Nanoscale Colocalization of Fluorogenic Probes Reveals the Role of Oxygen Vacancies in the Photocatalytic Activity of Tungsten Oxide NanowiresClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!
- Meikun ShenMeikun ShenDepartment of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Meikun Shen
- Tianben DingTianben DingDepartment of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Tianben Ding
- Steven T. HartmanSteven T. HartmanInstitute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Steven T. Hartman
- Fudong WangFudong WangDepartment of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Fudong Wang
- Christina KrucylakChristina KrucylakDepartment of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Christina Krucylak
- Zheyu WangZheyu WangInstitute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Zheyu Wang
- Che TanChe TanDepartment of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Che Tan
- Bo YinBo YinInstitute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Bo Yin
- Rohan MishraRohan MishraInstitute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesDepartment of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Rohan Mishra
- Matthew D. Lew*Matthew D. Lew*E-mail: [email protected] (M.D.L.).Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesInstitute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Matthew D. Lew
- Bryce Sadtler*Bryce Sadtler*E-mail: [email protected] (B.S.).Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesInstitute of Materials Science & Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United StatesMore by Bryce Sadtler
Abstract

Defect engineering is a strategy that has been widely used to design active semiconductor photocatalysts. However, understanding the role of defects, such as oxygen vacancies, in controlling photocatalytic activity remains a challenge. Here, we report the use of chemically triggered fluorogenic probes to study the spatial distribution of active regions in individual tungsten oxide nanowires using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. The nanowires show significant heterogeneity along their lengths for the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radicals. Through quantitative, coordinate-based colocalization of multiple probe molecules activated by the same nanowires, we demonstrate that the nanoscale regions most active for the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radicals also possess a greater concentration of oxygen vacancies. Chemical modifications to remove or block access to surface oxygen vacancies, supported by calculations of binding energies of adsorbates to different surface sites on tungsten oxide, show how these defects control catalytic activity at both the ensemble and single-particle levels. These findings reveal that clusters of oxygen vacancies activate surface-adsorbed water molecules toward photo-oxidation to produce hydroxyl radicals, a critical intermediate in several photocatalytic reactions.
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