{"id":159,"date":"2016-09-14T10:06:16","date_gmt":"2016-09-14T09:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/in-abstract\/?p=159"},"modified":"2017-03-27T14:55:59","modified_gmt":"2017-03-27T13:55:59","slug":"structure-of-a-model-tio2-photocatalytic-interface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/in-abstract\/structure-of-a-model-tio2-photocatalytic-interface\/","title":{"rendered":"Structure of a model TiO2<\/sub> photocatalytic interface"},"content":{"rendered":"

New insights into water splitting<\/strong>
\nThe interaction of water with titania (TiO2<\/sub>) is crucial to many of its practical applications, including photocatalytic water splitting. Following the first demonstration of this phenomenon 40 years ago there have been numerous studies of the model single crystal TiO2<\/sub>(110) surface and water. This work has provided an atomic level understanding of the water\/TiO2<\/sub> interaction. However, nearly all the previous studies of water\/TiO2<\/sub> interfaces involve water in the vapour phase.<\/p>\n

Now, an international collaboration of scientists, including surface scientists from the University of Manchester have explored the interfacial structure between liquid water and a TiO2<\/sub>(110) surface pre-characterised at the atomic level. Interface-sensitive microscopy and diffraction are used to determine the structure, which is comprised of an ordered array of hydroxyl molecules with molecular water in the second layer. Complementary theoretical modelling suggests that a possible mechanism for the formation of this hydroxyl overlayer involves the mixed adsorption of oxygen and water on a partially defected surface – not what was expected from the earlier vapour-phase work. The quantitative structural properties derived here provide a basis with which to explore the atomistic properties and hence mechanisms involved in TiO2<\/sub> photocatalysis.<\/p>\n

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