Introduction Of Oxygen Vacancies Research Articles

The entropy effect on the structure and microwave dielectric properties of high-entropy Lix(MgZnCoNi)(1-x)/4Al2O4-δ ceramics

In present study, high-entropy Lix(MgZnCoNi)(1-x)/4Al2O4-δ ceramics (x = 0.00–0.45) were synthesized using solid-state reaction route, which formed a single-phase spinel structure with a Fd-3m space group. The reduction in unit cell volume and lattice parameters were attributed to the compression of polyhedral structures. A moderate content of Li+ ions promoted the grain growth and improved the densification of ceramics. The internal connection among the conformational entropy (ΔSconfig), structure, and microwave dielectric properties in high-entropy Lix(MgZnCoNi)(1-x)/4Al2O4-δ ceramics was systematically studied. The dielectric constant (εr) was largely affected by the polarizability, and relatively high conformational entropy helped to increase the phonon vibrational energy and enhance the bond strength, resulting in low εr values. Additionally, the high concentration of oxygen vacancies, high packing fraction, low internal strain/fluctuation and suppressed damping behavior were closely related to relatively low conformational entropy. Notably, the introduction of oxygen vacancy leaded to the Al3+ ions preferentially occupy tetrahedral sites enhancing the covalency. These factors collectively reduced the intrinsic losses and improved the quality factor (Q×f). Moreover, relatively high conformational entropy conduced to the structural stability by improving the M-O (M = Li, Mg, Zn, Co, and Ni) bond strength and valence, which contributes to achieve near-zero temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf). As ΔSconfig changes, high-entropy Lix(MgZnCoNi)(1-x)/4Al2O4-δ ceramics presented great microwave dielectric properties: εr values of 5.46 ∼ 8.49, Q×f values of 3,540 GHz (f = 14.84 GHz) ∼ 56,950 GHz (f = 12.99 GHz), and τf values of −58 ppm/°C∼ −14 ppm/°C. Our study demonstrates that the high-entropy strategy effectively enhances microwave dielectric properties. This approach has potential applications across a broad spectrum of microwave dielectrics ceramics.

An in situ exsolution strategy to prepare metallic Sn modified SnO2 with oxygen vacancies for ppb-level NO2 detection

The practical applications of SnO2 materials for NO2 detection in the field of indoor air quality monitoring are strongly plagued by low sensitivity toward ppb-level NO2. Herein, an in situ exsolution strategy was developed to prepare Sn-containing materials with abundant oxygen vacancy defects and Sn/SnO2 heterojunctions (designated as Sn/SnO2-x), which were obtained by annealing mixture of commercial SnO2 and NaBH4 in Ar atmosphere. Compared to commercial SnO2, the optimal Sn/SnO2-x-3 displays the obvious advantages of low operating temperature (110 °C), high sensitivity (response value of 4.65 toward 80 ppb NO2), and low limit of detection (10 ppb NO2 with response value of 1.17). The improvement of NO2 sensing performances is attributed to the synergistic effect of introducing oxygen vacancy defects and constructing Sn/SnO2 heterojunctions. Theoretically, the former leads to increasing the active sites for adsorption of NO2 and the latter reduces the band gap for improvement of carrier concentration. Additionally, this NO2 sensor shows excellent sensing performances for monitoring NO2 concentration in simulated indoor environment. This work not only provides an effective and large-scale approach to prepare novel sensing materials from commercial metal oxides by exsolution method, but also opens the way to fabricate high-performance gas sensors for detection of NO2 with low concentrations.

Early transition metal oxides with oxygen vacancies as new thermodynamically stable materials for electrocatalysis

Currently developed electrocatalysts are difficult to achieve high thermodynamic stability at each active site. Early transition metal oxides are promising electrocatalysts with excellent thermodynamic stability and water dissociation ability for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, they have not been developed as direct-electrocatalysts for water splitting. Here, we introduce oxygen vacancies (Vo) by electrodeposition to convert early transition metal oxides (scandium oxide (Sc2O3), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), and zirconium oxide (ZrO2)) into active electrocatalysts. By optimizing the metal element species and Vo content, the screened Y2O2.13@GP shows the lowest overpotential (266 mV at 500 mA cm−2. Moreover, Y2O2.13@GP is able to operate stably for over 1000 h at a current density of 500 mA cm−2 under harsh industrial conditions of 6.0 M KOH and 80°C without dissolution and reconstruction. Experimental studies and theoretical calculations indicate that the introduction of Vo can enhance the conductivity of the catalyst, increase the exposure of the active sites, modulate the electronic structure of Y2O2.13@GP, and decrease the *H adsorption and water dissociation energy barriers.

