English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduThe team’s work is published in the journal Polyoxometalates on December 2, 2022.
Solar energy offers the potential to ease the gradual exhaustion of global energy sources. Scientists consider titanium dioxide to one of the most promising material candidates for solar conversion because of its excellent stability, durability, and activity. However, titanium dioxide suffers from a large bandgap, which results in only a small amount of the solar spectrum being utilized. Similarly, the metal doping strategy is well adopted to improve the solar absorption and performance because it creates impurity levels within forbidden bands.
The team successfully constructed two heterometallic clusters to improve the solar absorption and performance of titanium oxo clusters. Heterometallic describes any compound where one or more atoms are replaced by atoms of a different metal. The research team conducted single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis where the heterometallic clusters were determined well and found to feature the common presence of molybdenum interactions.
The team’s solid-state ultraviolet-visible absorption studies indicate that these structures exhibit enhanced visible-light absorption and significantly reduce optical band gaps which can be mainly attributed to the introduction of electron-rich molybdenum (Mo) pairs as heterometals. “We discovered that the electron-rich Mo–Mo pairs could be introduced to titanium oxo clusters to enhance visible-light absorption,” said Lei Zhang, a professor at the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Crystalline titanium oxo clusters with their precise and tailorable structures are functional molecular titanium dioxide materials. Most of the metals in the periodic table have been incorporated into titanium oxo clusters, with their microscopic electronic structure and macroscopic performance capable of being modified. However, little investigation has been done on molybdenum-doped titanium oxo clusters.
With their distinct molecular and electronic structures, scientists have a special interest in electron-rich metal oxo clusters that have metal-metal bonds, because of their potential for use in the areas of catalysts, electronics, and batteries. Clusters that are modified by heterometals with delocalized electrons have shown potential advantages in band gap engineering and catalysis. For these reasons, the team used molybdenum chloride as a low-valent metal source. Working with carboxylic acid in alcohol media, they manipulated the flexible hydrolysis condensation process and various arrangements of the low-valent heterometallic molybdenum-titanium-oxo clusters.
The two heterometallic clusters the team created both have MoV-MoV bonds in common. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements the researchers obtained reveal the simultaneous presence of MoV and MoVI in one of the clusters, indicating the first example of mixed-valent MoV/VI doping in heterometallic titanium oxo clusters.
In optoelectronics, a semiconductor’s band gap determines its potential applications. The team investigated the band gaps of their two heterometallic clusters using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis. They found that the optical band gaps of these two compounds are dramatically reduced. They attribute this reduction in the band gaps to the introduction of electron-rich Mo-Mo pairs as heterometals. In addition, the team found that the bands shift effectively toward the visible-light region, as shown by the solid state ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy measurements. The team’s work not only enriches the structural diversities of metal oxo clusters, but it also provides a simple route for the property modulation of electron-rich molybdenum-doped titanium oxo clusters.
Looking ahead the team hopes to construct heterometallic oxo clusters with further enhanced visible-light absorption and improved stability. “The ultimate goal is to develop efficient cluster catalysts to split water into hydrogen using solar energy,” said Zhang.
The research team includes Xiaofeng Yi, Jian Zhang, and Lei Zhang, who work at the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Weizhou Chen, who works at the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and at Fuzhou University.
This research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province.
##
About Polyoxometalates
Polyoxometalates is a peer-reviewed, international and interdisciplinary research journal that focuses on all aspects of polyoxometalates, featured in rapid review and fast publishing, sponsored by Tsinghua University and published by Tsinghua University Press. Submissions are solicited in all topical areas, ranging from basic aspects of the science of polyoxometalates to practical applications of such materials. Polyoxometalates offers readers an attractive mix of authoritative and comprehensive Reviews, original cutting-edge research in Communication and Full Paper formats, Comments, and Highlight.
About SciOpen
SciOpen is a professional open access resource for discovery of scientific and technical content published by the Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners, providing the scholarly publishing community with innovative technology and market-leading capabilities. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, and identity management and expert advice to ensure each journal’s development by offering a range of options across all functions as Journal Layout, Production Services, Editorial Services, Marketing and Promotions, Online Functionality, etc. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.
