Jiajia Tao

Enhanced photoelectrochemical properties of nanocrystalline TiO 2 electrode by surface sensitization with Cu x O quantum dots

Nanoporous anatase TiO2 films were fabricated by a screen-printing method, and CuxO quantum dots (QDs) were deposited on the TiO2 films through successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). The amount of CuxO QDs on the TiO2 films are controlled by changing the number of SILAR cycles. The morphology, microstructure, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties of different CuxO sensitized TiO2 films (CuxO/TiO2) were investigated in detail. The nanoporous TiO2 film offers a large surface area for anchoring QDs. QD deposited samples exhibited a significant improvement in photoelectrochemical performance than the bare of TiO2. CuxO/TiO2, prepared with 7 SILAR cycles, showed the best photoelectrochemical properties, where the photocurrent density was enhanced to 500.01 μA/cm2 compared with 168.88 μA/cm2 of bare TiO2 under visible light. These results indicate that the designed CuxO/TiO2 structure possesses superior charge separation efficiency and photoelectrochemical properties.

Hydroxide MgSn(OH)6: A promising new photocatalyst for methyl orange degradation

Highly crystalline hydroxide MgSn(OH)6 (MHS) polyhedral particles were synthesized by changing reaction time (10, 15 and 20 h) in a hydrothermal process. The structural and morphological poperties of obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic activity of the MHS was further evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under ultraviolet (UV) light illumination. Compared with commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25), the MHS prepared for 15 h showed similar degradation efficiency of methyl orange (MO), mainly due to its higher specific surface area (55 m2g−1) and better optical properties.