Effects of the oxygen vacancy on NO adsorption at the TiO2 surface

Abstract

The desorption spectrum of NO adsorbed on the surface of TiO2 powder was determined by temperature programmed desorption. The molecular orbital theory was u tilized to investigate the crystal cluster model of NO adsorbed on TiO2 and th e change of band gap in the adsorption process. The results indicate that there exist two peak temperatures, 450 and 980K, as N2 desorption followed by the NO adsorption on TiO2 The intensity of N2 desorption decre ases if the TiO2 powder is pretreated in an O2 atmosphere. The nitrogen atoms of the adsorbed NO gas recombine into N2 for desorption while oxygen atoms occupy th e oxygen vacancies in the TiO2 surface. The calculation analysis from the mole cular orb ital theory supports the deduction that the existence of oxygen vacancy on TiO2(110) surface offers a suitable condition of crystal surface for NO ad sorption.