Energy Band Alignment between Anatase and Rutile TiO2
V. Pfeifer,
P. Erhart,
S. Li,
K. Rachut,
J. Morasch,
J. Brötz,
P. Reckers,
T. Mayer,
S. Rühle,
A. Zaban,
I. Mora Seró,
J. Bisquert,
W. Jaegermann,
and
A. Klein
Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 4, 4182
(2013)
doi: 10.1021/jz402165b
Using photoelectron spectroscopy, the interface formation of anatase and rutile TiO2 with RuO2 and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is studied. It is consistently found that the valence band maximum of rutile is 0.7 ± 0.1 eV above that of anatase. The alignment is confirmed by electronic structure calculations, which further show that the alignment is related to the splitting of the energy bands formed by the O 2pz lone-pair orbitals. The alignment can explain the different electron concentrations in doped anatase and rutile and the enhanced photocatalytic activity of mixed phase particles.
