Semiconductor and Optical Materials Commons^™

Copper Indium Diselenide Nanowire Arrays In Alumina Membranes Deposited On Molybdenum And Other Back Contact Substrates, Bhavananda R. Nadimpally

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Heterojunctions of CuInSe₂ (CIS) nanowires with cadmium sulfide (CdS) were fabricated demonstrating for the first time, vertically aligned nanowires of CIS in the conventional Mo/CIS/CdS stack. These devices were studied for their material and electrical characteristics to provide a better understanding of the transport phenomena governing the operation of heterojunctions involving CIS nanowires. Removal of several key bottlenecks was crucial in achieving this. For example, it was found that to fabricate alumina membranes on molybdenum substrates, a thin interlayer of tungsten had to be inserted. A qualitative model was proposed to explain the difficulty in fabricating anodized aluminum oxide …

Kinetic Study Of Photoelectrochemical Oxidation Of Lignin Model Compounds On Tio2 Nanotubes, Min Tian, Daniel Liba, Aicheng Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this study, TiO₂ nanotubes were prepared via the electrochemical oxidation of titanium substrates in a non-aqueous electrolyte and their morphology and microstructures were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photoelectrochemical oxidation of two lignin model compounds, 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenoxy)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol (DMP) and 3-hydroxy-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenoxy)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanone (HDM), was investigated. A new band appeared at ~304 nm during the photoelectrochemical oxidation of DMP. The rate of DMP intermediate formation was amplified with the increase of initial concentrations, while it was diminished with increased temperature. Despite the similarity in structure between HDM and DMP, there are only small increases in absorbance …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Thermomechanically Processed Sulfur And Boron Doped Amorphous Carbon Films, Lonnie Carlson

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Small scale, high power density, reliable, and long-life power supplies would be useful or even critical for space missions or the growing number of microdetectors, microsensors, and miniature vehicles. Alpha or beta particle voltaic devices could satisfy these requirements but have been shown to degrade quickly due to radiation damage. Amorphous carbon (a-C) PN junctions or PIN devices could provide radiation hardness and sufficiently high efficiency. As the range of alpha and beta particles in a-C is ~20-120μm, much thicker films than are typical are needed to maximize collection of the particle energy.

In this work, the fabrication of thermomechanically …

In-Situ Ellipsometry Characterization Of Anodically Grown Silicon Dioxide And Lithium Intercalation Into Silicon, Eric A. Montgomery

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this thesis, in-situ ellipsometry and electroanalytical investigations of two electrochemical processes are reported: including the formation of anodically grown silicon dioxide and the intercalation of lithium into silicon. Analysis of the ellipsometry data shows that the anodically grown silicon dioxide layer is uniform and has similar properties as thermally grown silicon dioxide. The lithium-ion intercalation data reveals non-uniform thin film formation, which requires further studies and development of appropriate ellipsometric optical models.

Advisers: Eva Schubert and Mathias Schubert

Influence Of Tert-Butylpyridine On The Band Energetics Of Nanostructured Tio2 Electrodes And The Photoelectrochemical Properties Of Dye-Seneitized Electrodes, Shu-Ming Yang, Ji-Chao Wang, Hui-Zhi Kou, Hong-Bin Xue, Hong-Jun Wang, Yu-Ling Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

The flat band edges (Efb) of nanostructured TiO₂ electrodes in electrolyte solutions with tert-butylpyridine (TBP) of different concentrations have been determined with spectroelectrochemical technique. TBP played a role in band energetics of nanostructured TiO₂ electrodes. The Efb values of -2.25, -2.46 and -2.62 V were determined in three 0.2 mol•L^-1 tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP) acetonitrile electrolytes which contain 0, 0.2 and 0.4 mol•L^-1 TBP respectively. The addition of Li+ ions shifted Efb positively. The Efb values of -1.12, -1.22 and -1.30 V were determined in three 0.2 mol•L^-1 LiClO₄ acetonitrile electrolytes which contain 0, 0.2 …

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of N, S, And Cl Modified Nano Tio2 Thin Films, Hong Yun, Chang-Jian Lin, Jing Li, Rong-Gui Du

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nitrogen(N),sulfur(S) and chlorine(Cl) modified nano TiO₂ thin films were prepared by adding Ti(O-n-Bu)₄ as the precursor into concentrated HNO₃,H₂SO₄ and HCl Solutions,respectively,on different substrates in a sol-gel process.The photoelectrochemical performances of N,S and Cl modified nano TiO₂ thin films have been studied by UV-vis(DRS),photocurrent curves,EIS and OCP-time curves.N-modified TiO₂ nano films show better surface structure,which helps to improve the quantum efficiency of nano TiO₂ thin films.

