Photoelectrocatalytic removal of color from water using TiO2 and TiO2/Cu2O thin film electrodes under low light intensity

This work describes, photoelectrocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants by using methyl orange (an azo dye) as a model compound. The TiO2 thin film and TiO2/Cu2O composite electrodes were used as semiconductor photo electrodes. Photo catalysis by UV light corresponding to the light intensity range of the solar light was employed with the aim of using renewable and pollution-free energy. Result showed that the rate of removal of color was enhanced when potential bias of 1.5 V was applied. The degradation rate was also increased either in acidic (pH 2) or alkaline (pH 10) conditions. The application of a positive potential higher than the flat-band potential on the TiO2 electrode decreases the rapid charge recombination process, and enhanced the degradation of organic compound. When the TiO2/Cu2O thin film electrode was used, more efficient electron and hole separation was observed in the composite system under very low potential. It is considered that the photo-generated holes migrate towards the interface while the electrons migrate towards TiO2 and then to the back contact transparent fluorine doped tin-oxide-coated glass (TCO), making the behavior of the composite film analogous to that of an n-type semiconductor. In all cases, the kinetics of the photo catalytic oxidation of methyl orange followed a pseudo first order model and the apparent rate constant may depend on several factors such as, the nature and concentration of the organic compound, radiant flux, the solution pH and the presence of other organic substances. KEY WORDS: Photoelectrocatalysis, Titanium dioxide, Cuprous oxide, Composite thin film, Photo electrode  Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2008, 22(1), 27-40

Photoelectrochemical Characterization of Sprayed α

α-Fe2O3 thin film photoanodes for solar water splitting were prepared by spray pyrolysis of Fe(AcAc)3. The donor density in the Fe2O3 films could be tuned between 1017–1020 cm-3 by doping with silicon. By depositing a 5 nm SnO2 interfacial layer between the Fe2O3 films and the transparent conducting substrates, both the reproducibility and the photocurrent can be enhanced. The effects of Si doping and the presence of the SnO2 interfacial layer were systematically studied. The highest photoresponse is obtained for Fe2O3 doped with 0.2% Si, resulting in a photocurrent of 0.37 mA/cm2 at 1.23 VRHE in a 1.0 M KOH solution under 80 mW/cm2 AM1.5 illumination

Water-induced modifications of GaP(100) and InP(100) surfaces studied by photoelectron spectroscopy and reflection anisotropy spectroscopy

In this work, we investigate the initial interaction of water and oxygen with different surface reconstructions of GaP(100) applying photoelectron spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and reflection anisotropy spectroscopy. Surfaces were prepared by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy, transferred to ultra-high vacuum, and exposed to oxygen or water vapour at room temperature. The (2 4) reconstructed, Ga-rich surface is more sensitive and reactive to adsorption, bearing a less ordered surface reconstruction upon exposure and indicating a mixture of dissociative and molecular water adsorption. The p(2 2)=c(4 2) P-rich surface, on the other hand, is less reactive, but shows a new surface symmetry after water adsorption. Correlating findings of photoelectron spectroscopy with reflection anisotropy spectroscopy could pave the way towards optical in-situ monitoring of electrochemical surface modifications with reflection anisotropy spectroscopy

Erneuerbare Kraftstoffe für Mobilität und Industrie

Der nunmehr verabschiedete Klimaschutzplan mit 95% THG-Reduzierung bis 2050 gegenüber 1990 stellt alle Sektoren vor sehr große Herausforderungen. Zur schrittweisen Umsetzung der Klimaschutzziele (z. B. Verkehr 40 bis 42 % Treibhausgasminderung, Industrie 49 bis 51% jeweils bis 2030 gegenüber 1990) bedarf es nicht nur eines klaren politischen Willens, sondern auch konkreter rahmenpolitischer Umsetzungsmaßnahmen, die es der deutschen (Volks-)Wirtschaft in einer modernisierten und dekarbonisierten Welt erlauben, wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben. Dabei sind nachhaltige erneuerbare Energieträger und Produkte für unterschiedliche Anwendungen wesentliche Bausteine. Im Sinne einer Puzzlestrategie bedarf es in dem insbesondere mit der Energiewende angeschobenen Transformationsprozess außerdem einer deutlich stärkeren Kopplung der einzelnen Sektoren. Hier verspricht die Kopplung von Biomassebiomasse- und strombasierte Technologien eine Reihe bislang ungenutzter Synergien, die es u. a. erlauben ein höheres Potenzial an erneuerbarem Kohlenstoff (C) zu erschließen. Dafür bedarf es einer technologieoffenen Weiterentwicklung, um bis 2050 Optionen in adäquaten Mengen am Markt zu etablieren sowie entsprechend flankierender Instrumente und Maßnahmen. Ein Instrument zur Frühindikation für Wettbewerbsfähigkeit im Kontext Nachhaltigkeit ist eine an die jeweiligen TRL/FRL-angepasste Technologiebewertung

Protection Mechanism against Photocorrosion of GaN Photoanodes Provided by NiO Thin Layers

The photoelectrochemical properties of n-type Ga-polar GaN photoelectrodes covered with NiO layers of different thicknesses in the range 0–20 nm are investigated for aqueous solution. To obtain layers of well-defined thickness and high crystal quality, NiO is grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy. Stability tests reveal that the NiO layers suppress photocorrosion. With increasing NiO thickness, the onset of the photocurrent is shifted to more positive voltages and the photocurrent is reduced, especially for low bias potentials, indicating that hole transfer to the electrolyte interface is hindered by thicker NiO layers. Furthermore, cathodic transient spikes are observed under intermittent illumination, which hints at surface recombination processes. These results are inconsistent with the common explanation of the protection mechanism that the band alignment of GaN/NiO enables efficient hole-injection, thus preventing hole accumulation at the GaN surface that would lead to anodic photocorrosion. Interestingly, the morphology of the etch pits as well as further experiments involving the photodeposition of Ag indicate that photocorrosion of GaN photoanodes is related to reductive processes at threading dislocations. Therefore, it is concluded that the NiO layers block the transfer of photogenerated electrons from GaN to the electrolyte interface, which prevents the cathodic photocorrosion. © 2020 The Authors. Solar RRL published by Wiley-VCH Gmb

The interface of GaP(100) and H2O studied by photoemission and reflection anisotropy spectroscopy

We study the initial interaction of adsorbed H2O with P-rich and Ga-rich GaP(100) surfaces. Atomically well defined surfaces are prepared by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy and transferred contamination-free to ultra-high vacuum, where water is adsorbed at room temperature. Finally, the surfaces are annealed in vapour phase ambient. During all steps, the impact on the surface properties is monitored with in situ reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS). Photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction are applied for further in system studies. After exposure up to saturation of the RA spectra, the Ga-rich (2 × 4) surface reconstruction exhibits a sub-monolayer coverage in form of a mixture of molecularly and dissociatively adsorbed water. For the p(2 × 2)/c(4 × 2) P-rich surface reconstruction, a new c(2 × 2) superstructure forms upon adsorption and the uptake of adsorbate is significantly reduced when compared to the Ga-rich surface. Our findings show that microscopic surface reconstructions of GaP(100) greatly impact the mechanism of initial interface formation with water, which could benefit the design of e.g. photoelectrochemical water splitting devices