Optimization of boron-doping process of titania nanotubes via electrochemical method toward enhanced photoactivity

In this work, we were focused on the development of the electrochemical approach resulting in a stable boron doping of titania nanotubes. The doping procedure concerns anodic polarization of as-anodized titania in a H₃BO₃ solution acting as n boron precursor. The series of attempts were taken in order to elaborate the most beneficial doping conditions. The parameters of electrochemical doping allowing to obtain boron-doped titania characterized by the highest photoconversion efficiency are as follows: reaction voltage 1.8 V, process duration 0.5 h, and the concentration of boric acid 0.5 M. Spectroscopy techniques such as UV-vis, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence emission, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the absorbance capability and the crystalline phase, to confirm the presence of boron atoms and to study the nature of chemical compounds, respectively. The well-ordered structure of titania and resistance of its morphology toward electrochemical treatment in H₃BO₃ were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy images. However, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies showed the significant difference in conductivity and capacitance between doped and pristine titania. Moreover, the photocurrent densities of the B-doped sample were about seven times higher in comparison with those generated by the pure titania nanotube electrode.

     

Electrochemical capacitance performance of polypyrrole–titania nanotube hybrid

In this study, the polypyrrole–titania nanotube hybrid has been synthesized for an electrochemical supercapacitor application. The highly ordered and independent titania nanotube array is fabricated by an electro-oxidation of titanium sheet through an electrochemical anodization process in an aqueous solution containing ammonium fluoride, phosphoric acid and ethylene glycol. The polypyrrole–titania nanotube hybrid is then prepared by electrodepositing the conducting polypyrrole into well-aligned titania nanotubes through a normal pulse voltammetry deposition process in an organic acetonitrile solution containing pyrrole monomer and lithium perchlorate. The morphology and microstructure of polypyrrole–titania nanotube hybrid are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical capacitance performance is determined by cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge measurement. It indicates that the polypyrrole film can been uniformly deposited on both surfaces of titania nanotube walls, demonstrating a heterogeneous coaxial nanotube structure. The specific capacitance of polypyrrole–titania nanotube hybrid is determined to be 179?F?g^?1 based on the polypyrrole mass. The specific energy and specific power are 7.8?Wh?kg^?1 and 2.8?kW?kg^?1 at a constant charge/discharge current of 1.85?mA?cm^?2, respectively. The retained specific capacitance still keeps 85% of the initial capacity even after 200 cycle numbers. This result demonstrates the satisfying stability and durability of PPy–TiO₂ nanotube hybrid electrode in a cyclic charge/discharge process. Such a composite electrode material with highly ordered and coaxial nanotube hybrid structure can contribute high energy storage for supercapacitor applications.     

Facile preparation of extremely photoactive boron-doped TiO2 nanotubes arrays

Doping of TiO₂ nanotube arrays with boron was realized via electrochemical treatment of as-anodized titania immersed in electrolyte containing boric acid. The photoactivity of doped and pure titania was examined by means of photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic response under UV–vis irradiation. The results showed that photocurrent density of B-TNTs is remarkably higher (7.5 times) than density of pure TiO₂ nanotube arrays. Furthermore, the usage of doped samples as a catalytic material leads to a significant improvement in decomposition efficiency of methylene blue and in the efficient formation of hydroxyl radicals than is the case in the presence of titania.     

Effects of KI encapsulation in single-walled carbon nanotubes by Raman and optical absorption spectroscopy

The effect of KI encapsulation in narrow (HiPCO) single-walled carbon nanotubes is studied via Raman spectroscopy and optical absorption. The analysis of the data explores the interplay between strain and structural modifications, bond-length changes, charge transfer, and electronic density of states. KI encapsulation appears to be consistent with both charge transfer and strain that shrink both the C-C bonds and the overall nanotube along the axial direction. The charge transfer in larger semiconducting nanotubes is low and comparable with some cases of electrochemical doping, while optical transitions between pairs of singularities of the density of states are quenched for narrow metallic nanotubes. Stronger changes in the density of states occur in some energy ranges and are attributed to polarization van der Waals interactions caused by the ionic encapsulate. Unlike doping with other species, such as atoms and small molecules, encapsulation of inorganic compounds via the molten-phase route provides stable effects due to maximal occupation of the nanotube inner space.     

