A review of the interaction of organic molecules with titania

What is it about?

Organic molecules are those composed primarily of carbon and hydrogen. They are all around us, found in plastics, car emissions, fuels and all all of life on earth. Titania, the oxide formed by reaction between titanium and oxygen, is also known as titanium dioxide. This oxide is technologically very important, it is used as a white pigment in paint and also mayonnaise and chewing gum. It is present on the surface of titanium based medical implants, and is thought to be the key component in the excellent interaction between titanium and the body. It is also finding applications in a number of areas associated with solar energy. It can be used to split water to form hydrogen using ultraviolet light, it can be used with light activation to degrade organic pollutants and bacteria, and it is the basis of novel cheap solar cells, where the titania is coated with a dye or other sensitiser designed to absorb sunlight. In these applications the interaction of organic molecules with the surface of titania is important in understanding how the material works. How do biological molecules attach and encore bone growth? What are the first steps in degradation of organic pollutants and how do we improve the efficiency of dye sensitised solar cells? This review collects the state of the art in understanding these interactions and provides an introduction to why the surface of this material is so important in these interactions.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This is a review of work of a number of international groups and was a timely summary of the state of the art. Obviously there has been more work since it was published but it's still a useful introduction for PhD students studying titanium dioxide surfaces.