Xie Shirui, Fan Lijing, Chen Yanxin, Cai Jiliang, Wu Fan, Cao Kecheng, Liu Pengxin
School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
Dalton Trans. 2023 Oct 31;52(42):15590-15596. doi: 10.1039/d3dt02752j.
Phase engineering is a central subject in materials research. The recent research interest in the phase transition behavior of atomically thin 2D materials reveals the important role of their surface chemistry. In this study, we investigated the phase transformation of ultrathin TiO(B) nanosheets to anatase under different conditions. We found that the convenient transformation in water under ambient conditions is driven by the hydrolysis of surface 1,2-ethylenedioxy groups and departure of ethylene glycol. A transformation pathway through the formation of protonic titanate is proposed. The ultrathin structure and the metastable nature of the precursor facilitate the phase conversion to anatase. Our finding offers a new insight into the mechanism of TiO(B) phase transition from the viewpoint of surface chemistry and may contribute to the potential application of ultrathin TiO(B) nanosheets in aqueous environments.
相工程是材料研究中的核心课题。近期对原子级薄二维材料相变行为的研究兴趣揭示了其表面化学的重要作用。在本研究中，我们研究了超薄TiO(B)纳米片在不同条件下向锐钛矿的相变。我们发现，在环境条件下于水中的便捷转变是由表面1,2 - 乙二氧基的水解和乙二醇的离去驱动的。提出了一条通过质子钛酸盐形成的转变途径。前驱体的超薄结构和亚稳性质促进了向锐钛矿的相转化。我们的发现从表面化学的角度为TiO(B)相变机制提供了新的见解，并可能有助于超薄TiO(B)纳米片在水性环境中的潜在应用。
