Photoelectrochemical properties of alternating multilayer films composed of titania nanosheets and Zn porphyrin

Alternating multilayer films composed of titania nanosheets and Zn porphyrins were prepared by use of a previously reported Langmuir-Blodgett film-transfer method in order to fabricate photoelectrochemical devices. Closely packed titania nanosheet monolayers on indium tin oxide (ITO), mica, and quartz surfaces strongly adsorbed cationic [5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrinatozinc]4+ (ZnTMPyP4+) by electrostatic interactions. The alternating deposition process afforded nanometer-scale multilayer films with the following structure: solid surface/(titania nanosheet/ZnTMPyP4+)n (n is the number of layers). The multilayer films were characterized by various physical measurements, including AFM, XRD, and UV-visible spectra. The visible-light irradiation of this multilayer film on an ITO electrode in the presence of triethanolamine as an electron donor yielded an anodic photocurrent. The action spectrum was consistent with the absorption spectrum of ZnTMPyP4+, which indicates that the photoexcitation of ZnTMPyP4+ is responsible for the photocurrent generation. However, the photocurrent density decreased with an increasing number of layers, which indicates that the harvesting of photoexcited electrons vertically through the titania nanosheets in the ITO/(titania nanosheet/ZnTMPyP4+)n structure was not efficient. To overcome this problem, the use of a lateral interlayer connection to all of the titania nanosheets with Ag paste was examined. As a result, a dramatic improvement in the photocurrent density was obtained. Thus, for efficient photocurrent generation with the titania nanosheet-ZnTMPyP4+ composite material, the lateral connection to all of the titania nanosheet layers is effective.     

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of methanol on oxide nanosheets

Photoelectrochemical oxidation of alcohol on various nanosheet electrodes such as Nb6O17, Ca2Nb3O10, Ti(0.91)O2, Ti4O9, and MnO2 system host layers were measured to evaluate the photocatalysis of water photolysis with alcohol as a sacrificial agent. The nanosheet electrodes were prepared by the layer-by-layer (LBL) method, using electrostatic principles. The highest photooxidation current density was observed in methanol solution for Nb6O17 and Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheets, while the density was lower for Ti(0.91)O2, Ti4O9, and MnO2 nanosheets in decreasing order. The rank in the photocurrent density was in agreement with that in the photocatalytic activity, which means that the degree of photooxidation of the alcohol determines the activity of the alcohol in the water photolysis process. The photocurrent was independent of the number of nanosheet layers on the electrode, indicating that only the mono-nanosheet layer attached directly on a substrate acts as a photoelectrocatalyst and that the interlayer space is not important. Consequently, higher photooxidation current on the Nb6O17 mono-nanosheet layer means that the charge separation of electron and hole under illumination is very large and that the hole-capturing process by CH3OH is very quick compared with the surface recombination on the Nb6O17 nanosheet. The adsorption of a transition metal cation on the nanosheet acted as the surface recombination center, because the photocurrent decreased after the adsorption. The photocatalytic mechanism has been discussed in detail in terms of various photoelectrochemical behaviors.     

Photocurrent generation from semiconducting manganese oxide nanosheets in response to visible light

Unilamellar nanosheet crystallites of manganese oxide generated the anodic photocurrent under visible light irradiation (lambda < 500 nm), while the nanosheets themselves were stable as revealed by in-plane XRD and UV-visible absorption spectra. The band gap energy was estimated to be 2.23 eV on the basis of the photocurrent action spectrum. The molecular thickness of approximately 0.5 nm may facilitate the charge separation of excited electrons and holes, which is generally very difficult for strongly localized d-d transitions. The monolayer film of MnO2 nanosheets exhibited the incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency of 0.16% in response to the monochromatic light irradiation (lambda = 400 nm), which is comparable to those for sensitization of monolayer dyes adsorbed on a flat single-crystal surface. The efficiency declined with increasing the layer number of MnO2 nanosheets, although the optical absorption was enhanced. The recombination of the excited electron-hole pairs may become dominant when the carriers need to migrate a longer distance than 1 layer through multilayered nanosheets.     

