CdS/TiO2纳米管复合结构的制备与光电性能研究

利用阳极氧化法在钛金属基体表面制备一层TiO₂纳米管阵列薄膜, 然后通过水热反应在TiO₂纳米管上负载CdS纳米粒子, 形成CdS/TiO₂纳米管的复合结构。利用SEM、XRD、XPS、UV-Vis等手段对其形貌和结构进行表征。进一步考察了CdS/TiO₂纳米管的光电性能和光催化活性, 结果表明, 相比于TiO₂纳米管, CdS/TiO₂纳米管复合结构在紫外光和可见光下都具有更好的光催化活性及光电性能。     

阳极氧化法制备二氧化钛纳米管及其在太阳能电池中的应用

介绍了阳极氧化法制备二氧化钛纳米管的技术发展历程, 论述了其制备过程及生长机理, 探讨了电解液、pH值、氧化电压、氧化时间、氧化温度和后处理方法等因素对TiO₂纳米管结构和形态的影响, 综述了近几年来利用TiO₂纳米管组装染料敏化、量子点和本体异质结等太阳能电池所取得的进展, 展望了其未来发展趋势和应用前景.     

阳极氧化法制备二氧化钛纳米管及其荧光性质

室温下采用电化学阳极氧化法在NaF、Na₂SO₄和H₂SO₄的混合溶液中用化学处理后的纯Ti片表面组装了一层结构高度有序的高密度TiO₂纳米管阵列。考察了几种主要的实验参数(阳极氧化电压、温度、电解液浓度)对TiO₂纳米管阵列形貌和尺寸的影响，探讨了二次阳极氧化对纳米管形貌的改善。对TiO₂纳米管阵列进行扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和荧光(PL)分析，探讨其生长机理。结果表明，孔径随阳极氧化电压的升高而变大，温度、电解液浓度影响反应过程中电流密度的大小；二次阳极氧化得到的纳米管的有序性有所改善，孔径大小更为均一，并且发现TiO₂纳米管的荧光具有量子效应。     

Fe2O3/TiO2纳米管阵列的制备及其光催化性能

在钛基体上采用阳极氧化法制备了TiO₂纳米管阵列,采用化学浴方法在TiO₂纳米管阵列上修饰了Fe₂O₃纳米颗粒.利用扫描电镜、X射线衍射和紫外可见漫反射光谱等手段对材料进行了表征,同时测试了材料的光电化学性能及其光催化降解亚甲基蓝染料废水的性能.结果表明,Fe₂O₃纳米颗粒的修饰将TiO₂纳米管阵列的光响应拓宽至可见光区域,提高了光电流,Fe₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列的光电流是未修饰的TiO₂纳米管阵列的9倍.而在光催化反应中,亚甲基蓝最高降解率可达80%,比未修饰的TiO₂纳米管阵列高出30%.     

TiO2-MoO3复合纳米管阵列薄膜的制备及其可见光活性

通过阳极氧化的方法制备TiO₂纳米管薄膜, 在MoO₃存在的条件下对该薄膜进行热处理得到TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管阵列薄膜. 利用X射线衍射(XRD), 扫描电子显微镜(SEM), X射线光电子能谱(XPS), 电化学阻抗谱(EIS), Mott-Schottky 及光电化学方法对得到的薄膜进行了表征. XRD结果表明, TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管薄膜中的TiO₂主要为锐钛矿晶型. SEM实验证实了薄膜纳米管结构的存在, 样品中的MoO₃均匀地分散在TiO₂纳米管表面. 利用XPS方法分析了TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管薄膜元素的组成, 结果表明, MoO₃在TiO₂表面形成TiO₂-MoO₃复合纳米管薄膜. 研究了热处理温度以及热处理时间对样品的光电化学性能的影响, 相对于单纯TiO₂纳米管薄膜, 适量引入MoO₃提高了样品在可见光区的光电响应能力, 样品的平带电位负移. 在450 °C热处理60 min制得的TiO₂-MoO₃复合半导体纳米管阵列薄膜光电响应活性最高.     

