Introduction of tensile strain into titanium dioxide for increased solid acid catalytic activity

Abstract

Strained metal oxides are known to exhibit improved activity for redox and photocatalytic reactions. Here, we intentionally introduced tensile strain into rutile-type TiO₂ by utilizing the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between TiO₂ and Au and applied it as a solid acid catalyst. It was demonstrated that its acid catalytic activity in the acetalization of furfural was enhanced by increasing the degree of the strain introduced.