Physical Chemistry Commons^™

Monodentate, Bidentate And Photocrosslinkable Thiol Ligands For Improving Aqueous Biocompatible Quantum Dots, Hiroko Takeuchi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water-soluble Quantum Dots (QDs) are highly sensitive fluorescent probes that are often used to study biological species. One of the most common ways to render QDs water-soluble for such applications is to apply hydrophilic thiolated ligands to the QD surface. However, these ligands are labile and can be easily exchanged on the QD surface, which can severely limit their application. As one way to overcome this limitation while maintaining a small colloidal size of QDs, we developed a method to stabilize hydrophilic thiolated ligands on the surface of QDs through the formation of a crosslinked shell using a photocrosslinking approach. …

Sodium Carbonate Catalyzed Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Over Tio2 Nanotubes Photoanode, De-Sheng Kong, Jing Wang, Xue-Di Zhang, Xi Zhao, Chao Wang, Yuan-Yuan Feng, Wen-Juan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Surface recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs at semiconductor/electrolyte interface is one of the most essential reasons responsible for lowering photoconversion efficiency (Φ) of light to chemical energy for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting reaction. In this paper, the catalytic effect of sodium carbonate on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over TiO₂ nanotubes photoanode during PEC water splitting was investigated by performing photocurrent and ac impedance measurements. It was demonstrated that the addiction of 1 mmol•L^-1 Na₂CO₃ in 0.5 mol•L^-1 NaClO₄ electrolyte can effectively improve the charge transfer properties for the photogenerated holes across …

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 …

Semiconductor Nanocrystals: From Quantum Dots To Quantum Disks, Zheng Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The bottom-up colloidal synthesis opened up the possibility of finely tuning and tailoring the semiconductor nanocrystals. Numerous recipes were developed for the preparation of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, especially the traditional quantum dots. However, due to the lack of thorough understanding to those systems, the synthesis chemistry is still on the empirical level. CdS quantum dots synthesis in non-coordinating solvent were taken as a model system to investigate its molecular mechanism and formation process, ODE was identified as the reducing agent for the preparation of CdS nanocrystals, non-injection and low-temperature synthesis methods developed. In this model system, we not only proved …

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 …

Chemical And Electronic Structure Of Surfaces And Interfaces In Compound Semiconductors, Sujitra Pookpanratana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The interface formation between two different materials is important in applications for optoelectronic devices. Often, the success or performance of these devices is dependent on the formation of these heterojunctions. In this work, the surface and interfaces in such materials for optoelectronic devices are investigated by a suite of X-ray analytical techniques including X-ray photoelectron (XPS), X-ray excited Auger electron (XAES), and X-ray emission (XES) spectroscopies to provide novel insight.

For the group III-nitrides (e.g., AlxGa1-xN) used in many light emitting devices, a significant challenge exists to form an Ohmic contact. The electron affinities and band gaps of GaN and …

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.

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 Optical Transmission Of The Zno Nanorod Array Films, Feng Ye, Jing-Jing Li, Tong-Tao Wang, Yong-Liang Wang, Yun Liu, Xin-Dong Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

By using a galvaostatic electrodeposition method in the ZnCl₂ solution,the highly oriented ZnO nanorod array films have been successfully prepared on ITO substrate after the pretreatment with ZnO nanoparticles.And they were characterized by scanning electron microscope,X-ray diffraction and transmittance spectra.The results indicated that the ZnO nanorod arrays grew along(001) direction with an orientation perpendicular to the substrate.When the wavelength of incident was over 380 nm,the ZnO nanorod arrays showed high optical transmission of above 95%.Furthermore,the band gap became narrower.

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.

Activation Energy Of Surface Diffusion And Terrace Width Dynamics During The Growth Of In (4×3) On Si (100) - (2×1) By Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition, M. A. Hafez, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The nucleation and growth of indium on a vicinal Si (100) - (2×1) surface at high temperature by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition was investigated by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). RHEED intensity relaxation was observed for the first ∼2 ML during the growth of In (4×3) by step flow. From the temperature dependence of the rate of relaxation, an activation energy of 1.4±0.2 eV of surface diffusion was determined. The results indicate that indium small clusters diffused to terrace step edges with a diffusion frequency constant of (1.0±0.1) × 10¹¹ s^-1. The RHEED specular …

Formation Of In- (2×1) And In Islands On Si (100) - (2×1) By Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Deposition, M. A. Hafez, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The growth of indium on a vicinal Si (100) - (2×1) surface at room temperature by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (fsPLD) was investigated by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Recovery of the RHEED intensity was observed between laser pulses and when the growth was terminated. The surface diffusion coefficient of deposited In on initial two-dimensional (2D) In- (2×1) layer was determined. As growth proceeds, three-dimensional In islands grew on the 2D In- (2×1) layer. The RHEED specular profile was analyzed during film growth, while the grown In islands were examined by ex situ atomic force microscopy. The full …

Application Of Electrolessplating Technology In Interconnection Manufacturing Of Ultralarge-Scale Integration, Zeng-Lin Wang, Zhi-Juan Liu, Hong-Yan Jiang, Xiu-Wen Wang, Shingubara Shoso

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,research progresses in electroless plating for damascene copper process were reviewed.Electroless nickel ternary alloy deposition for barrier layer and electroless copper plating for seed layer were presented.Bottom-up copper fill high-aspect-via-hole and electroless plating after ICB-Pd catalytic layer for seed layer were mainly introduced.The applications of electroless plating in ultralarge-scale integration were discussed,and the developing tendency was also suggested.

