Preparation and characterization of compact TiO2 film used in Grǎtzelsolar cells

We report for the first time the preparation method of compact TiO2 film using titanium butoxide-petroleum ether solution, by means of dipping and sintering. Our estimation of the component of this thin film was confirmed by XPS test. Studies of AFM showed the influence of preparation condition upon surface morphology. The transmitted spectrum of this compact TiO2 film was also investigated, which presented an excellent transmittance of this film in the visible light region. We arrive at a conclusion,according to the I-V characteristics of solid-state Grǎitzel solar cells utilizing this kind of compact film, that this compact TiO2 film functions well in secluding the conducting substrate from the hole-conducting material.     

Preparation and characterization of compact TiO_2 film used in Gratzel solar cells

We report for the first time the preparation method of compact TiO2 film using titanium butox-ide-petroleum ether solution, by means of dipping and sintering. Our estimation of the component of this thin film was confirmed by XPS test. Studies of AFM showed the influence of preparation condition upon surface morphology. The transmitted spectrum of this compact TiO2 film was also investigated, which presented an excellent transmittance of this film in the visible light region. We arrive at a conclusion, according to the Ⅰ-Ⅴ characteristics of solid-state Gratzel solar cells utilizing this kind of compact film, that this compact TiO2 film functions well in secluding the conducting substrate from the hole-conducting material.     

Photocatalytic degradation kinetics of Rhodamine B catalyzed by nanosized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> film

A fixed bed photocatalytic reactor was designed,and dynamic fast scan of UV-Vis adsorption spectrum was adopted to study the photocatalytic degradation dynamic behavior of Rhodamine B,a kind of dye generally recognized as to be degraded difficultly ,on the surface of nanosized TiO2 thin film,The results indicate that the photocatalytic degradation process of Rhodamine B does not comply with the first-order reaction kinetic process ,As a result,a kinetic model of Rhodamine B photocataly tic degradation ,reaction is brough forward ,and the model is proved by the theoretical deduction and experiment.     

Preparation of graphene and TiO2 layer by layer composite with highly photocatalytic efficiency

A process for fabricating graphene and TiO2 layer by layer composite was introduced to improve the photocatalytic activity by controlling the layers, thickness and the mass ratio between graphene and TiO2. The graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized from natural graphite pow der by the modified Hummers met hod. Large-area uniform GO and TiO2 thin films were made by a spin-coating process in turn. After exposure of the TiO2/GO multilayer film to UV light irradiation which allows the reduction of GO to graphene, a novel photocatalyt ic structure as graphene and TiO2 layer by layer composite was synthesized. The cross-sectional SEM image showed that a clear layer by layer microstructure with a single layer thickness of graphene or TiO2 was in the range of about 50 nm. The total thickness of the film was around 5 μm which was varied according to the layer number of spin coating process. Raman spectra revealed th at significant structural changes occurred through UV light irradiation. Photodegrada tion for methylene blue (MB) exhibited that the layer by layer com posite is of higher photocatalytic activity than the pure TiO2 layer.     

Preparation of porous nanocrystalline TiO2 electrode by screen-printing technique

Different paste has been used for preparing porous TiO2 thin film by screen-printing technique, the main component of it comes from commercial TiO2 P25 power. The dye-sensitized solar cell based on this TiO2 thin film without further chemical treatments exhibits high overall conversion efficiency of 5.81%―6.70%, even with low TiO2 content and thin film thickness. The experimental repeatability is nice and the properties of the films are uniform.     

TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>@MgO core-shell film: Fabrication and application to dye-sensitized solar cells

In this study,TiO2@MgO core-shell film was obtained by using a simple chemical bath deposition method to coat a thin MgO film around TiO2 nanoparticles. The core-shell configuration was characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD),scanning elec-tron microscopy (SEM),energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX),and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Lattice fringes were observed for the TiO2 particles,and the MgO shell showed an amorphous structure,revealing a clear distinction between the core and shell materials. Applying the core-shell film as photoanode to the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs),it shows a superior performance compared to the pure TiO2 electrode. Under the illumination of simulated sunlight (75 mW-cm-2),the short circuit photocurrent (Jsc),the open circuit photovoltage (Voc),and the fill factor (fF) are 8.80 mA-cm-2,646 mV,and 0.69,respectively,and the conversion efficiency (η) in-creased by 21.8% (from 4.32% to 5.26%) when dipping for opti-mum condition.     

