Conducting interface in oxide homojunction: understanding of superior   properties in black TiO2
  Black TiO2 nanoparticles with a crystalline-core and amorphous-shell structure exhibit superior optoelectronic properties in comparison with pristine TiO2. The fundamental mechanisms underlying these enhancements, however, remain unclear, largely due to the inherent complexities and limitations of powder materials. Here, we fabricate TiO2 homojunction films consisting of an oxygen-deficient amorphous layer on top of a highly crystalline layer, to simulate the structural/functional configuration of black TiO2 nanoparticles. Metallic conduction is achieved at the crystalline-amorphous homointerface via electronic interface reconstruction, which we show to be the main reason for the superior properties of black TiO2. This work not only achieves an unprecedented understanding of black TiO2, but also provides a new perspective for investigating carrier generation and transport behavior at oxide interfaces, which are of tremendous fundamental and technological interest. 
Xujie Lu, Aiping Chen, Yongkang Luo, Ping Lu, Yaomin Dai, Erik   Enriquez, Paul Dowden, Hongwu Xu, Paul G. Kotula, Abul K. A...
cond-mat.mtrl-sci