Optimization Of P3ht-Pcbm Polymer Solar Cells Through Device Simulation And Manufacturing, James Boom

Computer Engineering

Given a good model and implementation of that model, computer simulation can be used to reduce the time and material costs of research. To this end I worked with other students to manufacture, test and simulate the single layer P3HT-PCBM solar cell. Using the data collected from this project, future work can then be done with the project's simulator to further optimize these types of solar cell devices.

Enhanced Visible Light Photoelectrochemical Performances With Nitrogen Doped Tio2 Nanowire Arrays, Xiao-Jun Lv, Yue-Ming Li, Hao Zhang, Da Chen, Jennifer Hensel, Jin Z Zhang, Jing-Hong Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Self-organized anodic anatase TiO₂ nanowire arrays doped with nitrogen have been successfully fabri-cated and their photoelectrochemical(PEC) properties have been characterized and found to be substantially im-proved compared to undoped nanowires or commercial P25 nanoparticles.Photocurrent measured with monochro-matic incident light showed that the incident photon-to-current efficiency(IPCE,%) values of nanowire arrayelectrodes with or without N-doping were obviously higher than that of commercial P25 nanoparticle electrodes,and nitrogen-doped TiO₂ nanowire arrays(NTNA) had noticeable absorption in the visible region.The NTNAelectrodes showed the highest photocurrent density and power conversion efficiency under 100 mW/cm² visiblelight illumination.A maximumolphotoconversion efficiency of 0.52% was achieved for the …

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of Tio2 Nanoparticles, Jie Qu, Ying Li, Qi-Wei Jiang, Xue-Ping Gao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The protonated titanate nanoparticles were obtained at room temperature and subsequently calcined at different temperatures(300 ℃,400 ℃,500 ℃,600 ℃ and 700 ℃) in air.The obtained products were characterized by XRD,TEM and UV-Vis.It is found that the grain sizes of TiO₂ nanoparticles calcined at 300 ℃ were about 20 nm,and increased gradually with the temperature rise.Photoelectric performance was measured with I～V curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The TiO₂ nanoparticles obtained at 500 ℃ showed the best photoelectrochemical properties with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 6.39%,which is much higher than those at other temperatures.In addition,it is also demonstrated that the charge …

Study On The Texturization Of C-Si Wafers By Different Kinds Of Alkaline For Heterojunction Solar Cells, Yu-Hua Dou, Yu-Qin Zhou, Mei-Fang Zhu, Shuang Song, Feng-Zhen Liu, Jin-Long Liu, Zhan-Jun Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The texturization of(100) crystalline silicon(c-Si) wafer was studied by field-emission scanning electron microscope using different kinds of etchant: sodium hydroxide,sodium carbonate and tribasic sodium phosphate.By optimizing the etching parameters,the lowest values of averaged reflectance(Rav) were obtained to be 9.70% for NaOH,9.76% for Na₂CO₃ and 8.63% for Na₃PO₄·12H₂O,which is comparable to that of the wafer with textured surface covered with an anti-reflection coating of either silicon nitride or thermally grown silicon dioxide.The relation of Rav and surface morphology of textured wafer was analyzed.Moreover,special emphasis was put on the role of isopropyl alcohol(IPA) …