Photocatalytic activity of nitrogen and copper doped TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by microwave-assisted sol-gel process

Cu and N-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized from titanium (IV) isopropoxide via a microwave-assisted sol-gel method. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, photocurrent measurement technique, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms. Raman spectra and XRD showed an anatase phase structure. The SEM and TEM images revealed the formation of an almost spheroid mono disperse TiO₂ with particle sizes in the range of 9-17 nm. Analysis of N₂ isotherm measurements showed that all investigated TiO₂ samples have mesoporous structures with high surface areas. The optical absorption edge for the doped TiO₂ was significantly shifted to the visible light region. The photocurrent and photocatalytic activity of pure and doped TiO₂ were evaluated with the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) solution under both UV and visible light illumination. The doped TiO₂ nanoparticles exhibit higher catalytic activity under each of visible light and UV irradiation in contrast to pure TiO₂. The photocatalytic activity and photocurrent ability of TiO₂ have been enhanced by doping of the titania in the following order: (Cu, N) - codoped TiO₂ > N-doped TiO₂ > Cu-doped TiO₂ > TiO₂. COD result for (Cu, N)-codoped TiO₂ reveals ∼92% mineralization of the MO dye on six h of visible light irradiation.     

直流反应磁控溅射制备的Mo掺杂TiO2薄膜的光电特性

通过直流反应磁控溅射制备了不同Mo掺杂量的Mo-TiO2薄膜.用原子力显微镜(AFM)、X射线衍射(XRD)仪、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)仪、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)分光光度计详细研究了Mo掺杂量对薄膜表面形貌、晶体结构、元素价态及吸收带边的影响.用瞬态光电流和循环伏安法考察了不同Mo含量ITO/Mo-TiO2电极的光电特性.结果表明:在TiO2薄膜中掺入的Mo以Mo6+和Mo5+两种价态存在;随着Mo掺杂量的增加,Mo-TiO2薄膜的晶粒尺寸逐渐减小,晶格畸变增大,吸收阈值显著红移;薄膜的禁带宽度先减小后增大,在Mo掺杂量为2.7%(n(Mo)/n(Ti))时禁带宽度最小;Mo掺杂量为0.9%的样品在氙灯下的光生电流最大,且随着所加阳极偏压的提高光生电流并未呈现出饱和的趋势.此后随着掺杂量的提高,薄膜的光生电流开始下降,当Mo掺杂量达到3.6%时,薄膜的光电流小于未掺杂的样品;说明适当浓度的Mo掺杂能够提高Mo-TiO2薄膜光电性能,光生电流最大可达未掺杂的2.4倍.     

Cu掺杂TiO2纳米管可见光催化矿化甲苯

采用低温水热法制备氢钛酸管, 通过吸附-煅烧法制备Cu掺杂TiO₂纳米管(Cu-TNT)催化剂. 利用X射线衍射(XRD)、电感耦合等离子体-原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、透射电镜(TEM)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis-DRS)和电化学测试手段对样品进行表征, 并进行平面波赝势密度泛函理论(DFT)计算. 结果表明, 样品中Cu/Ti原子比接近理论值, Cu掺杂进入TiO₂晶格内部, 诱发催化剂可见光活性. 掺Cu后,Cu 3d轨道和O 2p轨道杂化形成价带顶, 价带负向偏移, 样品禁带宽度减小为2.50-2.91 eV, 具有可见光响应.以甲苯为模型污染物研究催化剂对挥发性有机化合物(VOCs)的催化去除和矿化效果. 未掺杂的TNT可见光催化活性较差; Cu掺杂量超过0.1%(Cu/Ti原子比)时, 样品催化活性也减弱; Cu掺杂量为0.1%的催化剂具有最佳可见光催化氧化能力, 7 h内甲苯的去除率达77%, 甲苯的矿化率达59%.     

