NO Degradation on the Anatase TiO₂ (001) Surface in the Presence of Water

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to degrade to nitric acid (HNO3) on anatase TiO2 facets under visible light irradiation in the presence of water. However, the exact role that water plays in this photoreaction is not fully understood. By employing the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional tight binding (TD-DFTB), we show the viability of two suggested degradation pathways involving water. Both reaction pathways are triggered by a charge transfer excitation from the NO molecule to the TiO2 surface. In one of them, NO interacts with dissociated water molecules adsorbed on the surface to form HONO+, whereas for the second pathway, NO is oxidized to NO2+ by capturing one oxygen atom from the substrate. Both HONO and NO2 are known byproducts in the photodegradation of NO, which further react with adsorbed water to finally produce HNO3. We also demonstrate by means of nudged elastic band calculations that these reactions are unlikely to happen without illumination.