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Abstract
| TiO${_2}$ is one of the most promising materials nowadays for photo catalytic applications. With the help of additional hydrogenation its catalytic efficiency can be significantly improved. It was observed that it was the near-surface defects induced by the “mild” hydrogenation of the TiO${_2}$:H that play the key role in improving the photocatalytic process. Therefore, understanding the defect formation phenomena on a local atomic level is most desirable and an essential step towards realizing a stable, catalytic efficiency of the system through systematic defect engineering. Our project aims to take advantage of the local atomic probing strengths of Mössbauer spectroscopy and Time Dependent $\gamma\gamma$-Angular Correlation Spectroscopy, to investigate the local defects in the nanostructured TiO${_2}$:H thin films at the atomic scale and to correlate our results with the photo catalytic efficiency of hydrogenated TiO${_2}$ . The defects to be investigated would be systematically controlled by the thin film preparation parameters, such as synthesis and post-hydrogen plasma treatment temperatures, as well as in-situ measurement temperatures and light-irradiation conditions. From the results we expect important insight into the hydrogenation enhanced catalytic processes and input for future TiO${_2}$:H preparation routes. |