Au plasmon enhanced high performance β-Ga_2O_3 solar-blind photo-detector

Surface plasmon polariton(SPP) is electro-magnetic wave coupled to free electron oscillations near the surface of metal, and has been used to improve the photoelectric properties in many optoelectronic devices. In the present study, the Au nanoparticles(NPs)/β-Ga_2O_3 composite thin film was fabricated through depositing Au ultra-thin film on the β-Ga_2O_3 thin film followed by post-thermal treatment. Compared to bare β-Ga_2O_3 thin film, a significant absorption around 510 nm, which is attributed to SPP of Au NPs, was observed in the UV–vis spectrum of Au NPs/β-Ga_2O_3 composite thin film. The results showed that the photoresponse of Au NPs/Ga_2O_3 photodetector illuminated under 254 nm +532 nm light was much higher than that illuminated under 254 nm light, indicating an enhancement of photoelectric property for the solar-blind photodetector based on β-Ga_2O_3 thin film.     

EFFECT OF ELECTRODEPOSITED Cr2O3 OXIDE FILM ON THE OXIDATION OF Fe3Al

A uniform, dense and defect free Cr₂O₃ thin film, which is amorphous at ambient temperature, was applied on the surface of intermetallic Fe₃Al by electrodeposition reaction sintering, and the effect of this film on the oxidation of Fe₃Al at 900℃ in air was studied. The films and the oxide scales were analyzed by TEM, EDAX,SEM and XRD.It is proved that, by surface applied Cr₂O₃ thin film,a continuous, protective,fine grained α-Al₂O₃ scale was formed on Fe₃Al. As a result, the adherence of the scale and oxidation resistance of Fe₃Al were improved.     

Electrical bistable characteristics of poly（phenylene sulfide） thin film deposited by thermal evaporation

Poly（phenylene sulfide） （PPS） is a well-known organic insulator. However, the PPS thin film, deposited by thermal evaporation in vacuum, showed electrical bistable characteristics. The structure of the PPS thin-film device was glass/ITOIPPS （300 nm）/Au. The thin film can be converted to a high conductance state by applying a pulse of 80 V （5 s）, and brought back to a low conductance state by applying a pulse of 100 V （5 s）. This kind of thin film is potential for active layer of a memory device. The critical voltage of the device is about 40 V, while the read-out voltage is 5 V. We tentatively ascribe the bistable phenomenon to the charge transfer from S to C atoms in the PPS molecule chains.     

Preparation of porous nanoparticle TiO_2 films for flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

A TiO2 paste was prepared by mixing commercial TiO2 (P25), ethanol, distilled water and a small amount of Ti (IV) tetrai-sopropoxide (TTIP), following by a hydrothermal treatment. Before hydrothermal treatment, a stirring for 48 h can prevent cracking TiO2 films. TTIP significantly promote the chemical connection between TiO2 particles and its adherence to the substrate, the TTIP amount of 6 mol% is suitable. UV irradiation can remove some impurities and water from the TiO2 film with an optimal time of 2 h....     

High conversion efficiency of pristine TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotube arrays based dye-sensitized solar cells

We prepared highly-ordered titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (TNAs) by anodizing Ti foils in F-containing electrolytes.The crystalline nature and morphology of the TNAs were studied using X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy.We found the morphology of TNAs affects the light-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).The efficiency of DSSCs reached 5.95% under the condition of light illuminated from the counter electrode.The high efficiency of TNA-based DSSCs was attributed to the neat top surface of TNAs,which allows more dye molecule loading on the surface of the TiO 2 nanotubes,and fewer electron recombination centers and a low interface resistance of integrated TNAs.     

