Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiasheng Chi, Zhi Jiang, Jiawei Yan, Afsanehsadat Larimi, Zhiliang Wang, Lianzhou Wang, Wenfeng Shangguan
Summary: Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a promising technique for converting solar energy into sustainable hydrogen. However, challenges such as insufficient light absorption, poor charge transport properties, and sluggish surface reactions need to be addressed to improve the overall performance of photoanodes.
MATERIALS TODAY CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Annalisa Polo, Maria Vittoria Dozzi, Ivan Grigioni, Charles Lhermitte, Nukorn Plainpan, Luca Moretti, Giulio Cerullo, Kevin Sivula, Elena Selli
Summary: Mo6+ doping enhances the photoelectrochemical performance of BiVO4 photoanodes in water oxidation. The mechanisms behind this improvement are revealed through transient absorption spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy, showing that Mo6+ ions improve electron transport and surface properties of BiVO4 photoanodes.
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Xin Su, Can-jun Liu, Yang Liu, Ya-hui Yang, Xuan Liu, Shu Chen
Summary: A versatile phase transformation strategy was proposed to synthesize novel BiVO4 nanosheets@WO3 nanorod and nanoplate arrays films. The prepared WO3/BiVa(4) heterojunction films exhibited excellent PEC activity in water splitting, with photocurrent densities reaching up to about 1.56 and 1.20 mA/cm(2) under visible light illumination without cocatalyst.
TRANSACTIONS OF NONFERROUS METALS SOCIETY OF CHINA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jingyi Lin, Xin Li, Zhiliang Wang, Runlu Liu, Hui Pan, Yixin Zhao, Lingti Kong, Yao Li, Shenmin Zhu, Lianzhou Wang
Summary: This study selected low-cost 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid as a surface passivator for bismuth vanadate photoanodes, improving their performance and charge transfer efficiency through interfacial chemical bonding.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Chiara Nomellini, Annalisa Polo, Camilo A. Mesa, Ernest Pastor, Gianluigi Marra, Ivan Grigioni, Maria Vittoria Dozzi, Sixto Gimenez, Elena Selli
Summary: The performance of composite WO3/BiVO4 photoanodes can be improved by nanostructuring the WO3 underlayer, mitigating charge transport and recombination issues.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tian Tian, Guiyuan Jiang, Yunlu Li, Wenjing Xiang, Wensheng Fu
Summary: This study deposited FeOOH onto BiVO4 photoanodes through electrodeposition and found that the Bi-O-Fe bond is beneficial for improving the water oxidation activity of the catalyst. However, FeOOH cannot restrain the dissolution of V5+ and improve the stability of the photoelectrode. By assembling a low-cost metal-organic coordination of tannic acid coordinated with Ni ions, the activity and stability of the BiVO4/FeOOH photoanode were further enhanced.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kexin Ren, Jiayi Zhou, Zihao Wu, Qi Sun, Limin Qi
Summary: In this study, a unique BiVO4(BVO)/BiOCl nanobowl photoanode with dual heterojunctions was fabricated, which effectively enhanced light absorption and reduced carrier diffusion path. The dual heterojunctions facilitated electron transfer and bulk charge separation, resulting in a remarkable photocurrent density and excellent bulk charge separation efficiency. This work highlights the potential of integrating dual heterojunctions and morphology engineering in high-performance photoelectrodes for efficient solar conversion.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Songcan Wang, Boyan Liu, Xin Wang, Yingjuan Zhang, Wei Huang
Summary: By designing a nanoporous MoO3-x/BiVO4 heterojunction photoanode, we have improved the efficiency of charge separation in bismuth vanadate, resulting in significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical performance. Stable photoelectrochemical water splitting with high photocurrent density and applied bias photon-to-current efficiency is achieved by depositing dual oxygen evolution cocatalysts.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ashley R. Bielinski, Andrew J. Gayle, Sudarat Lee, Neil P. Dasgupta
Summary: Systematic tuning of core-shell nanowire architectures can optimize photoelectrochemical performance and achieve higher photocurrent densities. This study highlights the benefits of systematically optimizing electrode geometry at the nanoscale when designing photoelectrodes.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chunlian Hu, Chunjiang Xu, Xiaohu Li, Bonan Li, Xiaoshuo Ma, Jiayu Zhu, Congzhao Dong, Yong Ding