Optical Sensing by Silica/Titania Thin Films Doped with Oxacarbocyanine Dye

Photocurrent responses of sol-gel films of silica/titania doped with oxacarbocyanine dye were investigated with a sandwich-type photocell constructed with polymer electrolyte membrane and indium-tin-oxide glass electrodes. At an equilibrium and positive bias voltages, a typical photocell exhibited negative and positive current peaks when the visible light illumination was on and off, respectively. The wavelength dependence of the photocurrent responses well matched to the absorption band of the doped dye. This differential photocurrent response was attributed to trapping of carriers photoexcited in the dye molecules at the defect states in the matrix film. At negative bias voltages, on the other hand, the cell exhibited constant, negative photoelectrochemical currents under illumination. These differential and linear photocurrent responses were affected by the SiO₂/TiO₂ matrix structures depending on the Si : Ti ratio.     

Synthesis and characterization of a p-type boron arsenide photoelectrode

A p-type boron arsenide photoelectrode was prepared from a material consisting of a thin layer of boron arsenide on a boron substrate. The structure of the material was identified using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and the surface composition was determined by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrode was found to be photoactive under both visible light and UV-vis irradiation and displayed a photocurrent of ~0.1 mA/cm(2) under UV-vis irradiation at an applied potential of -0.25 V vs Ag/AgCl. Mott-Schottky plots for this boron arsenide electrode displayed an estimated flat-band potential near the onset photopotential. The estimated indirect band gap, as determined from incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency plots, is 1.46 ± 0.02 eV.     

Theoretic and Experimental Studies on Titania Nanotube Doped with Ag Metal Ions

The electronic state density and energy bands of Ag-doped anatase TiO2 are studied by WIEN2k software package based on DFT. The calculation results show that the band-gap of anatase titania became bigger after doping with Ag metal ions. The band-gap transfers from 2.04 to 2.5 eV, but a new energy band appears among the forbidden band after the Ag atom substitution. The interband width of Ag-TiO2 is 0.17 eV, which is located at –0.07 eV; more excitation and jump routes are opened for the electrons. The lowest excitation energy can achieve 1.2 eV, which may allow the photons with lower energy (at longer wavelength, such as visible light) to be absorbed. Ag ions are implanted into the titania nanotube sample by MEVVA (Metal Vapor Vacuum Arc) implanter. The photo-electrochemical response and photo-degradation experiment of titania nanotube samples implanted with Ag ions are tested under UV and visible light; the results indicated that the performance of implanted titania naotubes is enhanced both under UV and visible light; it is worth mentioning that the photocurrent density can reach 0.145 mA/cm2 under visible light, which is 181 times higher than those of pure TiNT, and the k value of degradation methyl orange can obtain 0.30 h-1, which is 71 times higher than that of pure TiNT. All the experimental results are consistent well with the theoretic ones.     

硫硒化亚锗光电探测器的制备及光电性能

采用微机械剥离法得到横向尺寸约为12 μm的硫硒化亚锗(GeS_0.5Se_0.5)纳米片, 以铬/金(Cr/Au)为接触电极, 首次制备得到GeS_0.5Se_0.5光电探测器, 并探究了其光电性能. 结果表明, 剥离所得的纳米片具有良好的结晶质量, 硫和硒在纳米片中分布均匀, 光学带隙为1.3 eV; 该光电探测器在515 nm光激发下最大探测能力达到4.52×10¹³ Jones, 最高响应度为1.15×10⁴ A/W, 外部量子效率为2.79×10⁶%, 展现出非常高效、 快速和稳定的光响应能力.     

Facile one pot synthesis of PbS nanosheets and their characterization

Metal-sulfides semiconductor nanosheets are talented entrant to be applied in electro-optic devices. Hence, the synthesis of PbS nanosheets is achieved in the current work using a simple route. The synthesized nanosheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-Raman, scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-Visible, Photoluminescence (PL) and impedance spectroscopy techniques. XRD pattern and Raman spectrum confirms the formation of crystalline structure of PbS nanosheets. SEM study shows that the synthesized PbS is well defined nanosheets of <5 nm thicknesses. The absorption band edge is found to be remarkably blue shifted in nanosheets compare to bulk. The energy gap is calculated to be 1.16 eV which is about 3 times superior than the bulk value (0.41 eV). The enhancement of band gap indicates the occurrence of quantum confinement effect in PbS nanosheets. A strong violet emission band at ∼405 nm is observed in PL spectrum which is assigned to electrons transition from conduction-band edge to holes, ensnared at interstitial Pb²⁺ sites.     

