Issue 18, 2016

The nature and effects of rhodium and antimony dopants on the electronic structure of TiO2: towards design of Z-scheme photocatalysts

Abstract

The nature and effects of rhodium and antimony doping in TiO2 have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) analysis, X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) analysis and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Together these techniques build up a comprehensive picture of the dopant chemistry in this system. A range of Sb/Rh ratios have been analysed, and it is shown that the Fermi level can be tuned within the band gap through control of dopant stoichiometry, offering the possibility of designing Z-scheme components with specific band offsets. Spontaneous spatial segregation of dopants is measured using TiO2 (110) single crystals. This is shown to have a direct impact on the electronic structure in the region of the semiconductor surface, creating band bending that is expected to be critical for photocatalytic activity of these materials.

Graphical abstract: The nature and effects of rhodium and antimony dopants on the electronic structure of TiO2: towards design of Z-scheme photocatalysts

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Jan 2016
Accepted
01 Feb 2016
First published
01 Feb 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016,4, 6946-6954

Author version available

The nature and effects of rhodium and antimony dopants on the electronic structure of TiO2: towards design of Z-scheme photocatalysts

E. N. K. Glover, S. G. Ellington, G. Sankar and R. G. Palgrave, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 6946 DOI: 10.1039/C6TA00293E

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