The properties of TiO2, including its light absorption, charge transport and surface adsorption, were closely related to its defect disorder, which in turn plays a significant role in the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. Among all the defects identified in TiO2, oxygen vacancy was one of the most important and was supposed to be the prevalent defect in many metal oxides, which was widely investigated both by theoretical calculations and experimental characterizations. Here, a short review was given of existing strategies for the synthesis of defective TiO2 with oxygen vacancies, and the defect-related properties of TiO2 including structural, electronic, optical, dissociative adsorption and reductive properties, which were intimately related to the photocatalytic performance of TiO2. In particular, photocatalytic applications with regard to defective TiO2 were outlined. In addition, some perspectives were offered concerning challenges and new directions for future research in this field.

Defective TiO2 with Oxygen Vacancies: Synthesis, Properties and Photocatalytic Applications. Pan, X., Yang, M.Q., Fu, X., Zhang, N., Xu, Y.J.: Nanoscale, 2013, 5[9], 3601-14