Summary: In this study, a novel molecular cocatalyst, noble-metal-free polyoxometalate (Ni3POM), was incorporated into a typical FeOOH/BiVO4 composite photoanode, greatly enhancing the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance. The Ni3POM/FeOOH/BiVO4 photoanode displayed a photocurrent density of 5.2 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs RHE, achieving a 4-fold enhancement compared to the pristine photoanode. The photoanode also exhibited 99% photocurrent density retention after a 1-hour stability test at 1.23 V vs RHE, indicating improved PEC stability. Additionally, a 1.1% ABPE value was achieved at 0.8 V vs RHE.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wenchao Jiang, Siyuan Li, Qi Sui, Yujie Gao, Fei Li, Lixin Xia, Yi Jiang
Summary: This study introduces an Au binding bridge onto the surface of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) photoanode, facilitating the transfer of photogenerated holes to cyano-functionalized cobalt cubane (Co4O4) molecules. This arrangement results in a significant improvement in photocurrent density and charge transfer efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jin Wook Yang, Ik Jae Park, Sol A. Lee, Mi Gyoung Lee, Tae Hyung Lee, Hoonkee Park, Changyeon Kim, Jaemin Park, Jooho Moon, Jin Young Kim, Ho Won Jang
Summary: By designing a new photoanode with nanoporous BiVO4 and SnO2 nanorods focused on charge separation, high charge separation efficiency and photocurrent density are achieved. Coupled with NiFe as a co-catalyst for water oxidation and a perovskite/Si tandem solar cell, the system shows a high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency for spontaneous solar hydrogen production.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zhaoyi Xi, Chenyu Zhou, Kim Kisslinger, Tharanga Nanayakkara, Fang Lu, Xiao Tong, Mingzhao Liu
Summary: In this study, single crystalline BiVO4 photoanodes were synthesized by pulsed laser deposition, and a thin layer of cobalt oxide cocatalyst was coated on the surface using the same method. The coated photoanodes showed efficient photoelectrochemical generation of chlorine from brine under simulated solar light. The thickness of the cobalt oxide layer was found to be optimal at 3 nm, achieving a faradic efficiency of chlorine generation exceeding 60%. Moreover, the amorphous and chemically robust cobalt oxide cocatalyst effectively protected the underlying BiVO4 photoanodes against chlorine corrosion. This work provides insights into the production of valuable byproducts using artificial photosynthesis and avoiding energy-intensive oxygen evolution reactions.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jianhe Yuan, Yuling Yuan, Jingjing Zhang, Hong Xu, Zhiping Mao, Yimeng Ma
Summary: This study employed operando spectroelectrochemical and photoelectrochemical methods to investigate the charge carrier dynamics of photogenerated holes in hematite for ethanol oxidation and its possible over-oxidation. The results showed that ethanol oxidation exhibited high selectivity and efficiency, while the overoxidation of acetaldehyde was suppressed due to kinetic competition. By comparing the activation energies, the advantage of using hematite for safer and sustainable value-added aldehyde synthesis was elucidated, and the challenges in broad-spectrum deep oxidation of organic compounds using metal oxides in water purification were addressed.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gbemisola J. Bamiduro, Caitlyn M. Dollar, Sarah Abaddi, Nicholas Ensinger, Elsayed M. Zahran
Summary: This study demonstrates a highly efficient light-activated catalytic degradation of glyphosate using Pd@BiVO4/BiOBr dual heterojunction photocatalyst, which can rapidly degrade glyphosate within 5 minutes. The addition of palladium to the BiVO4/BiOBr nanocomposite enhances the degradation by four times. The photocatalytic mineralization pathway of glyphosate was investigated by determining the degradation products. The Pd@BiVO4/BiOBr photocatalyst shows high stability even after six glyphosate degradation cycles. These results provide a promising approach for sustainable catalytic technologies to minimize the global impact of pesticides.
CATALYSIS COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Tan Zhang, Denggao Guan, Ningtao Liu, Jianguo Zhang, Jinfu Zhang, Chenyu Guo, Mengting Qiu, Qilong Yuan, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: This study fabricates metal-semiconductor-metal structure deep-ultraviolet photodetectors using radio-frequency sputtered amorphous Ga2O3 films at room temperature. The detectors show low dark current, high responsivity, and fast response time, and the annealing treatments are effective in improving the detector performance, showing a low-cost approach for fabrication and post-synthetic tuning.
APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Ningtao Liu, Jinfu Zhang, Li Chen, Liu Wang, Simiao Wu, Tan Zhang, Wei Wang, Zilong Wang, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: This study investigates the influence of in situ ozone treatment on the structure and carrier transport in La-doped BaSnO3 (BLSO) films. It is found that introducing ozone during the film growth inhibits the formation of oxygen vacancies and Sn2+ ions. The reduction of oxygen vacancies leads to an increase in threading dislocation density and deterioration of carrier mobility.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ningtao Liu, Tan Zhang, Li Chen, Jinfu Zhang, Shudong Hu, Wei Guo, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: In this study, a fast-response metal semiconductor metal (MSM) photodetector is fabricated by integrating a polar aluminum nitride (AlN) template with amorphous gallium oxide (Ga2O3). The performance of the photodetector is strongly dependent on the polarization direction of the AlN template. The optimized performance is achieved with a downward polarization from an Al-polar AlN layer, including a lower dark current, higher photo-to-dark current ratio, faster response speed, and recovery time.
IEEE ELECTRON DEVICE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Wenrui Zhang, Jie Zhang, Shaobo Cheng, Christopher M. Rouleau, Kim Kisslinger, Lihua Zhang, Yimei Zhu, Thomas Z. Ward, Gyula Eres
Summary: Engineering the formation and distribution of oxygen vacancies plays a key role in controlling the evolution of the oxygen sublattice and functional behavior in oxide materials. By incorporating NiO into LSMO films, strong interactions across epitaxial interfaces lead to topotactic phase transitions and morphological evolution in both materials, allowing for systematic tuning of magnetic and electrical properties. The use of self-assembled heterostructure interfaces in the epitaxial nanocomposite platform enables versatile design of topotactic phase structures sensitive to oxygen vacancies.
NANO-MICRO LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Haotian Yang, Jiajie Cen, Qiyuan Wu, Claron J. Ridge, Xiao Tong, Chenyu Zhou, Vijayen Veerasamy, Dong Su, C. Michael Lindsay, Mingzhao Liu, Alexander Orlov
Summary: This study demonstrates the importance of charge transfer in determining the catalytic performances of supported nanoparticles. It shows that charge transfer from the semiconductor supports to the Au nanoparticles can lower the onset temperature for CO oxidation. The formation of a Schottky barrier across the Au/SiO2/Si heterojunction leads to a negative charge accumulation on the surface of Au nanoparticles, which in turn enhances the activation of O-O bonds and improves the catalytic reactivity for CO oxidation.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Chenyu Zhou, Zhaoyi Xi, Dario J. Stacchiola, Mingzhao Liu
Summary: Coating or sandwiching an ultrathin layer of TiO2 onto active solar components has been proven as an effective strategy to improve stability and efficiency in solar energy conversion devices. This approach has been widely applied in various types of solar energy conversion devices, showing significant importance.
ENERGY SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Wenrui Zhang, Wei Wang, Jinfu Zhang, Tan Zhang, Li Chen, Yu Zhang, Yanwei Cao, Li Ji, Jichun Ye
Summary: By establishing a low-defect diffusion barrier, the responsivity and response time of ε-Ga2O3 MSM photodetectors were improved simultaneously.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Shudong Hu, Dongyang Han, Kemin Jiang, Ningtao Liu, Wei Wang, Jinfu Zhang, Kaisen Liu, Tan Zhang, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: In this study, we investigate the influence of oxygen vacancy content and electrode contact on the performance of deep ultraviolet photodetectors based on amorphous Ga2O3 films. By fine-tuning the oxygen ratio, the oxygen vacancy content can be effectively reduced, resulting in optimized device performance with a responsivity of 5.78 A W^-1 and a rise/fall time of 301/89 ms. The formation of metal contacts and its impact on device performance are also studied, showing that Schottky-type devices using Au and Al electrodes exhibit a shorter rise time and lower dark current compared to Ohmic-type devices using Ti electrodes.