Characterizing the Role of Iodine Doping in Improving Photovoltaic Performance of Dye‐Sensitized Hierarchically Structured ZnO Solar Cells

We report two novel types of hierarchically structured iodine‐doped ZnO (I? ZnO)‐based dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs) using indoline D205 and the ruthenium complex N719 as sensitizers. It was found that iodine doping boosts the efficiencies of D205 I? ZnO and N719 I? ZnO DSCs with an enhancement of 20.3 and 17.9 %, respectively, compared to the undoped versions. Transient absorption spectra demonstrated that iodine doping impels an increase in the decay time of I? ZnO, favoring enhanced exciton life. Mott–Schottky analysis results indicated a negative shift of the flat‐band potential (V_fb) of ZnO, caused by iodine doping, and this shift correlated with the enhancement of the open circuit voltage (V_oc). To reveal the effect of iodine doping on the effective separation of e^?‐h⁺ pairs which is responsible for cell efficiency, direct visualization of light‐induced changes in the surface potential between I? ZnO particles and dye molecules were traced by Kelvin probe force microscopy. We found that potential changes of iodine‐doped ZnO films by irradiation were above one hundred millivolts and thus significantly greater. In order to correlate enhanced cell performance with iodine doping, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, incident‐photon‐current efficiency, and cyclic voltammetry investigations on I? ZnO cells were carried out. The results revealed several favorable features of I? ZnO cells, that is, longer electron lifetime, lower charge‐transfer resistance, stronger peak current, and extended visible light harvest, all of which serve to promote cell performance.     

Photocatalytic and Photoelectronic Properties of Anatase TiO2 Modified by Cu Ions Plasma and Its Theoretic Study by the First Principle Study

<正>Highly ordered anatase titania nanotube arrays (TiNT) were fabricated by anodic oxidation. SEM analysis method was used to characterize the morphology of the prepared samples. TiNT samples doped with Cu ions were prepared by home-made Metal Vapor Vacuum Arc ions sources (MEVVA, BNU, China) implanter. Photo-electric response and methyl orange decomposition ability of implanted samples under UV and visible light were tested, and the results indicated that the performance of Cu/TiNT enhanced significantly under visible light; it was noteworthy that the photocurrent density of A-Cu/TiNT was 0.102 mA/cm~2, which was 115 times that of pure TiNT, and degradation ability of TiNT also strongly enhanced under visible light. In a word, the absorption spectrum of implanted anatase titania shifted to a longer wavelength region. Theoretic study on Cu-doped anatase based on density functional theory was carried out in this paper to validate the experiment results. The calculation results are depicted as follows: Intermittent energy band appeared around the Fermi energy after doping with Cu metal, the width of which was 0.35 eV and the location of valence and conduction bands shifted to the lower energy level by 0.22 eV; more excitation and jump routes were opened for the electrons. The narrowed band gaps allowed the photons with lower energy (at longer wavelength, such as visible light) to be absorbed, which accorded well with the experimental results.     

Preparation and characterization of Zr doped TiO2 nanotube arrays on the titanium sheet and their enhanced photocatalytic activity

This paper described a new method for the preparation of Zr doped TiO₂ nanotube arrays by electrochemical method. TiO₂ nanotube arrays were prepared by anodization with titanium anode and platinum cathode. Afterwards, the formed TiO₂ nanotube arrays and Pt were used as cathode and anode, respectively, for preparation of Zr/TiO₂ nanotube arrays in the electrolyte of 0.1 M Zr(NO₃)₄ with different voltage and post-calcination process. The nanotube arrays were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and UV-Vis diffusion reflection spectra (DRS). The photocatalytic activities of these nanotubes were investigated with Rhodamine B as the model pollutant and the results demonstrated that the photocatalytic efficiency of Zr doped TiO₂ nanotubes was much better than that of TiO₂ nanotubes under UV irradiation. Zr/TiO₂ nanotube arrays doped at 7 V and calcined at 600 °C (denoted as TiO₂-7 V-600) achieved the best photocatalytic efficiency and the most optimal doping ratio was 0.047 (Zr/Ti). TiO₂-7 V-600 could be reused for more than 20 times and maintained good photocatalytic activities.     

Highly ordered anodized Nb2O5 nanochannels for dye-sensitized solar cells

Highly ordered anodized Nb₂O₅ nanochannels are synthesized and utilized as the photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We characterize these DSSCs to determine the optimum photoanode thickness for the best cell performance. The samples with thicknesses from 5 to 25 μm are obtained in glycerol based electrolyte at 180 °C and their photoconversion properties are investigated utilizing various techniques including photocurrent–voltage characteristic, photovoltage decay and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Overall, the DSSC incorporating a 10 μm thick Nb₂O₅ photoanode shows the highest efficiency of 4.48%. We analyze the factors that limit the efficiency of DSSCs.     

