Tailoring the electronic structure of anatase TiO2(001) surface through W and N codoping: a DFT calculation

Abstract

Using density functional theory, we calculated the geometries, band structures and densities of states of W-doped, N-doped, and W/N-codoped anatase TiO4 (001) and (101) surfaces, as well as while the formation energies, based on the overall reaction energy diagram. The calculated results reveal that, on the two surfaces, the absorption of W atoms are more stable than that of N atoms while a larger energy barrier blocks the transfer of W atoms from the surfaces to the body. For TiO2(001), the W-doping and the N/W-codoping lead to a visible lattice distortion while the recombination of photo-generated electron-holes pairs is reduced. A comprehensive analysis of the electronic structures show that the band-gap narrows and a new W-N bond appears, which obviously enhance the photocatalytic activity.