Preparation And Photoelectrochemical Properties Of Fe-Doped Tio2 Nanotube Arrays, Jing Li, Lan Sun, Hui-Fang Zhuang, Cheng-Lin Wang, Rong-Gui Du, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Fe-doped TiO₂ nanotube arrays were fabricated in Fe(NO₃)₃-HF mixing solutions by electrochemical anodic oxidation method,and characterized by FESEM,Raman,XPS and DRS.The effect of Fe concentratiions on photoelectrochemical property of the arrays was also investigated.The diameters and lengths of Fe-doped TiO₂ nanotube arrays were 50~90 nm and about 200 nm,respectively.Compared with the undoped TiO₂ nanotube arrays,the absorption edge of Fe-doped TiO₂ nanotube arrays appeared red shifting.The more Fe content,the larger red shifting,in addition,the photocurrent of Fe-doped TiO₂ nanotube arrays increased obviously.

Special Photoelectrochemical Response Of Nano-Crystalline Tio2 Electrode, Bi-Bo Lan, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Yan-Yan Xi, Hong-Xiang Chen, Guang-Hua Yao, Zhong-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nano-crystalline TiO₂ electrodes were prepared by spread method,electrodeposition and sol-gel method.The experimental results show that the nano-crystalline TiO₂ electrodes have special photoelectrochemical response-the photocrrent-potential curves appear peaks.The special photoelectrochemical behaviors of nano-(crystalline) TiO₂  electrodes are ascribed to nano-structure as well as special light induced redox reaction mechanism of nano-crystalline semiconductor electrodes.

Preparation, Characterization And Photoelectrochemical Activities Of Cu-Tio2/Ito Films, Dong Shu, Chun He, Han-Xia Zhang, Ya Xiong

Journal of Electrochemistry

Cu-TiO₂/ITO films were prepared by direct photo-reduction deposition of Cu²⁺ on TiO₂/ITO films. The nanocomposite films were characterized by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), XRD spectra, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) technology, and photovoltage measurement. The feasibility of improving the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ film by combining the modification of Cu nanoparticles with the application of anodic bias was investigated. The experimental results showed that the deposited Cu has an apparent enhancement effect with respect to suppressing the recombination between the photogenerated charge carriers and enhancing the photocatalytic oxidation of formic acid. The combination could …

Photoelectrochemistry Of La3+ Doped Semiconductor Porous Films Sensitized By Ru(Bpy)2(Ncs)2 Dye, Li Zhang, Yan-Jie Ren, Sheng-Min Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The La³⁺-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared with hydrothermal method.The photoelectrochemical properties of La³⁺-doped TiO₂ nanoporous-film electrode sensitized by Ru(bpy)₂(NCS)₂ were studied. The conversion efficiency of light to electricity and the energy conversion efficiencies were ineased with the depth of La³⁺-doped TiO₂ nanoporous-film electrode.

The Effect Of Preparation Condition On The Photoelectrochemical Performance Of Both The Pani Film And Tio2-Pani Composite Film On Au, Huai-Guo Huang, Hong-Ping Zhang, Zhi-Xin Zheng, Yan-Yan Xi, Ling-Ling Wu, Zhong-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Both the PANI (polyaniline) film and TiO₂-PANI composite film on the PATP(paminothiophenol)/Au substrate were obtained under different preparation condition by electrochemical methods, and their photoelectrochemical performances were alo studied. The resultsshowed that the photoelectrochemical performances of the films depend deeply on the comditionsof preparation. The self-assembling of PATP favors the adhesion of PANl. The partially-oxidizedPANI has a greater photoelectrochemical response than that of the reduced PANI and oxidized PANl. There is an optimum of film thickness for the photoelectrochemical performance of PANI film. Heat treating is in favor of the photoelectrochemical performance of TiO₂, but decreases …

The Photoelectrochemistry Of Tio2-Polyaniline Composite Film, Huai-Guo Huang, Zhi-Xin Zheng, Jin Luo, Hong-Ping Zhang, Ling-Ling Wu, Zhong-Hua Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

A TiO₂ and polyaniline (PANI) composite film was obtained by electrochemical methods. The SEM image of the composite film showed that the PANI film is almost completely covered with TiO₂ efficiency. The spectra of photocurrent for the TiO₂-PANI composite film were different from these of TiO₂ film photosensitized by PANI. The bandgap energy of TiO₂ film on partially oxidized PANI film was determined as 3.0 eV by the threshold energy of photocurrent band for TiO₂. The spectra of photocurrent for partially oxidized PANI film electrode suggested that it has the characteristics of …

