@article {49957,
	title = {Atomic Layer Deposition Grown Titania Phases (TiO2, TiO, Ti2O) and its Influence on Water Splitting Electrocatalysis},
	journal = {Advanced Sustainable Systems},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2025},
	month = {AUG},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {<p>
	The systematic engineering of atoms and the precise tuning of their arrangement can unlock a range of hidden yet remarkable properties of materials. In this study, different phases of titanium oxide, including TiO2, TiO, and Ti2O, are developed using the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technique. Notably, a novel TiO(2 )electride with a pbcn space group is identified, and variations in stoichiometries, such as Ti1.80O, Ti2.05O, and Ti2.30O, are observed through Rietveld analysis of the corresponding X-ray Diffraction (XRD) data. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging further revealed line defects such as stacking faults and edge dislocations in Ti2O. The interplay of stoichiometric defects in Ti2O electrides leads to tunable electrocatalytic behavior, enabling transitions from oxygen evolution to hydrogen evolution reactions. Importantly, using Density functional theory (DFT), Paterson analysis, and Fourier electron density mapping, the exceptional metallic properties of Ti2O are rationalized as arising from its unique spatial electron density distribution. Overall, this work underscores the significance of atomic-level structure engineering and opens the door to a new class of titanium oxide catalysts for electrochemical water splitting.</p>
},
	keywords = {atomic layer deposition, defect engineering, defect-rich titania, Electrocatalytic water splitting, Ti2O electrides},
	issn = {2366-7486},
	doi = {10.1002/adsu.202500152},
	author = {Swaminathan, Jayashree and Palani, Parthiban and Salpekar, Devashish and Hernandez, Francisco Carlos Robles and Ashokkumar, Meiyazhagan and Ajayan, Pulickel M.}
}
@article {50139,
	title = {Flexible V2O5-x nanobelts as SERS tweezers: defect engineering for remarkably sensitive and selective detection},
	journal = {ACS Applied Nano Materials},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2026},
	month = {MAY},
	pages = {8733-8748},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {<p>
	Transition metal oxide (TMO)-based semiconductor nanomaterials (NMs) have been progressively explored as promising substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The design and synthesis of highly stable, extremely sensitive, exceptionally selective SERS substrates, solely based on defects engineered in TMO-based NMs, have gained significant interest. This work demonstrates a simple hydrothermal route to synthesize substoichiometric V2O5-x flexible nanobelts without the use of surfactants, stabilizing agents, reducing agents, or structure-directing agents. Furthermore, the V2O5-x nanobelts proved to be highly effective as a SERS substrate for the sensitive detection of methylene blue (MB), achieving a remarkable maximum enhancement factor of up to 6.75 \&amp; times; 10(9) and a detection limit as low as the picomolar level. This performance is the best among metal oxide semiconductors and is comparable to that of noble metals, even without the presence of a {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}hot spot.{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} Additionally, the V2O5-x nanobelts demonstrate excellent selectivity as a {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}SERS Tweezer,{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} enabling the precise detection of MB even in the presence of interfering analytes across binary, ternary, and quinary mixtures. Notably, V2O5-x nanobelts successfully detected melamine and ethephon for the first time using a TMO-based SERS substrate. In addition, the detection limit for SERS using a V2O5-x substrate reached 3 ppm of melamine in liquid milk. Thus, our results clearly demonstrate that metal oxide semiconductors can be transformed into cost-effective, SERS-active substrates through defect engineering. These engineered substrates exhibit high sensitivity, selectivity, stability, recyclability, and biocompatibility-comparable to or even surpassing those of noble metal nanomaterial-based SERS substrates. This advancement could enable their effective use in detecting contaminants in foods and food ingredients.</p>
},
	keywords = {defect engineering, Nanobelts, sensing, SERS, V2O5-x},
	doi = {10.1021/acsanm.6c00546},
	author = {Krishnan, Nikhil and Mukherjee, Shatabdi Porel}
}
