[The study on DRS and Raman spectroscopy of surface modified TiO2/SiO2]

TiO2 /SiO2 were prepared by surface reaction of silica with an acetone solution of Ti(i-OC3H7)nCl(4-n), where n = 0-2. Results of XRD, Raman and UV-Vis DRS showed that two types of Ti species, small particles of anatase-type TiO2 and non-crystalline TiO(x) species, are molecularly dispersed on the silica surface. Relative to the TiO2 bulk, a blue-shift in the bandgap adsorption edge of TiO2/SiO2 was observed due to the quantum size effects. The bandgap energy (E(g)) of TiO2/SiO2 is 3.96 eV. When M(Pd, Cu, Ni) is deposited on TiO2/SiO2, the adsorption spectra extend to visible light region and the bandgap adsorption edge red shifts with respect to TiO2/SiO2. Compared with that of Pd, the deposition of Cu and Ni on TiO2/SiO2 has more effects on LMCT transition (O2- --> Ti4+) of Ti atoms. And the bandgap energy of Cu-TiO2 /SiO2 decreases to 3.69 eV. Similarly, the photon adsorption property for visible light can be improved relatively by the incorporation of MoO3 on TiO2/SiO2, At higher MoO3 loadings, the Mo-O-Ti coupled structure can be formed through the interaction between MoO3 and TiO2, which made the bandgap energy decrease to 3.81 eV.