MOFs-derived S-scheme ZnO/BiOBr heterojunction with rich oxygen vacancy for boosting photocatalytic CO2 reduction

In this paper, a MOFs-derived S-scheme ZnO/BiOBr heterojunction photocatalyst was constructed by a one-step calcination method. It was found that the dodecahedral ZnO was well attached to the BiOBr hollow rods in ZnO/BiOBr composites, which could simultaneously introduce oxygen vacancies and enhance interfacial interactions. The photocatalytic CO2 reduction results exhibited that ZnO/BiOBr, without adding any sacrificial agent and photosensitiser, produced CO and CH4 at rates of 21.13 μmol·g−1·h−1 and 2.2 μmol·g−1·h−1 under simulated sunlight, with a CO selectivity of 74.34 %, which was 6.35 and 4.07 times higher than that of the original BiOBr as well as the original ZnO 4.14 and 1.98 times, respectively. The optimised ZnO/BiOBr has excellent photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance. The ZnO/BiOBr photocatalyst has excellent stability after 5 cycles. The unique heterostructures and matched energy band potentials between ZnO and BiOBr provided close interfacial contacts, a large number of active sites and effective charge transferred for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Furthermore, the mechanism of photocatalytic CO2 reduction for S-scheme ZnO/BiOBr heterojunction was also proposed. Therefore, the MOFs-derived ZnO/BiOBr composites had the potential to be used as photocatalyst for CO2 reduction, providing a rational design idea for solar energy-driven CO2 conversion of MOFs-structured photocatalysts.

Efficient degradation of 2,4-DCP by activated molecular oxygen with the introduction of oxygen vacancies in bismuth molybdate catalysts

In this study, the tunability of oxygen vacancies in bismuth molybdate was achieved using a simple solvothermal method assisted by iodine doping. Various characterizations were conducted to investigate the relationship between oxygen vacancy concentrations in bismuth molybdate and iodine doping. The introduction of ample oxygen vacancies through the doping of iodine significantly enhanced molecular oxygen activation, granting Bi2MoO6 high activity for the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-DCP. Furthermore, the degradation of 2,4-DCP under visible light irradiation reached 78% completion within 180 min. The removal of 2,4-DCP by the I-BMO/PMS system was improved to 87% because of the crucial role of PMS in generating SO42- and inducing photogenerated electron synergism. The results of free radical trapping experiments were combined with these findings to propose a possible degradation mechanism for 2,4-DCP. This study provides a novel perspective on the photocatalytic degradation of organochlorine pesticides using Bi2MoO6.

An ultraviolet photodetector based on conductive hydrogenated TiO2 film prepared by radio frequency atmospheric pressure plasma

The growing demand for real-time ultraviolet (UV) monitoring calls for a simple, rapid, and low-cost strategy to prepare UV photodetectors (PDs). We prepare a wearable real-time UV PD based on hydrogenated titanium dioxide film synthesized by radio frequency atmospheric pressure plasma. The conductivity of our hydrogenated titanium dioxide is improved to 10.2 S cm−1, nine orders of magnitude higher than that of pristine titanium dioxide after 10 min plasma treatment. Plasma hydrogenation disrupts the surface crystal structure, introducing oxygen vacancies (OVs) that create self-doped titanium(III) and titanium(II) species. First-principles calculations indicate that the OVs raise the Fermi level of TiO2 and distort the lattice locally. Our optimized film has a distinctive periodic switching characteristic under intermittent illumination; its responsivity is good from 280 to 400 nm, peaking at 632.35 mA W−1 at 365 nm. The fabricated wearable sensor based on the optimized film effectively monitors the daily variation of ambient UV intensity in three typical weather types, transferring its data to a smartphone via Wi-Fi.

