TY - JOUR

T1 - Nanoporous TiO2 spheres with tailored textural properties

T2 - Controllable synthesis, formation mechanism, and photochemical applications

AU - Ding, Yong

AU - Yang, In Seok

AU - Li, Zhaoqian

AU - Xia, Xin

AU - Lee, Wan In

AU - Dai, Songyuan

AU - Bahnemann, D.W.

AU - Pan, Jia Hong

N1 - Funding Information: J.H. Pan is grateful to the supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51772094 ), NSFC-RS Collaboration Research Program (No. 51811530323 ), and Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Nos. 2172052 and L182040 ). W.I. Lee is grateful to the support from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (No. 2015M1A2A2053003 ). S. Dai, Y. Ding, Z. Li, and X. Xia are grateful to the supports from the National Basic Research Program of China (Nos. 2016YFA0202400 and 2014CB239300 ), National “111” Project (No. B16016 ), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51572080 , U1705256 , and 51702096 ), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. JB2018ZD07 ), and Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation ( 1908085QB52 ). D.W. Bahnemann thanks Saint-Petersburg State University for funding his work via a Research Grant (Pure ID 32706707 ). Yong Ding received his Ph.D. from Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2016. After graduation, he became a lecturer in North China Electric Power University (NCEPU). His research interests are focused on the 2D perovskite-based photoelectric devices, including perovskite solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Presently he has published 58 scientific papers. In Seok Yang passed final dissertation and will receive his Ph.D from Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Inha University, Korea in August, 2019. He has been working on design of metal oxide nanostructures such as nanoporous spherical TiO 2 and ZnO. His research also focuses on development of new light absorbers and inorganic hole transporting materials for perovskite solar cell application. Up to now he published 10 scientific papers. Zhaoqian Li received his Ph.D. degree from Nanjing University in 2013, followed by postdoc at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, CAS, China. He is currently an assistant professor at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, CAS, China and postdoc at University of Washington. His research interests include metal oxide nano/microstructures and related electrochemical energy conversion and storage (including photovoltaic and Li/Na/Zn ion batteries). Xin Xia received her PhD Degree in Chemistry from the University College London in 2010. After that, she was a research scientist at the core science group of Johnson Matthey Technology Center, UK until 2014. Since 2014, she joined NCEPU as a senior lecturer. Her current research interests include atomistic modelling of solid-state inorganic materials, theoretical catalysis and synthesis of functional nanomaterials. Wan In Lee is a professor in Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Inha University, Korea since 1995 and currently working as Chairman of Graduate Program. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Chemistry from Seoul National University and his Ph.D degree in Solid State Chemistry from Brown University in the United States in 1993. His research interests are design of metal oxide nanostructures, design of visible-light photocatalysts, and nanostructure-based solar cells such as dye-sensitized solar cells, quantum dot-sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells. Presently he has contributed about 200 scientific papers. Songyuan Dai is Distinguished Professor of School of Renewable Energy and Founding Director of Beijing Key Laboratory of Novel Thin-Film Solar Cells at NCEPU. He received his BS in Physics at Anhui Normal University, China in 1987. Then he started his career at Institute of Plasma Physics, CAS as Assistant Research Scientist, and received his MSc and PhD degrees there in 1991 and 2001, respectively. He was prompted to Full Professor in 2002, and Founding Director of CAS Key Laboratory of Novel Thin Film Solar Cells before moving to NCEPU in 2013. He obtained the Anhui Province Youth Science and Technology Award (2007) and China Photovoltaic Prize from China Renewable Energy Society (2013). He serves as an Editor for several domestic and international scientific journals. He was the International Committee Member of International Conference on Photochemical Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy (IPS), and chairman of the 22 nd IPS. He has published more than 15 books, 300 full papers, 30 review papers and chapters of books, generating 6,000+ citations and a H-index of 40 (Web of Science). His current research interests include dye sensitized solar cell, perovskite solar cells, quantum dot solar cells and solar energy storage. Detlef W. Bahnemann is Head of the Research Unit “Photocatalysis and Nanotechnology” at Leibniz University Hannover and Director of the Research Institute “Nanocomposite Materials for Photonic Applications” at Saint Petersburg State University. His research topics include photocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, solar chemistry and photochemistry focussed on synthesis and physical-chemical properties of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles. His more than 500 publications have been cited 52,000 times (h-index: 90). He is Visiting Research Professor at Queens University Belfast, DeTao Master of Photocatalysis, Nanomaterials and Energy Applications, and holds a Guest Professorship at Tianjin University (China), and several visiting professorships in China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Britain. Jia Hong Pan received his PhD degree from Inha University, Korea in 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Wan In Lee. Then he moved to Singapore, and worked at Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore as a research fellow. Meanwhile, he worked with Prof. Detlef Bahnemann at Leibniz University Hannover in 2012-2013 as a Humboldt Fellow. In October 2015, he joined NCEPU as a full professor, leading an independent research group working on nanostructured metal oxides, semiconductor photo(electro)catalysis, and perovskite solar cells. He serves as Editor of J. Photocatal. , Front Chem. , and Curr. Altern. Energy , and was Guest Editor of Catal. Today and Int. J. Photoenergy