APPLIED PHYSICS EXPRESS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zilong Wang, Wenrui Zhang, Yang Song, Ningtao Liu, Li Chen, Na An, Deyu Liu, Qitao Liu, Shengcheng Shen, Yongbo Kuang, Jichun Ye
Summary: This study explores the impact of site-selective doping on the structural variation and electron transport in BVO, as well as its implications for designing photoanodes with improved PEC performance. Two types of doped BVO films, with V site substituted with Mo ions or Bi site substituted with Gd ions, are prepared and compared to pristine BVO. It is suggested that Gd-Bi doping facilitates carrier transport through introducing structural distortion and increasing the oxygen vacancy concentration, while MoV doping enhances the donor density and facilitates carrier hopping.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zhaoyi Xi, Chenyu Zhou, Kim Kisslinger, Tharanga Nanayakkara, Fang Lu, Xiao Tong, Mingzhao Liu
Summary: In this study, single crystalline BiVO4 photoanodes were synthesized by pulsed laser deposition, and a thin layer of cobalt oxide cocatalyst was coated on the surface using the same method. The coated photoanodes showed efficient photoelectrochemical generation of chlorine from brine under simulated solar light. The thickness of the cobalt oxide layer was found to be optimal at 3 nm, achieving a faradic efficiency of chlorine generation exceeding 60%. Moreover, the amorphous and chemically robust cobalt oxide cocatalyst effectively protected the underlying BiVO4 photoanodes against chlorine corrosion. This work provides insights into the production of valuable byproducts using artificial photosynthesis and avoiding energy-intensive oxygen evolution reactions.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuxia Yang, Liu Wang, Shudong Hu, Dongyang Han, Simiao Wu, Zilong Wang, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: Ternary complex oxides show significant dependence on structure and functionalities based on their composition. The effect of cation stoichiometry on the physical properties of ZnGa2O4 is well known, but its impact on ultraviolet photodetection behavior is not clear. In this study, a combinatorial pulsed laser deposition technique is used to create graded composition in ZnxGa1-xO films, and their effects on phase, crystallinity, and bandgap are investigated. The photodetection performance is compared by fabricating metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetectors. The study reveals the optimal compositional range for the best device performance and sheds light on composition-dependent evolution in ultrawidebandgap semiconductors for high-performance ultraviolet photodetection.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Jinfu Zhang, Ningtao Liu, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: La-doped BaSnO3 (BLSO) has potential applications in oxide electronic devices due to its high electron mobility and good thermal stability. The interaction between extrinsic La dopants and intrinsic oxygen vacancies in BLSO films influences the transport behavior, but the dominant factor is unclear when the La dopant ratio varies. In this study, BLSO films with lightly doped (0.2%) and heavily doped (7%) regimes were fabricated, and the impact of oxygen vacancies on the structure, optical, and transport properties of these films was investigated systematically. The presence of ozone during film growth resulted in larger strain and lower oxygen vacancy concentrations, as well as decreased mobility and carrier concentration for both lightly doped and heavily doped films. These findings indicate that oxygen vacancies enhance carrier concentration and electron mobility independent of the La dopant ratio and provide an effective strategy for optimizing the electrical properties of BLSO films.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Adam M. Hilbrands, Shenli Zhang, Chenyu Zhou, Giacomo Melani, Dae Han Wi, Dongho Lee, Zhaoyi Xi, Ashley R. Head, Mingzhao Liu, Giulia Galli, Kyoung-Shin Choi
Summary: Photoanodes used in a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell are typically paired with an oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) to effectively utilize holes generated by photons for water oxidation. It has been found that suppressing electron-hole recombination at the interface between the photoanode and OEC is crucial for maximizing the utilization of holes for water oxidation. Through experimental and computational studies, it has been demonstrated that the detailed features of the interface between the photoanode and OEC significantly impact interfacial charge transfer and photocurrent generation for water oxidation.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wenrui Zhang, Wei Wang, Jingxuan Wei, Shihong Xia, Jianguo Zhang, Li Chen, Dongyang Han, Keming Jiang, Zhenhai Yang, Shen Hu, Li Ji, Jichun Ye
Summary: In this study, we integrate an ultrathin Al2O3 capping layer to improve the performance of ε-Ga2O3 MSM photodetectors. The Al2O3 layer effectively reduces the dark current, increases the photocurrent and response speed. The surface passivation mechanism involves the reduction of surface defects and the reconstruction of a faster surface transport channel. The Al2O3/ε-Ga2O3 MSM photodetector achieves high responsivity, detectivity, photo-to-dark ratio, and UV-vis rejection ratio.
MATERIALS TODAY PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Dongyang Han, Yuxia Yang, Lin Meng, Shudong Hu, Kaisen Liu, Haobo Lin, Ningtao Liu, Wenrui Zhang, Jichun Ye
Summary: In this paper, a self-powered solar-blind UV photodetector based on a 4H-SiC/ZnGa2O4 heterojunction is demonstrated, along with its application in optical communication. The device shows excellent performance, mainly attributed to the characteristics of the 4H-SiC/ZnGa2O4 heterojunction.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
