2018, Vol. 29 
b Chemical Science Division and Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, United States;
c Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, United Kingdom;
d Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, United States;
e College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, China
Chemical reactions catalyzed by solid catalysts have recently expanded rapidly from traditional heterogeneous catalytic reactions to photocatalytic reactions and further to plasmonic-catalytic reactions, however, the fundamental understanding of the commonalities and differences among heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and plasmonic catalysis is not well established. Adsorption/reactions/desorption on solid catalyst surfaces commonly occur during these catalytic processes, thus surface chemistry of solid catalysts can be taken to bridge the fundamental understanding among heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and plasmonic catalysis. The purpose of this themed topic is to report novel results and review literatures' results on surface chemistry of heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and plasmonic catalysis with an attempt to summarize the commonalities and discuss the differences. We believe that the themed topic will be of great interest and exert high imparts in the surface chemistry and catalysis field.
The collection of the themed topic consists of three reviews and fourteen original articles contributed by authors from United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, South Korean, and China. Park et al. review the main aspects of research studying the processes that create and allow interfacial transfer of highly excited (hot) charge carriers in supported catalysts and discuss the effect of this charge transfer on catalytic activity. Huang et al. summarize catalytic methods for CO2 conversion to methanol and review photocatalytic properties and efficient photocatalysts as well as their performance. Peng et al. review recent developments in investigations of surface structure and properties of oxide materials employing dynamic nuclear polarization nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and 17O surface-selective isotopic labeling provide more opportunities.
Surface chemistry of TiO2 is of great importance in bridging heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis and plasmonic catalysis over TiO2-based catalysts. Both using density functional theory corrected for on-site Coulomb interaction, Nolan and Rhatigan investigate impact of surface hydroxylation in MgO-/SnO-nanocluster modified TiO2 anatase (101) composites on visible light absorption, charge separation and reducibility; and Gong et al. study the adsorptions of NO and O2 molecules on the clean and hydrogenated anatase TiO2(101) surfaces and compare the detailed calculated results regarding their structural, energetic and electronic properties with those obtained at rutile TiO2(110). Wachs et al. report that the accumulation of various surface oxygenated species on the TiO2 photocatalyst blocks the activation of H2O on the surface titania sites and is responsible for the decreasing H2 evolution rate and absence of O2 evolution during the photocatalytic splitting of water. Huang et al. report the vital role of oxygen vacancies in thermal-, photo-, and electron-induced reactivity of various types of hydrogen species on a rutile TiO2(110) surface. Skillen et al. report a robust and optimised screening method to quantify photocatalytic OH radicals over TiO2 P25 that are often the primary driving force for the removal and breakdown of organic and inorganic contaminants. Wei et al. study influences of electronic structure of Au/TiO2 manipulated by selective excitation of TiO2 and Au on sonophotocatalytic water reduction. Guo et al. investigate influences of the coated carbon layers on Pt/TiO2 catalysts on the catalytic activity in CO oxidation reaction. Li et al. report that high temperature annealing of Ti-doped hematite photoanodes for solar water splitting increases surface Ti/Fe atomic ratios and decreases adsorption capacity of hydroxide ions on the hematite surface, resulting in an anodic shift of onset potential. Yang and Liu et al. report a pH-responsive Pickering emulsion system stabilized by interfacially active TiO2 nanoparticles for achieving in situ product/catalyst separation and catalyst recycling.
Other articles report surface chemistry of non-TiO2 materials. Wu et al. report the support (CeO2) shape effect on the catalysis of Au nanoclusters (Au22(L8)6 (L = 1, 8-bis(diphenylphosphino)) octane)by using CO oxidation as a model reaction. Sohn et al. investigate effects of preparation methods on the structure and electrocatalytic activities in water splitting and CO2 reduction of carbon- and Rh-loaded SrTiO3 nanoparticles. Xia, Zhang and Li et al. report synthesis of novel carbon quantum dots/BiOBr composite photocatalysts and their high photocatalytic activity in for the degradation of pollutants under visible light irradiation. Ding et al. report rationally designed/constructed MnOx/WO3 anode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation. Wang et al. report fabrication of cobalt oxide nanoparticles supported on porous carbon and high catalytic performance in selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanol.
All guest editors are indebted to all the contributors of this themed topic for providing their high profile manuscripts, which will surely make this special column a great success, as well as the referees for their dedication and responsibility. We also would like to thank the editorial team of Chinese Chemical Letters, particularly Huanfang Guo and Jing Chen, and the Chinese Chemical Society and Elsevier B.V. for the possibility to assemble this themed topic throughout all the stages.