Structural and electronic properties of oxygen defective and Se-doped p-type BiVO⁠4(001) thin film for the applications of photocatalysis

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.There is another record in ORE for this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/10871/36011Monoclinic BiVO4 is being used as a photocatalyst due to its stability, cost-effectiveness, ease of synthesis, and narrow band gap. Although, the valence band maximum, VBM (∼−6.80 eV vs vacuum) of BiVO4 is well below the redox potential of water but having less positive conduction band minimum, CBM (−4.56 eV vs vacuum), responsible for its low efficiency. We have carried out a comprehensive periodic density functional theory (DFT) simulations for the pristine, Oxygen defective (Ov) and Se doped BiVO4, to engineer not only its CB edge position but the overall photocatalytic and charge carrier properties. Our theoretical method has nicely reproduced the experimental data of pristine BiVO4, which encouraged us to elaborate further its Ov and Se-doped characteristics. It is found that both the Ov (1% Oxygen vacancy) and Se-doped BiVO4 (1–2% Se) have ideal band edges, band gaps, and small effective masses of electrons and holes, responsible for high photocatalytic activities. Moreover, Se-doped BiVO4 behave as p-type semiconductor. Finally, the photocatalytic water-splitting behaviour of the selected surfaces were counterchecked with water interaction, where the strong water adsorption energy of about ∼−38 to −50 kcal/mol, confirms and predicts their higher efficiencies compared to that of parent BiVO4.The financial support was provided by Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, UK (EPSRC) under the research grant No EP/P510956/1

Structural and electronic properties of oxygen defective and Se-doped p-type BiVO⁠4(001) thin film for the applications of photocatalysis

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.There is another record in ORE fro this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/10871/30528Monoclinic BiVO4 is being used as a photocatalyst due to its stability, cost-effectiveness, ease of synthesis, and narrow band gap. Although, the valence band maximum, VBM (∼−6.80 eV vs vacuum) of BiVO4 is well below the redox potential of water but having less positive conduction band minimum, CBM (−4.56 eV vs vacuum), responsible for its low efficiency. We have carried out a comprehensive periodic density functional theory (DFT) simulations for the pristine, Oxygen defective (Ov) and Se doped BiVO4, to engineer not only its CB edge position but the overall photocatalytic and charge carrier properties. Our theoretical method has nicely reproduced the experimental data of pristine BiVO4, which encouraged us to elaborate further its Ov and Se-doped characteristics. It is found that both the Ov (1% Oxygen vacancy) and Se-doped BiVO4 (1–2% Se) have ideal band edges, band gaps, and small effective masses of electrons and holes, responsible for high photocatalytic activities. Moreover, Se-doped BiVO4 behave as p-type semiconductor. Finally, the photocatalytic water-splitting behaviour of the selected surfaces were counterchecked with water interaction, where the strong water adsorption energy of about ∼−38 to −50 kcal/mol, confirms and predicts their higher efficiencies compared to that of parent BiVO4.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

Donor-acceptor polymer for the design of All-Solid-State dye-sensitized solar cells

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordDensity functional theory study has been carried out to design a new All-Solid-State dye-sensitized solar cell (SDSC), by applying a donor-acceptor conjugated polymer instead of liquid electrolyte. The typical redox mediator (I1−/I3−) is replaced with a narrow band gap, hole transporting material (HTM). The electronic and optical properties predict that donor and acceptor moieties in the polymeric body have increased the visible light absorption and charge transporting ability, compared to their parent polymers. A unique “upstairs” like band energy diagram is created by packing N3 between HTM and TiO2. Upon light irradiation on the proposed configuration, electrons will move from the dye to TiO2 and from HTM to dye (to regenerate dye), simultaneously. Our theoretical simulations prove that the proposed configuration will be highly efficient as the HOMO level of HTM is 1.19 eV above the HOMO of sanitizer (dye); providing an efficient pathway for charge transfer. High short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency is promised from the strong overlapping of molecular orbitals of HTM and sensitizer. A low reorganization energy of 0.21 eV and exciton binding energy of 0.55 eV, confirm the high efficiency of HTM. Finally, a theoretical open-circuit voltage of 1.49 eV would results high quantum yield while, the chemical stability of HTM towards oxidation can be estimated from its high ionization potential value (4.57 eV)