Photochromogenic nanosheet crystallites of tungstate with a 2D bronze structure

Layered rubidium tungstate, Rb(4)W(11)O(35), with a two-dimensional (2D) bronze-type tunnel structure was successfully delaminated into colloidal nanosheets via a soft-chemical process involving acid exchange and subsequent intercalation of tetrabutylammonium ions. Characterizations by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy confirmed the formation of unilamellar 2D nanosheet crystallites with a unique thickness of ～3 nm and an average lateral size of 400 nm. The obtained nanosheets exhibited reversible color change upon UV-light excitation via an optical band gap of 3.5 eV. The ultimate 2D aspect ratio favorable for an adsorption of charge-compensating cations to trapped electrons working as a color center is presumably responsible for highly efficient photochromic behavior. Its coloration mainly consists of a broad band at a wavelength of 1800 nm and longer, which is much different from that of the common tungstate nanomaterials. Thus, the chromogenic nanosheet obtained in this study features the intense UV absorption and optically switchable visible-to-IR absorption, which may be useful for window applications such as cutoff filters and heat-absorbing films.     

Photoinduced hydrophilic conversion properties of titania nanosheets

Photoinduced hydrophilic conversion properties of titania nanosheets were investigated. A highly hydrophilic state was achieved on the monolayer film surface of titania nanosheets, the thickness of which is less than 1 nm. The hydrophilic conversion rate (k) for the monolayer film of titania nanosheets was proportional to the intensity (I) of irradiated light, suggesting that the hydrophilic conversion of the titania nanosheet surface proceeded under light-limited conditions even with a high concentration of photoexcited carriers. As the number of layers of titania nanosheets increased, the dependence behavior changed from k proportional, variant I(1.0) to k proportional, variant I(0.5), indicating that the recombination processes become dominant in the multilayer films of titania nanosheets. In-plane X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed a very small but reproducible structural change of titania nanosheets upon UV irradiation.     

纳米尺度TiO2聚苯胺多孔膜电极光电化学研究

用光电流作用谱，光电流－电势图等光电化学方法研究了ＴｉＯ２／聚本胺复合多孔膜电极在不含氧化还原和含有没氧化还原对体系中的光电转换过程。结果说明，ＴｉＯ２／聚苯胺复合多孔膜电极为双层ｍ－型半导体结构，ＴｉＯ２多孔膜的禁带宽度为３．２ｅＶ，外层聚苯胺膜的禁带宽度为２．８８ｅＶ。     

Unusual crystallization behaviors of anatase nanocrystallites from a molecularly thin titania nanosheet and its stacked forms: increase in nucleation temperature and oriented growth

Crystallization behaviors of anatase nanocrystallites from an ultrathin two-dimensional reactant composed of exfoliated titania nanosheets have been studied by monitoring the heating process of their well-organized films, with which the film thickness can be controlled from a molecularly thin monolayer to a stacked multilayer structure with a stepwise increment of approximately 1 nm. The heated products were identified by means of total reflection fluorescence X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis and in-plane X-ray diffraction measurements using a synchrotron radiation source. The films composed of five or more layers of stacked nanosheets were transformed into anatase at 400-500 degrees C, which is a normal crystallization temperature of anatase from bulk reactants. As the film became thinner by decreasing the number of nanosheet layers to five or less, the crystallization temperature was found to increase and finally reached 800 degrees C for the monolayer film. Interestingly, preferential growth of anatase along the c-axis was strongly promoted for these ultrathin films. These unusual behaviors may be understood in terms of crystallization from the two-dimensional system of scarcely distributed reactants. The titania nanosheet crystallite is much thinner than the unit cell dimensions of anatase, and therefore, extensive atomic diffusion is required for the transformation particularly for the ultrathin films with a critical number (2-3) of stacked nanosheet layers. There is some structural similarity between anatase and titania nanosheet, which may account for the oriented growth of anatase nanocrystallites.     