热处理气氛对 TiO2 纳米管阵列薄膜光电催化性能的影响

 采用原位阳极氧化法在 Ti 基底上制备了高度有序的 TiO₂ 纳米管阵列薄膜, 分别在 O₂, 空气, Ar 和 H₂ 气氛中于 500 oC 进行结晶热处理, 考察了热处理气氛对 TiO₂ 纳米管阵列薄膜光电催化降解亚甲基蓝 (MB) 反应性能的影响. 结果表明, 在这些气氛中热处理得到的锐钛矿晶型的纳米管阵列薄膜对 MB 降解满足一级反应, 其速率常数分别为 4.967, 3.127, 1.989 和 1.625 h^-1 (0.5 V). 电化学阻抗分析表明, TiO₂ 纳米管的光电催化性能受控于光生电荷的传递特性. 在 O₂ 中热处理, TiO₂ 纳米管的光吸收及激发性能得以改善, 且电荷传递阻抗降低, 因而其光电催化性能最好.     

脉冲沉积制备Cu2O/TiO2纳米管异质结的可见光光催化性能

在用阳极氧化法制备有序排列TiO₂纳米管阵列薄膜的基础上,引入脉冲沉积工艺,成功实现了均匀、弥散分布的Cu₂O纳米颗粒修饰改性TiO₂纳米管阵列,形成Cu₂O/TiO₂ 纳米管异质结复合材料. 利用场发射扫描电镜（FESEM）、场发射透射电镜（FETEM）、X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）和紫外-可见漫反射光谱（UV-Vis DRS）对样品进行表征,重点研究了Cu₂O/TiO₂ 纳米管异质结的光电化学特性和对甲基橙（MO）的可见光催化降解性能. 结果表明,Cu₂O纳米颗粒均匀附着在TiO₂纳米管阵列的管口和中部位置,所制备的Cu₂O/TiO₂ 纳米管异质结具有高效的可见光光催化性能;在浓度为0.01 mol·L^-1的CuSO₄溶液中制得的Cu₂O/TiO₂纳米管异质结表现出最好的电化学特性和光催化性能;另外,对Cu₂O纳米颗粒影响光催化活性的机理进行了讨论.     

TiO2-B纳米管负载过渡金属氧化物的电化学嵌锂性能

采用碱性条件下的水热法合成了质子钛酸盐纳米管,在此基础上采用化学沉淀方法制备了负载过渡金属(Co,Ni和Cu)氢氧化物的纳米管材料,然后在300 ℃氩气氛下烧结后得到负载过渡金属(Co,Ni和Cu)氧化物TiO₂-B纳米管。采用XRD和TEM等对其结构与形态进行了表征,采用恒电流充放电、循环伏安以及交流阻抗测试研究了其电化学嵌/脱锂性能。结果表明,TiO₂-B纳米管通过负载过渡金属(Co,Ni和Cu)氧化物纳米颗粒之后,改善了TiO₂-B纳米管的高倍率放电性能和循环稳定性。其中,负载NiO和CuO的TiO₂-B纳米管的高倍率放电性能和循环稳定性较为突出。研究还表明,负载过渡金属氧化物纳米颗粒后,有助于保持TiO₂-B纳米管在动态反应条件下的拟电容反应控制特征,并不同程度地减小了TiO₂-B纳米管的表面电荷转移电阻,这是TiO₂-B纳米管的电化学性能改善的主要原因。     

浸渍-分解法制备高可见光催化活性的Bi2O3/TiO2纳米管阵列

用浸渍-分解法将Bi₂O₃纳米颗粒沉积在TiO₂纳米管壁上, 制备了Bi₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列. 用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱(ICP-AES)测定了Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ 纳米管阵列的化学组分, 利用X 射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱表征了所制备的样品. 通过在可见光下(λ>400 nm)降解甲基橙(MO)水溶液来评价样品的光催化活性. 结果表明, Bi₂O₃纳米颗粒均匀地沉积在TiO₂纳米管中. Bi₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列具有比纯Bi₂O₃膜和N-TiO₂纳米管阵列高得多的可见光催化活性. Bi₂O₃/TiO₂纳米管阵列活性的增强是其强可见光吸收和Bi₂O₃与TiO₂之间形成的异质结的协同作用的结果.     