Density Functional Theory Study of Selenium-Substituted Low-Bandgap Donor-Acceptor-Donor Polymer

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from American Chemical Society via the DOI in this recordTheoretical study of an optically transparent, near-infrared-absorbing low energy gap conjugated polymer, donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D), 2,1,3-benzosele-nadiazole (A) as acceptor and 3,4-ethylenedioxyselenophene (D) as donor fragments, with promising attributes for photovoltaic application is reported herein. The D and A moiety on the polymeric backbone has been found to be responsible for tuning the band gap, optical gap, open circuit (VOC), and short-circuit current density (JSC) in the polymers solar cells. D-A-D has a key role in charge separation and molecular architecture which ultimately influences the charge transport. Reduction in the band gap, high charge transformation, and enhanced visible light absorption in the D-A-D system is because of strong overlapping of molecular orbitals of D and A. The polaron and bipolaron effects are also investigated which has a direct relation with visible light photocurrent generation. In addition, the enhanced planarity and weak steric hindrance between adjacent units of D-A-D resulted in red-shifting of its onset of absorption. The simulated band gap of the D-A-D has excellent correlation with experimentally reported values for closely related systems, which validates the level of theory used. Finally, PSC properties of the designed D-A-D was modeled in the bulk heterojunction solar cell, which gives a theoretical VOC of about 1.02 eV. (Graph Presented)

Electronic properties of Β-TaON and its surfaces for solar water splitting

This is the final version of the article. Available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Recently, oxynitrides materials such as β-TaON has been using as a photoanode material in the field of photocatalysis and is found to be promising due to its suitable band gap and charge carrier mobility. Computational study of the crystalline β-TaON in the form of primitive unit cell, supercell and its N, Ta, and O terminated surfaces are carried out with the help of periodic density functional theory (DFT). Optical and electronic properties of all these different species are simulated, which predict TaON as the best candidate for photocatalytic water splitting contrast to their Ta 2 O 5 and Ta 3 N 5 counterparts. The calculated bandgap, valence band, and conduction band edge positions predict that β-TaON should be an efficient photoanodic material. The valence band is made up of N 2p orbitals with a minor contribution from O 2p, while the conduction band is made up of Ta 5d. Turning to thin films, the valence band maximum; VBM (−6.4 eV vs. vacuum) and the conduction band minimum; CBM (−3.3 eV vs. vacuum) of (010)-O terminated surface are respectively well below and above the redox potentials of water as required for photocatalysis. Charge carriers have smaller effective masses than in the (001)-N terminated film (VBM −5.8 and CBM −3.7 eV vs. vacuum). However, due to wide band gap (3.0 eV) of (010)-O terminated surface, it cannot absorb visible wavelengths. On the other hand, the (001)-N terminated TaON thin film has a smaller band gap in the visible region (2.1 eV) but the bands are not aligned to the redox potential of water. Possibly a mixed phase material would produce an efficient photoanode for solar water splitting, where one phase performs the oxidation and the other reduction.We acknowledge the financial support of Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, UK (EPSRC)under the research grant Nos. EP/P510956/1, EP/P003435/1 and EP/R512801/1. S.K acknowledges the Notur Norwegian supercomputing facilities through project nn4608k and the HyMatSiRen project 272806 by the Research Council of Norway. We also acknowledge Prof. Neil Allan and Dr. Sergio C. Espindola for their help in completing this work

Syntheses of Combretastatin A‐4 and Related Stilbenes by Using Aqueous Conditions

