We studied photocatalytic activity of highly porous nanotubular TiO 2 films modified with nanoclusters of ubiquitous metal (Ti, Al, Zn, Sn, Cu, W) oxides prepared by chemical bath deposition and atomic layer deposition as well as nanoclusters of metal rich suboxides and mixed titania suboxides prepared by atomic layer deposition by following decomposition of methylene blue under simulated solar light. The mixed titania suboxide clusters constructed on the surface of TiO 2 nanotubes by atomic layer deposition demonstrated significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison to the naked TiO 2 nanotubes attributed to the better absorption of visible light due to the upward shift of the valence band near the TiO 2 surface induced by the suboxide clusters that feature low valence states and metal-metal bonds.
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.