氟掺杂TiO2纳米管的可见光催化活性及第一性原理计算

作为光催化技术的核心, 提高TiO₂的光催化活性和对可见光的利用率是当前光催化研究中最重要的研究课题. 为了提高TiO₂纳米管的可见光催化活性, 采用化学气相沉积法对TiO₂纳米管进行了氟掺杂. 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)结果表明退火温度对于TiO₂纳米管的形貌完整性有较大影响, 当样品在550和700 °C下退火, 氟掺杂TiO₂纳米管结构受损; X射线衍射(XRD)分析表明氟掺杂对TiO₂由锐钛矿相转化为金红石相有阻碍作用; X射线光电子能谱(XPS)测试表明化学气相沉积能有效地对TiO₂纳米管进行非金属掺杂, 且该方法安全、操作简单. 氟掺杂TiO₂纳米管对甲基橙有较高的可见光催化降解活性. 第一性原理计算结果表明氟掺杂对TiO₂带隙无显著影响, 费米能级附近的F 2p轨道电子位于价带底部, 与O 2p交联作用较小, 因此对TiO₂光吸收带边影响不大. 氟掺杂能促进表面氧空穴的产生, 增加表面酸度与Ti³⁺, 有利于减少电子-空穴复合率, 从而提高其光催化活性.     

Modifications on reduced titanium dioxide photocatalysts: A review

A large variety of reduced titanium dioxide (TiO_2-x) materials have been reported recently. Reduced TiO₂, usually resulting from the removal of oxygen atoms or hydrogen incorporation, is proved to be efficient for achieving highly photocatalytic performance including photodegradation of organic compounds, hydrogen generation from water splitting, CO₂ reduction for CH₄ evolution, solar cells, etc. To further improve the properties and activities of TiO_2-x, a combination of the Ti³⁺ self-doping and other traditional modifications like nonmetals doping has been proposed in the past decades. This paper provides a general and critical review on the further modifications on reduced TiO₂ samples, including non-metal elements (N, B, S, F and I) doping, noble-metal (Au, Pt, Pd and Ag) and iron-group metal (Fe, Co and Ni) grafting, metal oxide compositing, carbon (nanotubes and graphene) and carbon-based-material compositing, special facets exposure (mainly dual {001}-{101} and {111}-{110} facets) of TiO_2-x and ordered structure controlling of TiO_2-x. These modifications enhance the physical and/or chemical properties of the reduced TiO₂, or create new features for the modified TiO_2-x samples, which finally leads to the enhancement of photocatalytic performance. Key examples such as N-doping, Au grafting and graphene-based compositing are discussed carefully, and the mechanisms for solar light enhancement, electron transfer and charge separation are also investigated. Finally, some challenging issues on TiO_2-x catalysts are also proposed to encourage new approaches for preparation of TiO_2-x catalysts with efficiently photocatalytic performance.     

Enhanced electron collection in photoanode based on ultrafine TiO2 nanotubes by a rapid anodization process

The separated and ultrafine TiO₂ nanotubes are fabricated by a modified rapid anodization method, which cannot be achieved through conventional anodization. Then, model dye-sensitized solar cells based on the prepared TiO₂ nanotubes and commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles (P25) are investigated, and a discrepancy is discovered between the light-harvesting capability and the power conversion efficiency. The charge transport and recombination are studied by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the open-circuit voltage decay technique. Results show that the nanotube photoanode owns a longer electron diffusion length and a larger electron lifetime than the nanoparticle one, which can compensate for the loss of light absorption. The enhanced electron collection efficiency observed is attributed to the facilitated charge carrier pathways in the photoanode composed by the separated TiO₂ nanotubes fabricated in this work. Therefore, the TiO₂ nanotubes synthesized by this method are verified to have good electronic properties, which might find applications not only in photovoltaic, but also in catalysis, sensors, and other areas.     

