Xudong Zheng

Efficient enhancement of hydrogen production by Ag/Cu2O/ZnO tandem triple-junction photoelectrochemical cell

Highly efficient semiconductor photoelectrodes for solar hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting are a promising and challenge solution to solve the energy problems. In this work, Ag/Cu2O/ZnO tandem triple-junction photoelectrode was designed and prepared. An increase of 11 times of photocurrent is achieved in the Ag/Cu2O/ZnO photoelectrode comparing to that of the Cu2O film. The high performance of the Ag/Cu2O/ZnO film is due to the optimized design of the tandem triple-junction structure, where the localized surface Plasmon resonance of Ag and the hetero-junctions efficiently absorb solar energy, produce, and separate electron-hole pairs in the photocathode.

Efficient enhancement of solar-water-splitting by modified "Z-scheme" structural WO3- W-Si photoelectrodes

N-type WO3 and p-type Si can be assembled into a composite structure called “Z-scheme,” which is a high efficiency model for overall water splitting. However, due to the existence of Schottky barrier, its relatively low photocurrent density is still a great challenge for application. Here, a modified “Z-scheme” structure by inserting a W interlayer is presented. A great enhancement of photocurrent density over 10 times is achieved, which can be ascribed to the introduction of the ohmic contacts between W interlayer with both WO3 and Si layers and the elimination of Si-O bands at the interface.

Cathodic shift of onset potential for water oxidation of WO3 photoanode by Zr+ ions implantation

Tungsten trioxide is one of the most widely studied semiconductors for photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, its onset potential is too positive. In a photoelectrochemical system, a low onset potential and a high photocurrent for a photoanode are important for enhancing the efficiency of water splitting. It is an effective way to adjust the onset potential by changing the conduction and valence band level. Doping is a powerful way to alter the positions of the energy levels of semiconductors to improve their photoelectrochemical performance. In this paper, we present a method of ion implantation to alter the energy levels by implanting Zr+ ions into WO3. Cathodic shifts of the photocurrent onset potential for water oxidation are achieved. The systematic studies show that ion implantation followed by thermal annealing treatment can form substitutional Zr4+ in WO3. The upward shifts of the conduction band and valence band lead to the cathodic shifts of the onset potential. Two combined factors lead...

Formation of Carbonized Polystyrene Sphere/hemisphere Shell Arrays by Ion Beam Irradiation and Subsequent Annealing or Chloroform Treatment

Heat-resistant two-dimensional (2D) sphere/hemisphere shell array is significant for the fabrication of novel nanostructures. Here large-area, well-ordered arrays of carbonized polystyrene (PS) hollow sphere/hemisphere with controlled size and morphology are prepared by combining the nanosphere self-assembly, kV Ag ion beam modification, and subsequent annealing or chloroform treatment. Potential mechanisms for the formation and evolution of the heat-resistant carbonized PS spherical shell with increasing ion fluence and energy are discussed. Combined with noble metal or semiconductor, these modified PS sphere arrays should open up new possibilities for high-performance nanoscale optical sensors or photoelectric devices.

Formation of TiO2 nanorods by ion irradiation

Ion beam irradiation is a powerful method to fabricate and tailor the nanostructured surface of materials. Nanorods on the surface of single crystal rutile TiO2 were formed by N+ ion irradiation. The dependence of nanorod morphology on ion fluence and energy was elaborated. With increasing ion fluence, nanopores grow in one direction perpendicular to the surface and burst finally to form nanorods. The length of nanorods increases with increasing ion energy under same fluence. The development of the nanorod structure is originated from the formation of the nanopores while N2 bubbles and aggregation of vacancies were responsible for the formation of nanopores and nanorods. Combining C+ ion irradiation and post-irradiation annealing experiments, two qualitative models are proposed to explain the formation mechanism of these nanorods.

Formation of tungsten oxide nanowires by ion irradiation and vacuum annealing

Here we reported the fabrication of tungsten oxide (WO3-x ) nanowires by Ar+ ion irradiation of WO3 thin films followed by annealing in vacuum. The nanowire length increases with increasing irradiation fluence and with decreasing ion energy. We propose that the stress-driven diffusion of the irradiation-induced W interstitial atoms is responsible for the formation of the nanowires. Comparing to the pristine film, the fabricated nanowire film shows a 106-fold enhancement in electrical conductivity, resulting from the high-density irradiation-induced vacancies on the oxygen sublattice. The nanostructure exhibits largely enhanced surface-enhanced Raman scattering effect due to the oxygen vacancy. Thus, ion irradiation provides a powerful approach for fabricating and tailoring the surface nanostructures of semiconductors.