Vacancy engineering of BiFeO3 perovskite for low-barrier electrochemical nitrogen fixation

Because of its environmental and intrinsic benefits, the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) using electrocatalysts has garnered significant attention. Engineering on the surface is commonly utilized to improve electrocatalytic activity by introducing atomic defects. In this study, we have developed a successful strategy to promote nitrogen activation by introducing oxygen vacancies into BiFeO3 perovskite. BiFeO3 with oxygen vacancies (denoted as VO-BiFeO3) possesses a high NH3 yield rate (89.3 μg h−1 mgcat−1) and Faradaic efficiency (FE) (13.5 %) at −0.40 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). According to density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the introduction of oxygen vacancies increases the binding capacity for nitrogen immobilization and reduces the energy barrier for the rate-determining step of NRR. Moreover, the analysis of the thermodynamic limiting potentials towards N2 reduction and H2 evolution demonstrates that VO-BiFeO3 has a higher selectivity for NRR than pristine BiFeO3.

Reduction-Assisted Calcination Enhances the Photocatalytic Activity of ZnO and WO3 Nanoparticles in Biomass Conversion.

Rising energy needs and environmental issues have prompted the creation of effective and affordable photocatalysts for converting biomass. Utilizing abundant biomass, oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) emerges as a method for generating high-value chemicals from biomass, offering an alternative to fossil fuels. We synthesized defect-engineered metal oxides (ZnO and WO3) by calcination with NaBH4 as a reducing agent. Atomic-level analyses identified oxygen vacancy defects induced by the reduction of metal ions within the metal oxide nanoparticles. Further analysis showed an unchanged band gap but an up to 4-fold increase in current density. This enhancement is attributed to the trapping of electrons in defect sites created during the calcination process. The formation of new electron donor states hindered photogenerated electron-hole recombination, enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of the metal oxide. The photocatalytic degradation yield of HMF was over 95%, and the selective organic products 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) were obtained without byproducts. Kinetic studies demonstrated that the photocatalytic conversion reaction rates were accelerated by up to 3.5-fold. Improved photocatalytic activity for HMF oxidation was achieved by introducing oxygen vacancy defects upon the reduction of metal ions within the metal oxides. Our results provide a promising approach for designing efficient photocatalysts.

Light-driven rGO/Cu2 + 1O tubular nanomotor with active targeted drug delivery for combination treatment of cancer cells.

The unprecedented navigation ability in micro/nanoscale and tailored functionality tunes micro/nanomotors as new target drug delivery systems, openup new horizons for biomedical applications. Herein, we designed a light-driven rGO/Cu2 + 1O tubular nanomotor for active targeting of cancer cells as a drug delivery system. The propulsion performance is greatly enhanced in real cell media (5% glucose cells isotonic solution), attributing to the introduction of oxygen vacancy and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layer for separating photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The motion speed and direction can be readily modulated. Meanwhile, doxorubicin (DOX) can be loaded quickly on the rGO layer because of π-π bonding effect. The Cu2 + 1O matrix in the tiny robots not only serves as a photocatalyst to generate achemical concentration gradient asthe driving force but also acts as ananomedicine to kill cancer cells as well. The strong propulsion of light-driven rGO/Cu2 + 1O nanomotors coupled with tiny size endow them with active transmembrane transport, assisting DOX and Cu2 + 1O breaking through the barrier of thecell membrane. Compared with non-powered nanocarrier and free DOX, light-propelled rGO/Cu2 + 1O nanomotors exhibit greater transmembrane transport efficiency and significant therapeutic efficacy. This proof-of-concept nanomotor design presents an innovative approach against tumor, enlarging the list of biomedical applications of light-driven micro/nanomotors to the superficial tissue treatment.

In-situ growth transformation and oxygen vacancy synergistic modulation of the electronic structure of NiCo-LDH enables high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

This article successfully constructs NiCo-LDH nano cages formed by in-situ triggering (IS-LDH), and synergistically modulates the electronic structure by introducing oxygen vacancies. The in-situ triggered generation of NiCo-LDH (IS-LDH) by synthesizing ZIF-67 owns a typical rhombic dodecahedral structure and sensitivity to acid etching. Characterization analysis revealed that the IS-LDH nanocage succeeded the polyhedral structure morphology of ZIF-67 but with multiple vertically aligned nanosheets on the shell. Oxygen vacancies (Ov) were introduced into the IS-LDH through a chemical reduction process using sodium borohydride. The findings demonstrate that the synthesized OvIS-LDH nanocapacitor has a low charge transfer resistance (Rct) with a specific capacitance as high as 1111C g−1 (at 1 A g−1). After 10,000 cycles of charge-discharge measurements, the capacity retention rate was 89.45%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the inclusion of Ov enhanced the repulsion of OH− by the LDH nanosheets and improved the intrinsic conductivity of LDH. The assembled hybrid supercapacitor (OvIS-LDH//AC) successfully powered an LED light for 20 min. This study proposes a logical approach for developing anode materials that can enhance the performance of supercapacitors.