Photoelectrochemical oxidation behavior of methanol on highly ordered TiO2 nanotube array electrodes

The highly ordered titanium dioxide nanotube array (HOTDNA) electrodes were prepared in hydrofluoric acid solution by electrochemical anodic oxidation technique on a pure titanium sheet. The HOTDNA electrodes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM microscopy, and UV–vis spectra. It has shown high density, well ordered and uniform titanium dioxide nanotube array film covered on these electrodes and the TiO₂ structure depending on the heating condition, the anatase phase of TiO₂ appeared when heating to 500 °C. The photoelectrochemical characteristics of methanol in 0.5 M Na₂SO₄ on the HOTDNA electrodes were investigated. The cyclic voltammetry, photocurrent-time and open-circuit photopotential response of methanol on the HOTDNA electrode were represented and significant photogenerated current was observed upon illumination in the UV regions with the light of 253.7 nm central wavelength. The effect of variables such as light intensity, applied potential, and methanol concentration on the photoelectrochemical response was investigated. It was found that the photocurrent was greatly influenced by these factors.     

Electrochemical impedance studies of the undoping process of platinum phthalocyanine charge transfer microcrystals

Platinum phthalocyanine (PtPc) microcrystal films undergo three successive electrochemical oxidations. Each of these processes is associated with anion insertion or doping. The reverse process of anion insertion, undoping, has been investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and in-situ UV–vis spectroscopy. The impedance theory of conductive polymer films developed by Vorotyntsev et al. is applicable to this process. The kinetics of the undoping process depend upon the previous oxidative treatment, and thus the doping level. Three different states of the film can be demarcated, depending on the degree of oxidation (and thus the degree of doping) of the PtPc film. These are called the lightly doped, the conductive and the over-doped state, respectively. For lightly doped films, the film conductivity, the redox capacitance, the diffusion coefficient for charge transport and the rate of electrochemical reaction all decrease with decreasing potential. The film conductivity depends upon the concentration of free charge carriers. For the more highly doped conductive film, all of the above parameters are greatly enhanced, and the electrochemical reaction is accelerated and proceeds at a very high rate. The potential dependence of the redox capacitance and the diffusion coefficient depends on the type of anion. During undoping at 0 V, unusually high diffusion coefficients with a magnitude of order 10⁻² cm² s⁻¹ are observed and are attributed to the strong interactions between the electronic and ionic carriers during the phase transformation. For the over-doped film, undoping leads to an increase in the film conductivity and electrochemical reaction rate. The potential dependence of the redox capacitance and diffusion coefficients for charge transport implies strong interactions within the film. Hypsochromic shifts in UV–vis spectra with decreasing potential indicate conformational relaxation during the undoping process. SEM investigation confirms that the doped film swells during the de-doping process.     

脉冲沉积制备Cu_2O/TiO_2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.     

Highly ordered nanoporous TiO2 and its photocatalytic properties

Hexagonally packed nanoporous TiO₂ has been developed by a self-templating electrochemical anodization method on titanium foil. The template is made by a two-step anodization process, where highly ordered hexagonally packed dimples are formed on titanium surface through self-organization. The template is then subjected to a third anodization process with a fast voltage ramp rate, from which a highly ordered porous structure is obtained. Such a material with an ordered structure shows enhanced photocatalytic activity as compared to titania nanotube.     

Fabrication of TiO2/Ti nanotube electrode and the photoelectrochemical behaviors in NaCl solutions

Titanium oxide nanotube electrodes were successfully prepared by anodic oxidation on pure Ti sheets in 0.5 wt.% NH₄F + 1 wt.% (NH₄)₂SO₄ + 90 wt.% glycerol mixed solutions. Nanotubes with diameter 40–60 nm and length 7.4 μm were observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. The electrochemical and photoelectrochemical characteristics of TiO₂ nanotube electrode were investigated using linear polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The open-circuit potential dropped markedly under irradiation and with the increase of Cl⁻ concentrations. A saturated photocurrent of approximately 1.3 mA cm⁻² was observed under 10-W low-mercury lamp irradiation in 0.1 M NaCl solution, which was much higher than film electrode. Meanwhile, the highest photocurrent in NaCl solution implied that the photogenerated holes preferred to combine with Cl⁻. Thus, a significant synergetic effect on active chlorine production was observed in photoelectrocatalytic processes. Furthermore, the generation efficiency for active chlorine was about two times that using TiO₂/Ti film electrode by sol–gel method. Finally, the effects of initial pH and Cl⁻ concentration were also discussed.     

