Application of defect chemistry for engineering of photosensitive oxide semiconductors

The present work considers the application of defect chemistry for engineering of semiconducting properties of metal oxides in general and TiOâ‚‚ in particular. The performance-related functional properties of TiOâ‚‚-based photoelectrode for hydrogen generation through water splitting using solar energy (solar-hydrogen) are considered in terms of (i) electronic structure, (ii) charge transport, (iii) near-surface charge distribution and the related electric fields, and (iv) defect disorder of the outermost surface layer. The present work considers the modification of these functional properties for TiOâ‚‚ through the imposition of controlled defect disorder. The defect disorder is considered in terms of defect equilibria and the defect diagram describing the effect of oxygen activity on the concentration of both ionic and electronic defects.