Efficient Photocatalytic Activation of Peroxymonosulfate by Cobalt-Doped Oxygen-Vacancies-Rich BiVO4 for Rapid Tetracycline Degradation.

In this work, cobalt-doped oxygen-vacancies-rich BiVO4 (Co/BiVO4-Vo) was successfully synthesized for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) by activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) under visible light. The morphologies, microstructures, and optical properties of the photocatalysts were analyzed in detail. Co/BiVO4-Vo exhibited significantly enhanced degradation, removing 92.3% of TC within 10 min, which was greater than those of pure BiVO4 (62.2%) and oxygen-vacancies-rich BiVO4 (BiVO4-Vo) (72.0%), respectively. The photogenerated charge separation and transport properties were explored through surface photovoltage (SPV), photoluminescence spectrum (PL), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) measurements. Additionally, an in-depth investigation was conducted on the photocatalytically assisted advanced oxidation processes based on SO4•- (SR-AOPs) for the degradation of organic pollutants. The experimental results showed that the introduction of oxygen vacancies and Co doping achieved an effective separation of photogenerated carriers, which could accelerate the cycling between Co3+ and Co2+ and further activate PMS. The results of free radical capture experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments showed that reactive oxygen species (ROSs) such as 1O2, •O2-, and SO4•- played a dominant role in the removal of pollutants. This work provides a novel insight into the further development of efficient and rapid PMS photoactivators for environmental remediation of water bodies.

Introducing Ce ions and oxygen vacancies into VO2 nanostructures with high specific surface area for efficient aqueous Zn-ion storage

Positive electrodes play a decisive role in exploring the Zn2+ storage mechanism and improving the electrochemical performance of aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs). Feasible design and preparation of cathode materials have been crucial for AZIBs in recent years. Herein, taking the advantage of the tunnel structure of VO2, which can withstand volume change during charging/discharging, VO2 doped with Ce ions is synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal method and oxygen vacancies are synchronously generated during synthesis. It delivers a capacity of 158.5 mAh g−1 at the current density of 5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles and exhibits an excellent energy density of 312.8 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 142 W kg−1. The structural modification and prospect of enhancing its conductivity by doping with rare-earth metals and introducing oxygen vacancies may aid in improving the stability of AZIBs in the future.

Elucidating the mechanical-electrochemical interactions in single crystalline LiNi0.7Co0.1Mn0.2O2 cathode material during solid-state calcination

In recent years, the shift towards single-crystalline Ni-rich LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 (NCM) cathode materials has intensified the focus on temperature regulation via the solid-state method, aiming to enhance electrochemical capacity and control crystal size. This study investigates how variations in crystal size, indicative of distinct lattice structures, affect lithium ion transport during the electrochemical charging/discharging cycle. Our findings reveal mechanical degradation in NCM samples correlating with increased sintering temperatures of LiOH·H2O and NCMOH precursors, as evidenced by nanoindentation tests measuring elastic modulus and hardness. Elevated sintering temperatures were observed to facilitate nucleation and crystal growth, albeit introducing oxygen vacancies potentially detrimental to the initial Coulombic Efficiency within the NCM lattice. This degradation in both mechanical and electrochemical properties underscores the critical impact of sintering temperature on structural integrity. Our systematic analysis provides essential insights into the interplay between structural characteristics and electrochemical performance, offering compelling evidence for the optimization of sintering temperatures in the preparation of NCM cathode materials.