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.

Growth Of Ge Quantum Dots On Si(100)-(2×1) By Pulsed Laser Deposition, M. S. Hegazy, H. E. Elsayed-Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Self-assembled germanium quantum dots (QDs) were grown on Si(100)-(2×1) by pulsed laser deposition. In situ reflection-high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and postdeposition atomic force microscopy are used to study the growth of the QDs. Several films of different thicknesses were grown at a substrate temperature of 400 °C using a Q-switched Nd:yttrium aluminum garnet laser (λ= 1064 nm, 40 ns pulse width, 23 J/cm ² fluence, and 10 Hz repetition rate). At low film thicknesses, hut clusters that are faceted by different planes, depending on their height, are observed after the completion of the wetting layer. With increasing film thickness, …

Using Electrodeposition To Fabricate Mould For Polymer Microfluidic Chip, Yi Luo, De-Nan Chu, Zhi-Feng Lou, Chong Liu, Li-Ding Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Many researches have been focused on polymer microfluidic chip in recent years and the mould plays an important role in its fabrication process. Using electrodepositingmethod to fabricate a metal mould for polymer microfluidic chip has been presented in this paper. An ultra-thick photoresist SU-8 was coated on a pretreated metal plate, after photolithography, nickel was electrodeposited in the patterned SU-8, then was removed the SU-8 to obtain a final metal mould. This methodreduces workload of electrodeposit largely. Applying counter current before deposit, adding additive to solution and vacuum anneal after demould have been used to improve the binding force between …

Studies Of Infrared Optical Properties Of Palladium Nanoparticles With Different Sizes And Dispersed States, Yan-Xia Jiang, Hong-Gang Liao, Wei Chen, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Pd nanoparticles with different sizes and dispersed states were prepared. Their infrared optical properties were studied with CO molecule probe. The infrared spectroscopic investigation revealed that Pd_n of 6.6 nm and Pd_n(cube)of 100～150nmexhibit normal IR absorption. The center of IR bands are around 1970 cm^-1 and 1910cm^-1. Pd_nis introduced into the surface of electrode, and is induced by interface electric fieldto form the aggregation of nanoparticles Pd_n(ag). The Pd_n(ag) has a different IR optical property from Pd_n. The direction of IR absorption band of Pd_{n …}

Preparation And Optical Properties Of Highly Ordered Cds Nanowire Arrays, Lan Sun, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Highly ordered CdS nanowire arrays have been prepared by using dc electrodeposition in the porous anodic aluminum oxide template. Scanning electro microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal that the nanowires are uniform and highly ordered. The measurements of X-ray diffraction and high-resolved electron microscopy (HRTEM) show that the nanowires are hexagonal structure with the crystallographic c-axis preferentially oriented along the length of the pore. The UV-Vis absorption spectra of CdS nanowire arrays show that the absorption edges of the nanowire arrays shift towards short wavelength with the decrease of the nanowire size. The photoluminescence measurements show that the …

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 …

Pure Iron Electrolyzed From Scrap Iron Chips And Its Corrosion Characteristics, Wei-Min Cao, Ren-He Yin, Hui-Ceng Yan, Zhi-Qiang Ye

Journal of Electrochemistry

The high purity electrolytic iron was made from scrap iron chips. Electrolytic conditions of pure iron were determined in chloride baths and the highest purity was 99.983% by chemical analysis. Pure iron had very compact texture and high mechanical strength by SEM figures of cross section. In deaerated 0.5 kmol·m^-3 H₂SO₄ and 0.5 kmol·m^-3 NaCl solutions, the corrosion rate of iron decreased with increasing purity.

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 …

A Study Of Monitoring Corrosion Of Metal Via An Optic Waveguide Sensing Method, Xue-Ming Li, Wei-Ming Chen, Shang-Lian Huang, Na Zhang, Zong-Qing Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

An optical wave guide sensing method was proposed for monitoring corrosion of metal in outdoors steel structures. Replacing the cladding of wave-guide with metal film in a particular location, the method takes the metal film as the corrosion sensitive film. The experiment of waveguide sensor was carried out on a 721 colorimetric vessel, with which the soution is held in itself and the light is propagated in its sidewall. A Fe-C alloy film was electroplated onto the inner sied of vessel to form the corrosion sensitive film. The structure of the Fe-C alloy film was studied by XRD, EDX and …

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.