PHOTOOXIDATIVE FIXATION OF MOLECULAR NITROGEN ON TIO2 (RUTILE) SURFACES - THE NATURE OF THE ADSORBED NITROGEN-CONTAINING SPECIES

The present paper reports selected results relating to the photo-oxidative fixation of molecular nitrogen on TiO2 (rutile); the principal objective of the study being to investigate the nature of the adsorbed nitrogen-containing species. The identity of the photo-oxidatively fixed nitrogen containing species has been assigned indirectly; several possibilities having been eliminated by comparing the thermodesorption profiles and XPS results with those of known compounds, X/TiO2 were X = NO(g), NO2(g), NO2-(ads) and NO3-(ads). From results reported here, the conclusion remains that the fixed species is one in which the nitrogen-nitrogen bond is extant.