Realizing golden ultraviolet C emission of 265 nm by oxygen vacancies engineering for 100 % sterilization efficiency

Ultraviolet C (UVC) light has a great promising application in the field of sterilization. However, how to obtain efficient UVC emission with peak maximum at 265 nm that is called ‘golden sterilization wavelength’ remains a great challenge. Herein, we propose a defect-engineering strategy to obtain enhanced UVC emission at the golden sterilization wavelength of 265 nm through introducing oxygen vacancies into Pr3+ doped Ba2MgSi2O7 melilite phosphors. Combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and thermoluminescence (TL) characterizations, it is confirmed that the calcination of Ba2MgSi2O7:Pr3+ in an inert atmosphere could efficiently increase oxygen vacancy concentration, promoting the efficient energy transfer from the melilite host to Pr3+ ions. It could lead to a significant enhancement of the luminescence intensity to 2.43 times of the initial one with less oxygen vacancies. The optimized Ba2MgSi2O7:0.4%Pr3+ phosphor could effectively inactivate 100 % of Staphylococcus aureus within 8 min, showing higher efficiency than commercially available mercury lamp. This work provides an effective solution for the design and preparation of UVC phosphors using defect engineering to achieve golden UVC emission.

Oxygen vacancies-promoted removal of COS via catalytic hydrolysis over CuTiO2-δ nanoflowers

Catalytic hydrolysis was considered as an efficient technology to remove carbonyl sulfide (COS). The introduction of oxygen vacancy (Ov) is a promising strategy to improve the catalytic performance of COS hydrolysis by promoting the adsorption and activation of reactants. Herein, we reported a Cu-doped TiO2 nanoflower with abundant oxygen vacancies for COS hydrolysis. The Cu species successfully entered the crystal lattice of TiO2 and induced more oxygen vacancies than pure TiO2. The Ov sites can effectively reduce the adsorption and activation energy of COS and H2O. Benefiting from the ample Ov sites, the resulting CuTiO2-δ-F achieved nearly 100 % COS conversion at 70 °C and 93.5 % H2S yield at 130 °C, which is better than that of pure TiO2. Furthermore, in situ FT-IR measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to reveal the reaction pathway in COS hydrolysis.

A microwave plasma etching strategy for preparing oxygen-vacancy-rich NiCoO2 Nanoarrays for high-rate performance supercapacitor

Supercapacitors are vital for industries like automotive and energy storage. Transition metal oxides are promising electrode materials due to their diversity and high capacity. This study uses microwave plasma etching (MPE) to synthesize oxygen-vacancy-rich NiCoO2 nanoarrays (E-NCO) for supercapacitors. The etched NiCoO2 nanoarrays exhibit remarkable performance (1360.7 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and excellent rate performance (996.7 F g−1 at 50 A g−1) in a three-electrode system. After assembling E-NCO-15 into a hybrid supercapacitor, it demonstrated a high energy density of 48.4 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 387.4 W kg−1, and even at the ultra-high power density of 19377.1 W kg−1, the energy density remains 15.2 Wh kg−1. Through the characterization of the material and an exploration of the reaction kinetics mechanism, it was discovered that MPE as a low-cost and easily controllable material modification method can introduce oxygen vacancies into the material, thereby enhancing both the material’s electrical conductivity and charge storage capacity. In addition, nanoarrays morphology provides more active sites and faster ion transport. These results highlight E-NCO’s potential for high-performance supercapacitors.

Engineering Oxygen Vacancies in In2O3 with Enhanced Polysulfides Immobilization and Selective Catalytic Capability.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is identified as an ideal candidate for next-generation energy storage systems in consideration of its high theoretical energy density and abundant sulfur resources. However, the shuttling behavior of soluble polysulfides (LiPSs) and their sluggish reaction kinetics severely limit the practical application of the current Li-S battery. In this work, a series of In2O3 nanocubes with different oxygen vacancy concentrations are designed and prepared via a facile self-template method. The introduced oxygen vacancy on In2O3 can effectively rearrange the charge distribution and enhance sulfiphilic property. Moreover, the In2O3 with high oxygen vacancy concentration (H-In2O3) can slightly slow down the solid-liquid conversion process and significantly accelerate the liquid-solid conversion process, thus reducing the accumulation of LiPSs in electrolyte and inhibiting the shuttle effect. Contributed by the unique selective catalytic capability, the prepared H-In2O3 exhibits excellent electrochemical performance when used as sulfur host. For instance, a high reversible capacity of 609 mAh g-1 is obtained with only 0.044% capacity decay per cycle over 1000 cycles at 1.0C. This work presents a typical example for designing advanced sulfur hosts, which is crucial for the commercialization of Li-S battery.