Shape‐ and Functionality‐Controlled Organization of TiO2–Porphyrin–C60 Assemblies for Improved Performance of Photochemical Solar Cells

Shape‐ and functionality‐controlled organization of porphyrin derivatives–C₆₀ supramolecular assemblies using TiO₂ nanotubes and nanoparticles has been achieved for the development of photochemical solar cells. The differences in the efficiency of light‐energy conversion of these solar cells are explained on the basis of the geometrical orientation of the porphyrins with respect to the TiO₂ surface and the supramolecular complex formed with C₆₀. The maximum photon‐conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 60 % obtained with TiO₂ nanotube architecture is higher than the value obtained with nanoparticle architecture. The results presented in this study show the importance of substrate morphology in promoting electron transport within the mesoscopic semiconductor film.     

Preparation of highly ordered TiO2 nanotubes on Ti-foil for dye-sensitized solar cells

TiO₂ nanotube arrays were grown on Ti foil in mixed electrolyte by the anodizing process. TiO₂ nanotube arrays were immersed in the TiCl₄ solution to improve the photocurrent by enhanced charge transfer between TiO₂ and dye molecules on the activity surface. Internal resistance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) was measured by impedance spectroscopy measurements. Backside illuminated DSSC with TiCl₄-treated TiO₂ nanotubes exhibited a conversion efficiency of 1.45% and showed improved electron transfer.     

Highly ordered combined structure of anodic TiO2 nanotubes and TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by a novel route for dye-sensitized solar cells

Combined structure of anodic TiO₂ nanotubes and TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiNTs-TiNPs) has been synthesized by a facile combination of hydrothermal and chemical vapor deposition methods. Ordered TiO₂ nanotubes with smooth walls were fabricated by two step anodization method in ethylene glycol containing NH₄F at 50 V. This nanotubular array after annealing at 450 °C was subjected to the hydrothermally produced gaseous environment in an autoclave with diluted TiCl₄ solution at its bottom. Vapors of TiCl₄ were allowed to react chemically with water vapors for predefined time durations at 180 °C that resulted in the deposition of TiO₂ nanoparticles on tubes’ surface and side walls. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that for one hour reaction duration, nanoparticles were evenly coated on the walls of nanotubes, whereas, longer durations tend to deteriorate the tubular structure. Consequently, the ordered TiNTs-TiNPs array produced after one hour coating has shown better performance for dye-sensitized solar cell DSSC) in back illumination mode with 130% increase in efficiency as compared to the device based on bare TiO₂ nanotubes. The same photoanode has higher reflective properties with higher scattering ability. The solar cell based on this photoanode exhibits higher external quantum efficiency and effective charge transport properties. This study shows that porous ordered 1D structures based on TiO₂ are of crucial importance for the high performance of DSSCs.     

Investigation of the stability of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

The stability of the TiO₂/ruthenium dye/CuI solid-state solar cell was investigated under continuous simulated sunlight illumination. The cells showed fast degradation under full-spectrum sunlight illumination, but showed rather good stability when the ultraviolet part of the illumination was removed. XPS measurements showed evidence that TiO₂ could oxidize CuI in the presence of UV light. The photo-degradation mechanism of the cells is thus discussed on the basis of the photo-oxidative function of TiO₂. The long-term stability of the solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was found to be improved under simulated sunlight by coating the TiO₂ porous electrode with an ultra-thin MgO layer, which was able to block the photo-oxidative activity of the TiO₂.     