Photoluminescence of perovskite nanosheets prepared by exfoliation of layered oxides, K2Ln2Ti3O10, KLnNb2O7, and RbLnTa2O7 (Ln: lanthanide ion)

Luminescent perovskite nanosheets were prepared by exfoliation of single- or double-layered perovskite oxides, K2Ln2Ti3O10, KLnNb2O7, and RbLnTa2O7 (Ln: lanthanide ion). The thickness of the individual nanosheets corresponded to those of the perovskite block in the parent layered compounds. Intense red and green emissions were observed in aqueous solutions with Gd1.4Eu0.6Ti3O10- and La0.7Tb0.3Ta2O7-nanosheets, respectively, under UV illumination with energies greater than the corresponding host oxide band gap. The coincidence of the excitation spectrum and the band gap absorbance indicates that the visible emission results from energy transfer within the nanosheet. The red emission intensity of the Gd1.4Eu0.6Ti3O10-nanosheets was much stronger than that of the La0.90Eu0.05Nb2O7-nanosheets reported previously. The strong emission intensity is a result of a two-step energy transfer cascade within the nanosheet from the Ti-O network to Gd(3+) and then to Eu(3+). The emission intensities of the Gd1.4Eu0.6Ti3O10- and La0.7Tb0.3Ta2O7-nanosheets can be modulated by applying a magnetic field (1.3-1.4 T), which brings about a change in orientation of the nanosheets in solution. The emission intensities increased when the excitation light and the magnetic field directions were perpendicular to each other, and they decreased when the excitation and magnetic field were collinear and mutually perpendicular to the direction of detection of the emitted light.     

A spectroelectrochemical study on single-oscillator model and optical constants of sulfonated polyaniline film

The optical properties of sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) thin film prepared by electrochemical method have been investigated. Polychromic behavior of SPAN thin film (transparent yellow-green-dark blue) was observed when the cyclic voltammograms were taken between -0.25 V and +1.90 V (vs. Ag/AgCl, sat.) during the growth of polyaniline film. In situ UV-vis spectra of the polymers-indium tin oxide (ITO) glass electrode were taken during the oxidation of the polymers at different applied potentials. The direct band gap values of SPAN thin film changed from 3.771 eV to 3.874 eV with the applied potentials. From in situ UV-vis spectra, the optical constants such as refractive index and dielectric constant of the SPAN thin film were determined. The important changes in absorption edge, refractive index and the dielectric constant were observed due to the applied potentials. The refractive index dispersion curves of the film obey the single-oscillator model and oscillator parameters changed with the applied potentials. The most significant result of the present work is in situ spectroelectrochemical method, which can be used to modify the optical band gaps and constants.     

Photocatalytic properties of titania nanostructured films fabricated from Titania nanosheets

We examined the photochemical properties of well-ordered multilayer films of titania nanosheets prepared on quartz-glass substrate using the layer-by-layer deposition method. The photocatalytic decomposition of gaseous 2-propanol and bleaching of Methylene Blue dye under UV light illumination were measured to evaluate the photocatalytic oxidation ability. Photoinduced hydrophilicity was also studied by measuring the contact angle of water droplets on the film. The results indicated that titania nanosheets had good photoinduced hydrophilicity. The monolayer film of titania nanosheets showed almost identical activity compared with well investigated sol-gel derived anatase TiO(2) film, while its photocatalytic oxidation activity was low by more than an order of magnitude. This fact suggests that photoinduced hydrophilicity could not be explained simply in terms of the photocatalytic removal of hydrophobic organic species adsorbed on the surface. The photocatalytic oxidation activity and the photoinduced hydrophilic conversion rate decreased with increasing number of nanosheet layers, suggesting that photogenerated carriers produced in the internal part of the multilayer films can hardly diffuse to the surface layer. Photochemical properties of ultrathin anatase films obtained simply by heating the titania nanosheet films were evaluated as well, and also revealed high photoinduced hydrophilicity.     