Understanding of mercury/oxygen reaction mechanism over BiOBr photocatalyst with oxygen vacancy

BiOBr with the advantage of easily generated surface oxygen vacancy, has been considered as a promising photocatalyst for Hg0 oxidation in the flue gas and the active oxygen species is crucial for the oxidation reaction. Nevertheless, the detailed mercury/oxygen reaction mechanism on the BiOBr surface is still unclear and the effect of oxygen vacancy on the reaction process was worth in-depth study. Herein, the oxygen-involved Hg0 oxidation mechanism on the BiOBr surface and the effect of oxygen vacancy were deeply understood by quantum chemistry calculation. The reactivity difference of chemisorbed and lattice oxygen species was revealed. Therein, the chemisorbed oxygen derived from the activation of gaseous O2 molecule showed the higher reactivity than lattice oxygen for Hg0 oxidation reaction. The introduction of oxygen vacancy could promote O2 activation and simultaneously reduce the energy barrier of HgO formation from 1.76 to 1.45 eV. In addition, the energy barrier of oxygen vacancy recovery (0.05 eV) was higher than that of O2 activation (0.02 eV), indicating that the initial oxygen vacancy could be retained in the reaction process. This work deeply revealed the mercury/oxygen reaction mechanism over BiOBr photocatalyst and provided the guidance for the catalyst design in the photocatalytic Hg0 oxidation.

Doping Engineering To Modulate Surface Plasmon Resonance and Enzyme-like Activities for Enhancing Photoacoustic Imaging-Guided Targeted Cancer Therapy in the Second Near-Infrared Window.

Biological imaging-guided targeted tumor therapy has been a soughtafter goal in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment. To this end, we proposed a strategy to modulate surface plasmon resonance and endow WO3-x nanoparticles (NPs) with enzyme-like catalytic properties by doping Fe2+ in the structure of the NPs. Doping of the Fe2+ introduced oxygen vacancies into the structure of the NPs, inducing a red shift of the maximum absorption wavelength into the near-infrared II (NIR-II) region and enhancing the photoacoustic (PA) and photothermal properties of the NPs for more effective imaging-guided cancer therapy. Under NIR-II laser irradiation, the Fe-WO3-x NPs produced very strong NIR-II PA and photothermal effects, which significantly enhanced the PA imaging and photothermal treatment effects. On the other hand, Fe2+ in Fe-WO3-x could undergo Fenton reactions with H2O2 in the tumor tissue to generate ·OH for chemodynamic therapy. In addition, Fe-WO3-x can also catalyze the above reactions to produce more reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce the oxidation of NADH to interfere with intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis, thereby further improving the efficiency of cancer therapy. Specific imaging of tumor tissue and targeted synergistic therapy was achieved after ligation of a MUC1 aptamer to the surface of the Fe-WO3-x NPs by the complexing of -COOH in MUC1 with tungsten ions on the surface of the NPs. These results demonstrated that Fe-WO3-x NPs could be a promising diagnosis and therapeutic agent for cancer. Such a study opens up new avenues into the rational design of nanodiagnosis and treatment agents for NIR-II PA imaging and cancer therapy.

A Facile Strategy for the Preparation of N-Doped TiO2 with Oxygen Vacancy via the Annealing Treatment with Urea.

Although titanium dioxide (TiO2) has a wide range of potential applications, the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 is limited by both its limited photoresponse range and fast recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers. In this work, the preparation of nitrogen (N)-doped TiO2 accompanied by the introduction of oxygen vacancy (Vo) has been achieved via a facile annealing treatment with urea as the N source. During the annealing treatment, the presence of urea not only realizes the N-doping of TiO2 but also creates Vo in N-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2), which is also suitable for commercial TiO2 (P25). Unexpectedly, the annealing treatment-induced decrease in the specific surface area of N-TiO2 is inhibited by the N-doping and, thus, more active sites are maintained. Therefore, both the N-doping and formation of Vo as well as the increased active sites contribute to the excellent photocatalytic performance of N-TiO2 under visible light irradiation. Our work offers a facile strategy for the preparation of N-TiO2 with Vo via the annealing treatment with urea.