Icelike water molecules with single hydrogen bond donor on the surface of nano anatase and rutile particles by IR spectroscopy

Abstract

The hydration behavior of TiO₂ nanoparticles was studied by molecular dynamics simulations and a novel IR ratio spectroscopy method. It was found that the hydration water at the titanium dioxide interface contains molecules with a large number of single hydrogen bond donors, and approximately five water layers were confined within the nano-grooves of the nanoparticles. The confinement effect was observed to enhance the strength of the hydrogen bonds and to slow down the movement of the water molecules around the surface of the nanoparticles.