es6b00730_si_001.pdf (2.96 MB)
Efficient Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrobenzene by Defect-Engineered TiO2–x Single Crystals
journal contribution
posted on 2016-04-29, 00:00 authored by Chang Liu, Ai-Yong Zhang, Dan-Ni Pei, Han-Qing YuTiO2 is a typical semiconductor and has been extensively
used as an effective photocatalyst for environmental pollution control.
But it could not be used as an electrochemical reductive catalyst
because of its low electric conductivity and electrocatalytic activity.
In this work, however, we demonstrate that TiO2 can act
as an excellent cathodic electrocatalyst when its crystal shape, exposed
facet and oxygen-stoichiometry are finely tailored by the local geometric
and electronic structures. The defect-engineered TiO2–x single crystals dominantly exposed by high-energy
{001} facets exhibits a high cathodic activity and great stability
for electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene, a typical refractory
pollutant with high toxicity in environment. The single crystalline
structure, the high-energy {001} facet and the defective oxygen vacancy
of the defect-engineered TiO2–x single crystals are found to be mainly responsible for their cathodic
superiority. With the findings in this work, a more practical non-Pd
cathodic electrocatalyst could be prepared and applied for electrocatalytic
reduction of refractory pollutants in water and wastewater, and extend
the promising applications of TiO2 in the fields of environmental
science.