Phase transformation of TiO₂nanoparticles by femtosecond laser ablation in aqueous solutions and deposition on conductive substrates

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO) is a wide bandgap semiconductor that is chemically stable, non-toxic, and economical compared to other semiconductors and has been implemented in a wide range of applications such as photocatalysis, photovoltaics, and memristors. In this work we studied the femtosecond laser ablation of titanium dioxide powders (P25) dispersed either in water or deposited onto a fluoride-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The process was used as a route to induce the phase-transformation of TiO nanoparticles which was governed by laser parameters such as ablation time and power. It was observed that upon increase of the ablation time of TiO dispersion in water a bandgap widening occurred, leading to the possibility of bandgap engineering of TiO using controlled laser parameter profiles.

Perspective of Surfactant‐Free Colloidal Nanoparticles in Heterogeneous Catalysis

“…Pulsed laser post‐processing (PLPP) strategies of support materials to prepare defect‐rich NPs is an emerging field in laser‐based synthesis research . The main goal is to understand and develop photon‐induced defect formation strategies and understand how different types and densities of defect sites contribute to the catalytic activity in different reaction scenarios.…”

Magnetic Field-Assisted Laser Ablation of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Water for Anti-Bacterial Applications

“…Among metal oxide antimicrobial agents, TiO2 is a valuable semiconducting transition metal oxide material and shows special features, such as easy control, reduced cost, non-toxicity, and good resistance to chemical erosion, that allow its application in optics, solar cells, chemical sensors, electronics, antibacterial agents. In general, TiO 2 has three important phases anatase (tetragonal), rutile (tetragonal) and brookite {orthorhombic) [11].…”

Review on heterophase/homophase junctions for efficient photocatalysis: The case of phase transition construction

“…Choi et al [129] introduced a facile crystalline phase control method of electrospinning and pulse laser irradiation in liquid to prepare the mixed anatase and rutile phases of TiO2 nanofibers to achieve enhanced photochemical responses and photocatalytic activities in the decomposition of methylene blue. Similarly, Russo et al [182] studied the phase transformation of TiO2 nanoparticles governed by the femtosecond laser ablation of P25 in aqueous solutions and the deposition on FTO conductive substrates. It was then found that the prolongation of the ablation time of the TiO2 dispersion could widen the bandgap.…”