Strain engineering is a highly effective tool for tuning the lattice parameter and in turn optimizing the optical, electronic, and chemical properties of numerous functional materials. In conventional methods, the strain is imposed from an additional heterogeneous substrate, bringing extra composition/ phase that disturbs the mechanism investigations of the effects of lattice parameters on material properties. Here, we report a convertible-precursor-induced growing method to fulfill the elongation of the uniaxial lattice parameter of anatase TiO 2 with a complex structure of single-crystal-like hierarchical arrays, without changing the composition, morphology, phase, and surface states. This methodology relies on a precursor-induced oriented growth and lattice parameter modulation on the basis of the lattice mismatch from the precursor. Unlike conventional substrate-manipulating methods, the employed precursor can be converted to the final materials (i.e., anatase TiO 2 ), which can eliminate the effects of the additional substrate. It is found that for anatase TiO 2 , the elongation of lattice parameter a leads to the shift-up of the conduction band bottom and can thus accelerate the reduction reactions of O 2 . The elongation of lattice parameter a and unique structural features make the TiO 2 arrays highly active for photocatalytic degradation of toluene in air, with a turnover frequency (TOF) 3.8 times and 2.1 times, respectively, that of the normal TiO 2 arrays and P25 powder under ultraviolet irradiation. The enhanced reduction capability is further confirmed by the much-improved efficiency to assist the photoreduction of Cr(VI) in water.
A surface decoration strategy was explored to trigger a nanoscale Kirkendall effect to fabricate hollow TiN nanotrees for high-power symmetric supercapacitors.
In this work, a solution combustion followed by dissolution in hydrogen peroxide is adopted to achieve a precursor for decorating anatase TiO2 nanosheets along single-crystalline rutile TiO2 nanorods, which achieves balsam-pear-like core/shell nanorod arrays with enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. The photocurrent of the rutile/anatase nanorods is about 1.4 times and 20.7 times that of the rutile nanorods and the anatase nanosheets at 0.8 V vs SCE, respectively. The enhanced photoelectrochemical performance is attributed to the novel nanoarchitecture, which can simultaneously offer high surface area, enhanced light-harvesting, rutile/anatase junction for charge carrier separation and conductive pathway for charge carrier collection. The photoanode design can also give hints to other functional materials.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.