H2分子在碱金属掺杂碳纳米管上的吸附特性

采用密度泛函理论研究了H₂在碱金属(M=Li, K)掺杂的扶手椅型单壁碳纳米管上的吸附. 对于碱金属管内掺杂, 模拟了4种氢吸附构型; 对于管外掺杂, 考虑了两种吸附结构, 同时还考虑了两种不同的掺杂浓度. 所有吸附模型都进行了全优化. 计算结果表明, 碱金属掺杂后, 碱金属与碳纳米管之间发生电子授受作用使得碱金属带正电荷, 对于金属Li, 管内掺杂更有利于电子向碳纳米管转移; 与管内掺杂相比, Li原子的管外掺杂更有利于H2分子吸附. 碱金属管外掺杂的碳纳米管吸附H₂的最稳定结构, 存在碱金属原子与H₂分子的配位作用.     

微含水量电解液中高管径比TiO_2纳米管阵列的制备

通过阳极氧化法在微含水量为0.5wt%的NH4F/乙二醇/H2O酸性电解质体系中制备了管径大、高管径比的二氧化钛(TiO2)纳米管阵列。采用SEM、XRD等测试手段对TiO2纳米管阵列形貌及晶相进行表征,探讨了不同氧化时间、电压对纳米管阵列形貌的影响,微含水量下氧化电压可以适当增加,更容易得到规整的长纳米管阵列;通过测定样品的光电流和紫外-可见光漫反射吸收光谱,研究分析了含水量以及超声工艺对纳米管光吸收及光电流特性,微含水量下得到的纳米管阵列可见光吸收边红移至420nm,对480~700nm可见光有明显的光吸收,光电流显著增大;丙酮作为超声介质可有效去除纳米管阵列表面的集束,能进一步提高纳米管阵列的光电性能。     

Low-voltage anodized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanostructures studied by alternate current electrochemical microscopy and photoelectrochemical measurements

This paper presents the characterization of TiO₂ nanostructures obtained by low-voltage anodization using alternate current electrochemical microscopy (AC-SECM) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements. TiO₂ nanostructures were obtained from the exposure of titanium foils to several aqueous acidic solutions of hydrofluoric acid + phosphoric acid at potentials of 1 to 3 V. Scanning electron microscopy, X ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy studies evidence the formation of a thin porous amorphous layer (<600 nm) with pore size in the range of 200–1,000 nm. By AC-SECM studies at different bias, we were able to confirm the unambiguous semiconducting properties of as-obtained porous titania films, as well as differences in surface roughness and conductivity in specimens obtained at both potentials. The difference in conductivity persists in air annealed samples, as demonstrated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and PEC measurements. Specimens obtained at 3 V show lower photocurrent and dark current than those obtained at 1 V, regardless of their larger conductivity, and we proposed it is due to differences on the oxide layer formed at the pore bottom.     

水热合成制备Al掺杂α-MnO2纳米管及其超级电容器电化学性能

通过水热法制备了未掺杂α-MnO₂和Al 掺杂α-MnO₂, 对产物的形貌、结构和电化学性能进行了研究. 扫描电镜(SEM)和高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)观察表明制备产物呈纳米管形态. 紫外-可见光谱分析计算了产物的能带间隙: 随着Al 的掺杂, α-MnO₂的能带间隙值降低. 以未掺杂α-MnO₂与Al 掺杂α-MnO₂作为电极材料, 通过循环伏安(CV)和恒流充放电测试电极的超级电容器性能. 在50 mA·g^-1电流密度下, 未掺杂α-MnO₂与Al 掺杂α-MnO₂电极的比电容分别达到了204.8 和228.8 F·g^-1. 电化学阻抗谱(EIS)分析表明Al 的掺杂降低了α-MnO₂在电解液中的阻抗, 有利于提高其电化学比电容. 增强的比电容及在1000个循环后仍具有良好的容量保持率,使Al 掺杂α-MnO₂在超级电容器中具有较好的应用前景.