Surface Density-of-States Engineering of Anatase TiO2 by Small Polyols for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocurrent Generation

Enhancement of visible-light photocurrent generation by sol-gel anatase TiO2 films was achieved by binding small polyol molecules to the TiO2 surface. Binding ethylene glycol onto the surface, enhancement factors up to 2.8 were found in visible-light photocurrent generation experiments. Density functional theory calculations identified midgap energy states that emerge as a result of the binding of a range of polyols to the TiO2 surface. The presence and energy of the midgap state is predicted to depend sensitively on the structure of the polyol, correlating well with the photocurrent generation results. Together, these results suggest a new, facile, and cost-effective route to precise surface band gap engineering of TiO2 toward visible-light-induced photocatalysis and energy storage

Highly controllable direct femtosecond laser writing of gold nanostructures on titanium dioxide surfaces

A highly reproducible and controllable deposition procedure for gold nanostructures on a titanium dioxide (TiO2) surface using femtosecond laser light has been demonstrated. This is realized by precisely focusing onto the TiO2 surface in the presence of a pure gold ion solution. The deposition is demonstrated both in dot arrays and line structures. Thanks to the multi-photon excitation, we observe that the deposition area of the nanostructures can be confined to a degree far greater than the diffraction limited focal spot. Finally, we demonstrate that catalytic activity with visible light irradiation is enhanced, proving the applicability of our new deposition technique to the catalytic field.status: publishe

Enhanced SPR Sensitivity with Nano-Micro-Ribbon Grating—an Exhaustive Simulation Mapping

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