Combretastatin A-4 (CA4) is a potent anti-mitotic and vascular disrupting agent. Organic chemists have been working to optimize the synthesis of CA4 for the past 3 decades, with methods requiring hazardous solvents and harsh reaction conditions. Here, we report the synthesis of CA4 and a variety of stilbenes in an aqueous Wittig system. Potassium carbonate or lithium hydroxide were used as base in this Wittig reaction to give excellent yields of mixtures of E- and Z-stilbenes. The synthesis of CA4 was achieved using tetrahydropyran (THP) or silyl protected phenolic aldehydes. The THP groups were removed using dilute acid whilst the silyl groups fortuitously fell off during work up

Revolutionizing green business: The power of academic directors in accelerating eco-innovation and sustainable transformation in China

Data Availability Statement: Data are available on request from the authors.This study investigates the relationship between academic directors and corporate eco-innovation in Chinese A-listed firms in the context of the growing urgency of climate change. Based on the argument that academic directors bring advanced knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise to a corporate board and are more socially responsible and ethical, we hypothesized that academic directors would have a positive influence on corporate eco-innovation. We also examine how this nexus is moderated by pollutant firms and firms having qualified foreign institutional investors (QFIIs). Our results suggest that academic directors have a positive and significant impact on corporate eco-innovation. The findings remain robust even after employing alternate proxies for both independent and dependent variables, minimizing reverse causality and endogeneity concerns, and addressing self-selection bias through the entropy balancing method. Additionally, our study reveals that the positive nexus between academic directors and eco-innovation is more pronounced in pollutant firms and firms having QFIIs. This study contributes to the literature on corporate governance, eco-innovation, and emerging markets by providing evidence of the positive influence of academic directors on eco-innovation, highlighting the importance of their contribution to enhancing corporate governance mechanisms to promote environmentally friendly activities and sustainability practices. Furthermore, our findings offer insight into the role of QFIIs in strengthening the positive association between academic directors and eco-innovation, suggesting that foreign investors can support and encourage firms to adopt environmentally friendly practices for long-term benefits.Funds for High-Level Talents of Xijing University (2019). Grant Number: XJ19B02; National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Number: 72073024; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. Grant Number: CXTD12-03

Bismuth-graphene nanohybrids: synthesis, reaction mechanisms, and photocatalytic applications - a review

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this record. Photocatalysis is a classical solution to energy conversion and environmental pollution control problems. In photocatalysis, the development and exploration of new visible light catalysts and their synthesis and modification strategies are crucial. It is also essential to understand the mechanism of these reactions in the various reaction media. Recently, bismuth and graphene’s unique geometrical and electronic properties have attracted considerable attention in photocatalysis. This review summarizes bismuth-graphene nanohybrids’ synthetic processes with various design considerations, fundamental mechanisms of action, heterogeneous photocatalysis, benefits, and challenges. Some key applications in energy conversion and environmental pollution control are discussed, such as CO2 reduction, water splitting, pollutant degradation, disinfection, and organic transformations. The detailed perspective of bismuth-graphene nanohybrids’ applications in various research fields presented herein should be of equal interest to academic and industrial scientists.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Saudi Aramco Chair Programm

Preparation, Functionalization, Modification, and Applications of Nanostructured Gold: A Critical Review

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordGold nanoparticles (Au NPs) play a significant role in science and technology because of their unique size, shape, properties and broad range of potential applications. This review focuses on the various approaches employed for the synthesis, modification and functionalization of nanostructured Au. The potential catalytic applications and their enhancement upon modification of Au nanostructures have also been discussed in detail. The present analysis also offers brief summaries of the major Au nanomaterials synthetic procedures, such as hydrothermal, solvothermal, sol-gel, direct oxidation, chemical vapor deposition, sonochemical deposition, electrochemical deposition, microwave and laser pyrolysis. Among the various strategies used for improving the catalytic performance of nanostructured Au, the modification and functionalization of nanostructured Au produced better results. Therefore, various synthesis, modification and functionalization methods employed for better catalytic outcomes of nanostructured Au have been summarized in this review.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Saudi Aramco Chair Programm