Synthesis and Atomic Characterization of a Ti2O3 Nanosheet

Titanium oxide nanosheets have been attracting much attention owing to their photocatalytic property. Here, we synthesized a Ti2O3 nanosheet by the reduction of a titania nanosheet (Ti0.87O2) that was one or two atoms in thickness. The atomic structure of the Ti2O3 nanosheet was quantitatively revealed by electron diffraction analysis, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A titania nanosheet (Ti0.87O2) consisting of edge-shared TiO6 octahedra was transformed to a Ti2O3 nanosheet consisting of face-shared octahedra by electron beam irradiation. This represents a stable crystal phase of titania nanosheets like the Magneli phase in oxygen-deficient environments. The atomic arrangement of the Ti2O3 nanosheet was directly observed by newly developed aberration-corrected TEM.