Selective Growth of High‐Density Anatase {101} Twin Boundaries on High‐Energy {001} Facets
Yang Lu, Xiaolu Liu, Hongwei Liu, Yun Wang, Porun Liu, Xiaoguang Zhu, Yunxia Zhang, Haimin Zhang, Guozhong Wang, Yue Lin, Hui Diao, Huijun Zhao
Abstract
Crystal lattices with abundant twinning boundaries are rendered with unique electrical, optical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics; however, it is highly challenging to controllably fabricate such material structures in a facile and high‐throughput manner. Herein, a facile feeding‐triggered growth approach to selectively grow high‐density anatase TiO 2 {101} twin boundaries (TBs) on the {001} faceted high‐energy surfaces of anatase TiO 2 single crystals is reported. The growth of the TB rich structures is found to be highly sensitive to the amount of feeding TiN and HF concentrations. The resultant anatase {101} twinned structures are systematically characterized and analyzed. When compared with the twin structure‐free anatase TiO 2 single crystals, the obtained anatase TiO 2 single crystals with the densely populated {101} TBs on the {001} faceted surfaces exhibit a significantly enhanced activity toward the photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of water and organic compounds. The demonstrated twin structure growth approach herein is adaptable to grow rich twin structures on other crystals for diversified applications.