纳米尺度TiO2／聚吡咯多孔膜电极光电化学研究

用光电流作用谱，光电流－电势图和ＵＶ－Ｖｉｓ光说研究了ＴｉＯ２／聚吡咯多孔膜电极在不含氧化还原对和含不同氧化还原体系电解质溶液中的光电转换过程。ＴｉＯ２／聚吡咯多孔膜电极双层ｎ型半导体结构，内层ＴｉＯ２多孔膜的禁带宽度为３．２６ｅＶ，外层聚吡咯膜的禁带宽度为２．２ｅＶ。     

纳米结构TiO2/3-甲基噻吩和2-噻吩甲酸共聚物复合膜电极光电化学性能

用光电流作用谱、光电流-电势图等光电化学方法研究了ITO/3-甲基噻吩和2-噻吩甲酸共聚物(CTCMT)膜电极和ITO/TiO₂/CTCMT复合膜电极的光电转换性质.结果表明,CTCMT膜为p型半导体,禁带宽度为2.36eV,价带位置为-5.52eV.在ITO/TiO₂/CTCMT复合膜电极中存在p-n异质结,在一定条件下异质结的存在有利于光生电子-空穴对的分离.CTCMT膜修饰ITO/TiO₂电极可使光电流增强,光电流起始波长红移至600nm以上,使宽禁带半导体电极的光电转换效率得到改善.     

High resolution photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopy of a lepidocrocite-like TiO2 nanosheet on Pt(110) (1 × 2)

The electronic structure of TiO(2) nanosheets on the Pt(110)-(1 × 2) surface has been investigated by using high resolution photoemission spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The Ti 2p XAS spectra of the deposited TiO(2) films have been theoretically evaluated and, from the comparison with the experimental data, the assignment to a lepidocrocite-like structure is confirmed. Coexistence of TiO(2) islands with PtO(2) stripes for incomplete nanosheets is confirmed by high resolution photoemission data. The location of the valence and conduction band edges of the nanosheet has been experimentally determined allowing us to describe in details subtle electronic effects due to the interface with the substrate. The locations of the valence band maximum and the leading peak in the O 1s XAS spectrum indicate a band gap similar to anatase but with the Fermi level closer to mid-gap than found for bulk, n-type TiO(2).     

铁钝化膜半导体特性的光电化学研究

The photoelectrochemical behavior of the passive film on iron in pH=8.4 borate buffer solution was investigated. The mechanism considered for the generation of the photocurrent in the passive film, and the principle of the measurement of photocurrent were discussed. The band model of noncrytalline semiconductor was used to demonstrate the depedence of photocurrent on electrode potential and light wavelength. Results indicate that the passive film formed on iron in pH=8.4 borate solution is a noncrystalline semiconductor, its flatband potential (φ_(fb)) is -0.30 V(SCE), band gap energy (E_g) is affected by measuring potential (φ_m), When +0.30 V<φ_m<+0.80 V (SCE), E_g is 1.9 eV.     

The preparation and characterization of nanostructured TiO2-ZrO2 mixed oxide electrode for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

The preparation of nanostructured mixed metal oxide based on a sol-gel method with surfactant-assisted mechanism, and its application for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) are reported. The mixed zirconia (ZrO₂) and titania (TiO₂) mesoporous powder possessed larger surface area than the corresponding titania. For the UV action spectra of unsensitized photochemical cell, the mixed zirconia/titania electrode can absorb UV light below 380 nm, corresponding to band gap (E_g) around 3.27 eV, which is higher than that of pure component of titania (). Both of these improved properties, i.e., BET surface area and band gap, contributed to the improvement on a short-circuit photocurrent up to 11%, an open-circuit voltage up to 4%, and a solar energy conversion efficiency up to 17%, for the DSSC fabricated by mesoporous zirconia/titania mixed system when compared to the cell that was fabricated only by nanostructured TiO₂. The cell fabricated by 5 μm thick mixed TiO₂-ZrO₂ electrode gave the short-circuit photocurrent about 13 mA/cm², open-circuit voltage about 600 mV and the conversion efficiency 5.4%.