PY - 2020/4

Y1 - 2020/4

N2 - Nanoporous TiO 2 spheres have emerged recently as a new class of TiO 2 nanomaterials for photochemical applications. Compared with conventional TiO 2 nanoparticles, the spherical assemblies consisting of low-dimensional nanocrystallites present significant advantages in terms of structural isotropy, monodisperse nature, structural diversity on nano- and (sub)micro-scales, structural stability, light harvesting property, interconnected nanobuilding blocks with less grain boundary, and easy reclaim. Superior performances have been demonstrated in the fields of photoelectrocatalysis and photovoltaics. Research efforts have been devoted to the rational design of a synthetic strategy for the facile preparation of nanoporous TiO 2 spheres. The last decade has witnessed rapid progress in developing a synthesis strategy of nanoporous TiO 2 spheres for optimal photochemical applications. Both chemical and physical routes have been extensively developed aiming to ease control over the self-assembly of nanobuilding blocks and, thus, the resultant textural properties and physicochemical performances of the nanoporous TiO 2 spheres. In this review, a comprehensive description of different synthetic strategies is first presented, with a special emphasis on the formation mechanism, in particular, the pathway followed by nanocrystallites to self-assemble into a spherical structure. Notable experimental parameters are also discussed for the reproducible and controllable preparation of nanoporous TiO 2 spheres with well-defined hierarchical structure, tunable porous microstructure from assembled nanobuilding blocks, and optimal physicochemical properties. Important applications in environmental photocatalysis, solar fuel synthesis, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are summarized, and the synthesis-component-structure-property relationship in nanoporous TiO 2 spheres is highlighted. Finally, perspectives in this rapidly developing field are offered.

AB - Nanoporous TiO 2 spheres have emerged recently as a new class of TiO 2 nanomaterials for photochemical applications. Compared with conventional TiO 2 nanoparticles, the spherical assemblies consisting of low-dimensional nanocrystallites present significant advantages in terms of structural isotropy, monodisperse nature, structural diversity on nano- and (sub)micro-scales, structural stability, light harvesting property, interconnected nanobuilding blocks with less grain boundary, and easy reclaim. Superior performances have been demonstrated in the fields of photoelectrocatalysis and photovoltaics. Research efforts have been devoted to the rational design of a synthetic strategy for the facile preparation of nanoporous TiO 2 spheres. The last decade has witnessed rapid progress in developing a synthesis strategy of nanoporous TiO 2 spheres for optimal photochemical applications. Both chemical and physical routes have been extensively developed aiming to ease control over the self-assembly of nanobuilding blocks and, thus, the resultant textural properties and physicochemical performances of the nanoporous TiO 2 spheres. In this review, a comprehensive description of different synthetic strategies is first presented, with a special emphasis on the formation mechanism, in particular, the pathway followed by nanocrystallites to self-assemble into a spherical structure. Notable experimental parameters are also discussed for the reproducible and controllable preparation of nanoporous TiO 2 spheres with well-defined hierarchical structure, tunable porous microstructure from assembled nanobuilding blocks, and optimal physicochemical properties. Important applications in environmental photocatalysis, solar fuel synthesis, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs), and perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are summarized, and the synthesis-component-structure-property relationship in nanoporous TiO 2 spheres is highlighted. Finally, perspectives in this rapidly developing field are offered.

KW - Crystal engineering

KW - Hydro/solvothermal process

KW - Mesoscopic solar cells

KW - Perovskite solar cell

KW - Photochemical properties

KW - Self-assembly

KW - Semiconductor photocatalysis

KW - Spherical and porous structure

KW - Titania

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076248019&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2019.100620

DO - 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2019.100620

M3 - Article

VL - 109

JO - Progress in materials science

JF - Progress in materials science

SN - 0048-5500

M1 - 100620

ER -