Effect of Nature and Location of Defects on Bandgap Narrowing in Black TiO 2 Nanoparticles

作者：Alberto Naldoni, Mattia Allieta, S. Santangelo, Marcello Marelli, Filippo Fabbri, Serena Cappelli, Claudia L. Bianchi‬, Rinaldo Psaro, Vladimiro Dal Santo · 发表于：Journal of the American Chemical Society · 年份：2012 · DOI：10.1021/ja3012676 · 被引用次数：1668 · 研究领域：Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques、TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells、Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties

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.