are mostly anatase, are covered by a thin overlayer of rutile which manifests its presence by the appearance of Moire fringes. The photocatalytic activity of this form of titanium dioxide is reported as being greater than the activities of either of the pure crystalline phases, and an interpretation of this observation has been given in terms of the enhancement in the magnitude of the space-charge potential, which is created by contact between the different phases present and by the presence of localized electronic states from the amorphous phase.

• OSTI ID: 7202618
• Journal Information: Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (United States) Vol. 92:1; ISSN 0022-4596; ISSN JSSCB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
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Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion-- (1980-)
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360202* -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Structure & Phase Studies
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201 -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
CATALYSTS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DATA
DEPLETION LAYER
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
LAYERS
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
MICROSTRUCTURE
MINERALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE STUDIES
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE MINERALS
REFLECTION
RUTILE
SCATTERING
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TITANIUM OXIDES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION