Effect of nanoporous In2O3 film fabricated on TiO2-In2O3 photoanode for photovoltaic performance via a sparking method

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A simple and inexpensive sparking method was used to deposit body-centered cubic In2O3 film on TiO2 photoanode for 30–180 min for...     

Modeling growth of organized nanoporous structures by anodic oxidation

Nanostructured porous oxides are produced by anodic dissolution of several metals. A scaling approach is introduced to explain pattern nucleation in an oxide layer, and a related microscopic model shows oxide growth with long nanopores. The scaling approach matches the time of ion transport across the thin oxide layer, which is related to metal corrosion, and the time of diffusion along the oxide/solution (OS) interface, which represents the extension of oxide dissolution. The selected pattern size is of order (dD(S)/v(O))(1/2), where d is the oxide thickness, v(O) is the migration velocity of oxygen ions across the oxide, and D(s) is the diffusion coefficient of H(+) ions along the oxide/solution interface. This result is consistent with available experimental data for those quantities, predicts the increase of pore size with the external voltage, and suggests the independence of pore size with the solution pH. Subsequently, we propose a microscopic model that expresses the main physicochemical processes as a set of characteristic lengths for diffusion and surface relaxation. It shows a randomly perturbed OS interface at short times, its evolution to pore nucleation and to stable growth of very long pores, in agreement with the mechanistic scenario suggested by two experimental groups. The decrease of the size of the walls between the pores with the interface tension is consistent with arguments for formation of titania nanotube arrays instead of nanopores. These models show that pattern nucleation and growth depend on matching a small number of physicochemical parameters, which is probably the reason for the production of nanostructured porous oxides from various materials under suitable electrochemical conditions.     

Si-doped Fe2O3 nanotubular/nanoporous layers for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

The present work reports the enhancement of the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance of in-situ silicon (Si)-doped nanotubular/nanoporous (NT/NP) layers. These layers were grown by self-organizing anodization on Fe-Si alloys of various Si content. The incorporation of Si is found to retard the layer growth rates, leads to a more pronounced nanotubular morphology, and most importantly, an improved photoelectrochemical behavior. By increasing Si content from 1, 2 to 5 at.% in the iron oxide NT/NP photoanodes, the photocurrent onset potential shifts favorably to lower values. At 1.3 V vs. RHE, hematite layer with 5 at.% Si shows a 5-fold increase of the photocurrent, i.e. 0.5 mA cm^− 2 in comparison to 0.1 mA cm^− 2 for the undoped samples. The study also reveals that a suitable layer thickness is essential to achieve a beneficial effect of the Si doping.     

Boosting the photoelectrochemical water oxidation performance of bismuth vanadate by ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles

Due to the involvement of four-electron transfer process at photoanode,water oxidation is the ratelimiting step in water splitting reaction.To settle this dilemma,ZnCo₂ O₄ nanoparticles are combined with BiVO₄ to form a p-n ZnCo₂ O₄/BiVO₄ heterojunction photoanode,which is proved by an input voltage-output current test.The built-in electric field formed within the heterojunction structure promotes the effective separation of elect...     

Novel fabrication process using nanoporous anodic aluminum oxidation and MEMS technologies for gas detection

A class of nanoporous TiO₂ gas sensors processed by novel anodic aluminum oxidation (AAO) of Al thin films and microelectromechnical systems (MEMS) techniques are presented. To enhance the sensitivity and reduce the sensing dimensions of a gas sensor, a nanoporous surface of the gas-sensitive material on the sensor is required. These sensors can be implemented on silicon or silicon dioxide substrate featuring a thin membrane of micro-hotplate structure featuring micro-heaters, thermometers and electrodes, and thus operate as chemoresistive devices. Combining the AAO method with dry-etch process, a homogeneous and nanoporous SiO₂ surface of the sensor can be effectively configured by modulating various hole diameters and depth, hence replacing conventional photolithography and electrochemical etch. The process integration including AAO, reactive ion etch (RIE) and microfabrication is mainly developed and a feasibility study of PVD TiO₂ thin film deposition upon the porous device is also provided. TiO₂ thin films deposited on the nanoporous surface are investigated and compared with non-porous TiO₂ films. It is encouraging that our fabrication process is able to provide relatively high surface area to enhance sensitivity of the sensor without additional doping steps. Our promising experimental results have revealed these miniature and cost-effective devices are not only compatible, but applicable to smart bio-chemical sensors of next generation.     

Crystallographic parameters of Bi2O3 and reduced Graphene-Bi2O3 nano-composite thin film

The Bi₂O₃ and reduced graphene (RG)-Bi₂O₃ nano-composite thin films are synthesized using modified sol-gel process. For structural examination, the samples are analyzed using XRD. Using the Scherrer equation and a modified Scherrer plot, the sample's structural parameters are calculated. The materials' size and strain were estimated from different methods like modified Williamson-Hall (W–H), Halder-Wagner (H–W), and Size Strain Plot (SSP) with logical validity. The different crystallographic parameters obtained are compared and presented in this work.     

Facile preparation of Fe2O3 thin film with photoelectrochemical properties

We report a simple approach for preparing undoped and Pt-doped Fe(2)O(3) thin films with excellent photoactivity via facile hydrothermal growth. The photocurrent densities of undoped and Pt-doped Fe(2)O(3) thin films were recorded up to 1.2 and 1.38 mA cm(-2) at 0.23 V Ag/AgCl under 1 sun illumination, respectively.     

Facile Fabrication of Porous Bi2O3 Microspheres by Thermal Treatment of Bi2O2CO3 Microspheres and its Photocatalysis Properties

β- and α-phase porous Bi₂O₃ microspheres with an average size of around 4 μm had been synthesized by thermal treatment of Bi₂O₂CO₃ microspheres at 350 and 400–500 °C respectively in an air atmosphere. The Bi₂O₂CO₃ microspheres had been synthesized at a temperature of 180 °C by a hydrothermal process using Bi(NO₃)₃ as the bismuth source with the assist of citric acid. By combining the results of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–Visible absorption spectra, the structural, morphological and optical properties characterization of the products were performed. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared α- and β-phase porous Bi₂O₃ microspheres have been tested by degradation of methylene orange under visible light, indicating that porous β-Bi₂O₃ microspheres showed enhanced photocatalytic performance compared to P25 and α-Bi₂O₃ microspheres.     

Preparation and photoelectrochemical performance of PbSe/BaTiO3/TiO2 composite film

By dipping-lifting in sol–gel solution and reducing process, the TiO₂ composite film on the glass plate was first prepared. Then, the PbSe/BaTiO₃/TiO₂ composite film was fabricated by interface reaction with BaTiO₃ and PbSe on the surface of TiO₂ composite film. The characterization results show that the uniform porous TiO₂ film is made up of the anatase crystal, and the PbSe/BaTiO₃/TiO₂ composite film is constructed by doping or depositing BaTiO₃ and PbSe nanoparticles on the surface of TiO₂ film. The photoelectrochemical measurement results indicate that the PbSe/BaTiO₃/TiO₂ composite film has an interesting photoelectrochemical conversion property.     

Bi2S3-sensitized TiO2 nanorods by bottom-up approach for photoelectrochemical solar cell

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3)-sensitized titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorods have been successfully synthesized by a simple and cost-effective chemical deposition...     

Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of Bi2S3/Ag2S/ZnO novel ternary heterostructure nanorods

The current work investigates the morphology, crystallinity and photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of bismuth sulfide/silver sulfide/zinc oxide nanorods (Bi₂S₃/Ag₂S/ZnO NRAs) photoelectrodes as prepared at different annealing temperature. ZnO NRAs was initially grown hydrothermally, deposited in sequence with Ag₂S and Bi₂S₃ via successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method before undergoing the annealing treatment. The optimised photoelectrode (Bi₂S₃/Ag₂S/ZnO NRAs-400 °C) possesses an optical bandgap of 1.60 eV extending the absorption edge of ZnO to visible light spectrum. The current-voltage characterization of Bi₂S₃/Ag₂S/ZnO NRAs photoelectrodes revealed that the photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency were strongly dependent on the annealing temperature. The PEC study shows that the photoelectrode annealed at 400 °C achieved impressive photocurrent density of 12.95 mA/cm² at +0.5 V (vs Ag/AgCl/saturated KCl) under 100 mW/cm² illumination with superior photoconversion efficiency of 12.63%. This improvement is due to the cascade-designed band structure alignment of Bi₂S₃/Ag₂S/ZnO/ITO and to the brilliant role of Ag₂S as an intermediate layer that reduced random chance of electron-hole (e⁻_-h⁺) pairs recombination and improved the electrons collection efficiency. This work is highly anticipated to give contribution on further utilisation of Bi₂S₃/Ag₂S/ZnO NRAs as a promising semiconductor material in PEC related applications.     

Bi5Nb3O15 as a photocatalyst: photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical studies

Bi₅Nb₃O₁₅ was prepared from a stoichiometric mixture of Bi₂O₃ and Nb₂O₅ at 300–500 °C. The prepared photocatalyst was characterized by diffuse reflection spectrum (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size analysis. The band gap, crystal structure and average grain size were determined from the above methods to be 3.25 eV, distorted pyrochlore and 4–5 μm respectively. The photoelectrochemical behavior of hydrogen-reduced Bi₅Nb₃O₁₅ was investigated in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ and using the Fe(CN)₆ ^3−/4− redox couple for measuring the current-voltage characteristics. The cyclic voltammetric studies revealed that the onset potential for photocurrent generation existed at −0.45 V, which is more negative to water reduction level at pH 7.0, and that of the photocurrent at 1.0 V was observed as 0.58 mA/cm². Photocatalytic hydrogen production has been achieved by using Bi₅Nb₃O₁₅ as a photocatalyst in presence of methyl viologen. The quantum yield for hydrogen production for this system was found to be 0.83. All the studies clearly indicated that Bi₅Nb₃O₁₅ has potential in solar energy conversion. Received: 22 May 1997 / Accepted: 18 September 1997     

Oxygen ionic transport in Bi2O3-based oxides: II. The Bi2O3–ZrO2–Y2O3 and Bi2O3–Nb2O5–Ho2O3 solid solutions

Electrical conductivity, fluorite-type cubic unit cell volume and thermal expansion of the (Bi_{1− x} Nb _x )_{1− y} Ho _y O_1.5+δ (x=0.05 and 0.08; y=0.10−0.15) and (Bi_{1− x} Zr _x )_{1− y} Y _y O_1.5+δ (x=0.05 and 0.07; y=0.15) solid solutions have been found to decrease regularly with increasing dopant content. Annealing at temperatures below 900 K leads to a phase decomposition and to a sharp decrease in conductivity of the ceramics. Oxygen ion transference numbers have been determined by the e.m.f. method and by Faradaic efficiency measurement to exceed 0.9. A new technique of studying Faradaic efficiency has been proposed and verified using (Bi_0.95Zr_0.05)_0.85Y_0.15O_1.5+δ and Zr_0.90Y_0.10O_1.95 ceramic samples. Received: 31 October 1997 / Accepted: 18 December 1997     

Preparation of compact Al2O3 film on metal for oxidation resistance by polyvinylpyrrolidone

Oxidation resistance of metal at high temperature can be improved by an environmentally friendly solution deposition approach. Stable precursor solution with high oxide concentration, favorable viscosity and low surface tension was prepared using aluminum sec-butoxide (ASB) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as starting raw materials. Alumina sol-gel films were deposited onto metal by spin-coating followed by heat treatment. When PVP was added according to an amount of 50 mg/mL into a sol with an ASB/H₂O molar ratio of 1:35, the as-obtained sol exhibited favorable gelation time and viscosity. The surface tension of the alumina sol with PVP was examined to be lower by 32% than the sol (ASB:H₂O = 1:100) without PVP. TG-DTA analyses show the densification of the alumina gel film with PVP was progressed within a wide temperature range from 200 to 650 °C. Crack-free Al₂O₃ film with a thickness up to 1.5 μm was successfully produced on metallic substrate by three spin-coating cycles. SEM and XRD analyses revealed the gel film transformed into compact α-Al₂O₃ material after calcined at 1,000 °C for 0.5 h. The weight gained by the samples during firing at 1,000 °C indicated that the Al₂O₃ coating film could reduce the rate of oxidation by ∼81%. The hardness of the Al₂O₃ film coated metal was higher by 260% than the uncoated metal that was calcined at 1,000 °C for 0.5 h. It was confirmed by adhesion test that both the alumina/PVP hybrid film and the as-produced α-Al₂O₃ coating film had strong adhesion.     

Structural and photoelectrochemical characterization of MWCNT-TiO2 matrices sensitized with Bi2S3

Structural and photoelectrochemical characterization of multiwall carbon nanotubes–titanium oxide (MWCNT-TiO₂) matrices, sensitized with bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃), are presented as a function of MWCNT-TiO₂ annealing temperature and Bi₂S₃ deposition time. Random matrices of multiwall carbon nanotubes were grown on stainless steel substrates by spray pyrolysis and then functionalized with a thin layer of TiO₂. Air annealing modifies the morphology and C/TiO₂ ratio in the hybrid materials, from MWCNT-TiO₂ core and shell structures at 400 °C to carbon-doped TiO₂ (C-TiO₂) at 550 °C. Both matrices increase the amount of Bi₂S₃ deposited by the chemical bath, but the best photoelectrochemical performance is observed in electrodes based on C-TiO₂. Electrodes based on core–shell structures of MWCNT-TiO₂ show large capacitive currents that interfere with photocurrent generation, demonstrating the storage potential of MWCNT and the critical role of MWCNT/TiO₂ ratio for photoelectrochemical applications. Regardless of the superior properties of C-TiO₂ photoanodes, the power conversion efficiency of Bi₂S₃-sensitized C-TiO₂ is limited by the appearance of an electron collection barrier at the substrate/film interface.     

Synergy effects in mixed Bi2O3, MoO3 and V2O5 catalysts for selective oxidation of propylene

In this work, the possible synergy effects between Bi₂O₃, MoO₃ and V₂O₅, and between Bi₂Mo₃O₁₂ and BiVO₄, were investigated. The catalytic activity of the ??mechanical mixture?? of these compounds was measured. The mixture containing 36.96?mol% Bi₂O₃, 39.13?mol% MoO₃ and 23.91?mol% V₂O₅ (21.43?mol% Bi₂Mo₃O₁₂ and 78.57?mol% BiVO₄), corresponding to the compound Bi_1?x/3V_1?x Mo _x O₄ with x?=?0.45 (Bi_0.85V_0.55Mo_0.45O₄), exhibited the highest activity for the selective oxidation of propylene to acrolein. The mixed sample prepared chemically by a sol?Cgel method possessed higher activity than that of mechanical mixtures.     

Study of Bi2O3 doped by rare-earth element

A series of novel environmentally inorganic pigments based on Bi₂O₃ doped by metal ion Dy³⁺ has been developed and characterized using methods of thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and by reflectance spectral data. The new pigments have been synthesized from mixtures containing Bi₂O₃ and Dy₂O₃ by traditional solid-state route. The incorporation of Dy³⁺ into crystal lattice Bi₂O₃ changes the colour from yellow-orange to orange. The band gap of phases with formula Bi_2?xDy_xO₃, where x = 0.8, increases from 2.30 to 2.38 eV with growth of calcination temperature. The pigment Bi_1.2Dy_0.8O₃ was also evaluated from the standpoint of influence of milling time on the colour properties and particle size. The simultaneous TG–DTA measurements were used for determination of the temperature region of the pigment formation and thermal stability of pigments. The results confirm the positive effect of lanthanide ions into Bi₂O₃ on thermal stability of prepared phases.     

Facile electrochemical growth of nanostructured copper phthalocyanine thin film via simultaneous anodic oxidation of copper and dilithium phthalocyanine for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution

We present a novel electrochemical approach to grow copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) thin-film photoelectrodes through anodic oxidation of copper and dilithium phthalocyanine (Li₂Pc). This circumvents the challenges associated with the electrochemical processing of unsubstituted CuPc from solution. The potentiostatic co-electrooxidation reaction at the heterogeneous interface favors the growth of CuPc thin film. The surface morphology of thin film exhibits nanorod-like features. UV-Vis, grazing angle Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and grazing angle X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the nanocrystalline phase corresponds only to α-CuPc and no admixture of other polymorphs. Photocurrent measurement shows a stable photoresponse in neutral medium. The photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution on p-type CuPc coated copper photocathode shows an enhanced activity over bare copper and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodeposited with CuPc and monolithium phthalocyanine radical (LiPc) thin films.     

Sm对MoO3-Bi2O3催化剂性能的影响

在MoO3-B i2O3催化剂中加入稀土氧化物Sm2O3,在固定床反应器中考查了Sm2O3添加量、反应温度、异丁烯浓度、原料气流量等对异丁烯转化为甲基丙烯醛反应的影响。实验表明,添加Sm2O3可明显提高异丁烯的转化率和甲基丙烯醛的选择性。用XRD技术研究了催化剂的组成,Mo-B i-O催化剂的成分主要是B i2O3和MoO3的混合物,添加Sm后出现了Sm2Mo3O12的衍射峰,且衍射峰的强度随着Sm添加量的增加而增强。