2 research outputs found
Quantitative Structure of an Acetate Dye Molecule Analogue at the TiO<sub>2</sub>–Acetic Acid Interface
The
positions of atoms in and around acetate molecules at the rutile
TiO<sub>2</sub>(110) interface with 0.1 M acetic acid have been determined
with a precision of ±0.05 Å. Acetate is used as a surrogate
for the carboxylate groups typically employed to anchor monocarboxylate
dye molecules to TiO<sub>2</sub> in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC).
Structural analysis reveals small domains of ordered (2 × 1)
acetate molecules, with substrate atoms closer to their bulk terminated
positions compared to the clean UHV surface. Acetate is found in a
bidentate bridge position, binding through both oxygen atoms to two
5-fold titanium atoms such that the molecular plane is along the [001]
azimuth. Density functional theory calculations provide adsorption
geometries in excellent agreement with experiment. The availability
of these structural data will improve the accuracy of charge transport
models for DSSC
Water Dissociates at the Aqueous Interface with Reduced Anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> (101)
Elucidating
the structure of the interface between natural (reduced)
anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> (101) and water is an essential step toward
understanding the associated photoassisted water splitting mechanism.
Here we present surface X-ray diffraction results for the room temperature
interface with ultrathin and bulk water, which we explain by reference
to density functional theory calculations. We find that both interfaces
contain a 25:75 mixture of molecular H<sub>2</sub>O and terminal OH
bound to titanium atoms along with bridging OH species in the contact
layer. This is in complete contrast to the inert character of room
temperature anatase TiO<sub>2</sub> (101) in ultrahigh vacuum. A key
difference between the ultrathin and bulk water interfaces is that
in the latter water in the second layer is also ordered. These molecules
are hydrogen bonded to the contact layer, modifying the bond angles