Photoelectrochemical Studies On The Tio2 Nanostructured Porous Film Sensitized By Cyanine Dye, Li Zhang, Mai-Zhi Yang, Xue-Bin Qiao, Yan-Zhong Hao, En-Qing Gao, Sheng-Min Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The photoelectrochemical behaviors of the TiO₂ nanostructured porous film sensitized by cyanine dye were investigated in this paper. The results showed that the excitaed state level matched the conduction band edge of TiO₂ nanoparticle. Therefore the sensitization of the dye can increase the photocurrent intensity of the TiO₂ nanostructured electrode obviously and results in a red-shift of optical absorption from the ultra-violet region to the visible. As a result, the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency was improved evidently, the maximum value of IPCE has reached 12.1%.

Photoelectrochemical Studies On Nanoporous Tio2/Pan Film Electrode, Min-Sheng Liu, Yan-Zhong Hao, Xue-Bin Qiao, Mai-Zhi Yang, Sheng-Min Cai

Journal of Electrochemistry

The photon to electricity conversion process of nanoporous TiO₂/PAn film electrode was studied in electrolytes with and without redox couple by using the photocurrent action spectra and potential dependence of photocurrent. It is concluded that the nanoporous TiO₂/PAn film electrode has a structure of duplex n type semiconductor layers. The band gap of PAn film is 2.88eV.The TiO₂ nanoporous film electrode modified by PAn can extend the range of optical absorption into visible and infrared region and effectively increase the photocurrent in the visible and infrared region. The photocurrent threshold shifts to>600nm and conversion …

The Investigations Of Surface Treatment Methods And Characterization Of Oxide Films On Ab5 Based Metal Hydride Electrodes Ⅰ. New NiRich Treatment Methods And Photoelectrochemical Characterization Of Oxide Films, Junmin Nan, Yong Yang, Jun Li, Zugeng Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Two simple and efficient surface treatment methods for AB₅ type hydrogen storage alloys were developed. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cyclic voltammetric (CV) experiments showed that the hydrogen storage alloys treated by two different methods had Ni rich surface layer so that the performances of the electrodes were improved after treatment. The characterization of the oxide films which formed on the surface of electrodes through potentiodynamic oxidation with the help of photoelectrochemical microscopy (PEM) were done. The anodic photocurrent and the cathodic photocurrent related to the oxidation of hydrogen and the reduction of oxygen on the …

Photoluminescence Of Photoelectrochemically Etched N+-Si, Guozheng Li, Chengqian Zhang, Xiumei Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

PS layer on n⁺-Si with (111) orientation prepered by means of photoelectrochemically etched has photo-luminescent (PL) ability like PS layer on usual n-Si. The data of PL spectra and quenching are given.

Electroluminescence Of Photoelectrochemically Etched N+-Si, Guozheng Li, Chengqian Zhang, Xiumei Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Porous silicon with micrometer size pores, which is made on n⁺-Si by photoelectrochemically etched, has electroluminescent property. Each monochromic intensity and wavelength range of luminescent spectra depend on polarized potential. The intersity and the stability of cathodic electroluminescence is high than those of anodic one. Voltammetric behavior before quenching indicated that the electrochemical reactions of some surface species are involved in except the reduction of S₂O₈^2-, which leads to radiative recombination. The energy band diagram based on n⁺-Si(E_g=1.1 eV)/PS(E_g=1.8 eV) junction is proposed.