Sonication-polished anodic TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotube array-based photoanode for efficient solar energy conversion

In this work, the capping layer atop anodic TiO₂ nanotube arrays (NTAs), which hinders filling of other guest materials and transport of charge carriers, is discerned to be TiO₂ nanotapes. Then, it is completely removed by a novel sonication-polishing (SP) treatment, after which Sb₂S₃ is subsequently introduced to fill the nanotubes by chemical bath deposition. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of the SP-treated TiO₂ NTAs and TiO₂ NTAs/Sb₂S₃ heterogeneous structures are characterized systematically. The results indicate that SP treatment opens the tops of nanotubes with diameters of ～120 nm, which endure a phase conversion from amorphous to anatase after calcination at 450 °C; besides, stibnite Sb₂S₃ with a band gap of ～1.75 eV inside the TiO₂ networks is formed upon heat treatment at 330 °C in Ar, which enhances the absorption in visible light range. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic properties for the SP-treated TiO₂ NTAs are investigated. Results shows that the photoresponse of TiO₂ NTAs is improved by the SP treatment, and the photocurrent for the TiO₂ NTAs/Sb₂S₃ electrode is substantially enhanced as compared to the bare TiO₂ one. A high efficiency of 6.28 % is achieved in a TiO₂ NTAs/Sb₂S₃ PEC cell. In addition, charge recombination in the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is observed to be greatly retarded by using the SP-treated TiO₂ NTAs as compared to TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). Thus, the SP anodic TiO₂ NTAs are promising in applications in various PEC areas such as photocatalysis and sensitized solar cells.     

Photovoltaic Performance Enhancement in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Periodic Surface Relief Structures

One-dimensional and two-dimensional periodic TiO₂ relief structures were incorporated in dye-sensitized solar cells. The periodic TiO₂ structures were fabricated using surface relief gratings photoinscribed on azobenzene functionalized polymer films as templates and TiO₂ sol-gel solution. Enhancement of power conversion of the solar cells made with the relief TiO₂ structures was achieved. This enhancement suggests that the relief TiO₂ structures can offer efficient light-trapping with the increased effective optical-path length in the solar cells.     

Energy Relay from an Unconventional Yellow Dye to CdS/CdSe Quantum Dots for Enhanced Solar Cell Performance

A new design for a quasi‐solid‐state Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) enabled solar cell with unattached Lucifer yellow (LY) dye molecules as donors and CdS/CdSe quantum dots (QDs) tethered to titania (TiO₂) as acceptors is presented. The Forster radius is experimentally determined to be 5.29 nm. Sequential energy transfer from the LY dye to the QDs and electron transfer from the QDs to TiO₂ is followed by fluorescence quenching and electron lifetime studies. Cells with a donor–acceptor architecture (TiO₂/CdS/CdSe/ZnS‐LY/S^2?‐multi‐walled carbon nanotubes) show a maximum incident photon‐to‐current conversion efficiency of 53 % at 530 nm. This is the highest efficiency among Ru‐dye free FRET‐enabled quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs), and is much higher than the donor or acceptor‐only cells. The FRET‐enhanced solar cell performance over the majority of the visible spectrum paves the way to harnessing the untapped potential of the LY dye as an energy relay fluorophore for the entire gamut of dye sensitized, organic, or hybrid solar cells.     

Dye‐Sensitized TiO2 Nanotube Solar Cells: Rational Structural and Surface Engineering on TiO2 Nanotubes

Owing to well‐defined structural parameters and enhanced electronic properties, highly ordered TiO₂ nanotube arrays have been employed to substitute TiO₂ nanoparticles for use in dye‐sensitized solar cells. To further improve the performance of dye‐sensitized TiO₂ nanotube solar cells, efforts have been directed toward the optimization of TiO₂ photoanodes, dyes, electrolytes, and counter electrodes. Herein, we highlight recent progress in rational structural and surface engineering on anodic TiO₂ nanotube arrays and their effects on improving the power conversion efficiency of dye‐sensitized TiO₂ nanotube solar cells.