Directly Probing Charge Separation at Interface of TiO₂ Phase Junction

Abstract

Phase junction is often recognized as an effective strategy to achieve efficient charge separation in photocatalysis and photochemistry. As a crucial factor to determine the photogenerated charges dynamics, there is an increasingly hot debate about the energy band alignment across the interface of phase junction. Herein, we reported the direct measurement of the surface potential profile over the interface of TiO₂ phase junction. A built-in electric field up to 1 kV/cm from rutile to anatase nanoparticle was detected by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM). Home-built spatially resolved surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SRSPS) supplies a direct evidence for the vectorial charge transfer of photogenerated electrons from rutile to anatase. Moreover, the tunable anatase nanoparticle sizes in TiO₂ phase junction leads to high surface photovoltage (SPV) by creating completely depleted space charge region (SCR) and enhancing the charge separation efficiency. The results provide a strong basis for understanding the impact of built-in electric field on the charge transfer across the interface of artificial photocatalysts.