The Reduction Of Oxygen To Hydrogen Peroxide In An Acidic Trickle Bed Cell Using Graphite Chip Cathode, Zhaoe Lu, Guanyong Zhang, Tiangeng Zhong, Guonu Fang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The authors investigated the electrochemical reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide in 0.05 mol/L H₂SO₄ solution by the trickle bed electrode using graphite chip. The bed dimension was 14×5×0.6 cm. The current efficiency and the concentration of H₂O₂ in the catholyte were determined at various current strengths and various rates of adding the electrolyte. The proper current was 0.15 A. i.e. the current density was 2.1 mA/cm² vertical cross section area of the bed. The concentration of H₂O₂ reached 7×10^-3 mol/L with the current efficiency of 0.2. If the …

A Photoelectrochemical Investigation Of A.C.Modulated Passive Films On 304 Stainless Steel In Weak-Alkaline And Neutral Solution, Tianbao Du, Chunan Cao, Jiakang Yu, Haichao Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

A photoelectrochemical investigation has been carried out on AISI 304 stainless steeI AV modulated passive film in 0.1mol/L Na₂B₄O₇ and 0.5 mol/L Na₂SO₄ solution. Photo current curve depends on the potential, passive condition and testing solutions. The results of the measurements indicate that the photoresponse is determined by the defects in the electronic structure of the films whenthe defects lead to localized states in the bandgap region. It is concluded that the passive film on AISI 304 stainless steel is in a highly disordered amorphous state.

The Photoelectrochemical Studies Of Passive Films On Rebar Electrodes In Simulated Cement Pore Solution, Wei Chu, Yuanxiang Shi, Baoming Wei, Yong Yang, Xuguang Chen, Zugeng Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electronic properties of the passive film on REBAR electrodes in simulatedcement pore solution (pH=9.0～13.8) have been investigated using in-situ photoelectrochemical methods. The results show that the passive film is composed of mixed oxides of ferrum, and it is an amorphous, n-type semiconductive film. Variations of pH values, ions in the solution and film-formation potentials can affect the composition of the films. There are two main stages in the growthof the film, with two rate functions characterized by linear relation between the film thickness and thelogarithm of time. The addition of inhibitor NaNO₂ changes the composition, structure and growth …

Laser Scanning In-Situ Photoelectrochemical Microscopictechnique And Its Applications, Zugeng Lin, Jinkua You, Xiangdong Zhuo, Chun Zhang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The main factors of the laser scanning in-situ photoelectrochemical microscopic measurement system which is set up in our lab have been discusaed in this paper. Some applications of this technique for in-situ study of modification and processing of semiconductor electrodes, monitoring of electro deposition process of semiconducting material and redox reaction occurring at metal oxide electrodes have also been presented. The results have shown that the technique is very powerful that for studing local photoelectrochemical properties of semiconductors and metal oxide electrodes. These provide important information on the micro structural and electronic properties in the solid/electrolyte interface.

Photoelectrochemical And Spectroelectrochemical Studies Oniron Oxide Ultrafine Particles, Maizhi Yang, Yongjun Ji, Wen Zhang, Shengmin Cai, Xiaojiang Lu, Zhongqun Tian, Jin Luo

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper, Raman spectra, photocurrent and the UV-VIS reflectance aremeasured for studying the α-Fe₂O₃ ultrafine particles adsorbed on Pt electrode. The blue shifts of Raman peaks demonstrate the size quantization effect for the particles of 50 nm in diameter ascompared with the bulk material. With the changing of the potential, the photocurrent decrcases as the UV-VIS reflectance increases, and vice-versa. Therefore, the potential not only affects the hargetransfer direcdtion in the interface of electrode/redox couple, but also influences the light absortion onthe surface of particles. According to the results of photoelectrochemistry, we suggest that the cathodic …

A Photoelectrochemical Investigation Of Zirconium Oxide Film, Maizhi Yang, Ping Wei, Di Quarto F., Piazza S., Sunseri C.

Journal of Electrochemistry

A photoelectrochemical investigation has been carried out on zirconium initialoxide film and its oxide film grownanodically at constant rate up to different thickness. Both anodicand cathedic photocurrents on the photocurrent spectrum depended on the potential, but had littlerelation with the forming anedic films or measuring solutions. Photocurrent spectrum and photocurrenttransients suggested that the oxide films on zirconium were duplex layers structure. The internal layerwas ZrO₂ and the external layer ZrO₂·(H₂O)_n. The photocurrent included photogenerated carrier ininternal and external oxide films, as well as internal photoinjection process for electrons from thesubstrate metal into the …