I-V andC-V properties of TiO2 thin film by pulsed-laser reactive deposition

TiO-2 thin films have bee deposited on p-Si(111) substrates by pulsed-laser ablation of metallic Ti target in the O-3 ambient. The current-voltage and capacitance-voltage of the Al/TiO-2/Si capacitors are measured. The results show that the dielectric constant of thin film after being annealed at 700℃ is found to be 46, and the border trap density and the interface state density at the TiO-2/p-Si interface are 1.8×10 12 cm -2 and 2×10 12 eV -1·cm -2, respectively. The conduction mechanisms of as-deposited films are also discussed.     

Structure and photocatalytic properties of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Graphene Oxide intercalated composite

TiO2-Graphene Oxide intercalated composite (TiO2-Graphene Oxide) has been successfully prepared at low temperature (80°C) with graphite oxide (GO) and titanium sulfate (Ti(SO4)2) as initial reactants.GO was firstly exfoliated by NaOH and formed single and multi-layered graphite oxide mixture which can be defined as graphene oxide,[TiO]2+ induced by the hydrolysis of Ti(SO4)2 diffused into graphene oxide interlayer by electrostatic attraction.The nucleation and growth of TiO2 crystallites took place at low temperature and TiO2-Graphene Oxide composite was successfully synthesized.Furthermore,the photocatalytic properties of TiO2-Graphene Oxide under the irradiation of UV light were also studied.The results show that the degradation rate of methyl orange is 1.16 mg min-1 g-1(refer to the efficiency of the initial 15 min).Compared with P25 powder,this kind of intercalation composite owns much better efficiency.On the other hand,the reusable properties and stable properties of TiO2-Graphene Oxide intercalated composite are also discussed in this paper.At last,crystalline structure,interface status,thermal properties and microscopic structure of TiO2-Graphene Oxide were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),thermogravimetric analysis (TGA),field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM).Also,we have analyzed major influencing factors and mechanism of the composite structures which evidently improve the photocatalytic properties.     

Silicon field emission arrays coated with CN<Subscript>x</Subscript> thin films

Arrays of silicon micro-tips were made by etching the p-type (1 0 0) silicon wafers which had SiO₂ masks with alkaline solution. The density of the micro-tips is 2×10⁴ cm⁻². The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photos showed that the tips in these arrays are uniform and orderly. The CN_x thin film, with the thickness of 1.27 μm was deposited on the silicon micro-tip arrays by using the middle frequency magnetron sputtering technology. The SEM photos showed that the films on the tips are smoothly without particles. Keeping the sharpness of the tips will benefit the properties of field emission. The X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) showed that carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are the three major elements in the surfaces of the films. The percents of them are C: 69.5%, N: 12.6% and O: 17.9%. The silicon arrays coated with CN_x thin films had shown a good field emission characterization. The emission current intensity reached 3.2 mA/cm² at 32.8 V/μm, so it can be put into use. The result showed that the silicon arrays coated with CN_x thin films are likely to be good field emission cathode. The preparation and the characterization of the samples were discussed in detail. Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19975035) Biography: Chen Ming an (1978-), male, Ph. D candidate, research direction: novel functional materials film and ion beam modification of materials.     

Influence of post-annealing on the properties of Ta-doped In<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> transparent conductive films

Ta-doped In₂O₃ transparent conductive oxide films were deposited on glass substrates using radio-frequency (RF) sputtering at 300°C. The influence of post-annealing on the structural, morphologic, electrical and optical properties of the films was investigated using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Hall measurements and optical transmission spectroscopy. The obtained films were polycrystalline with a cubic structure and were preferentially oriented in the (222) crystallographic direction. The lowest resistivity, 5.1×10⁻⁴ Ω cm, was obtained in the film annealed at 500°C, which is half of that of the un-annealed film (9.9×10⁻⁴ Ω cm). The average optical transmittance of the films was over 90%. The optical bandgap was found to decrease with increasing annealing temperature.     

Investigation of the cross-reaction mechanism of C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>F-HNO<Subscript>2</Subscript> aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm by transient absorbance spectrum technique

The transient absorption spectrum technique was employed to investigate the cross-reaction mechanism of C6H5F-HNO2 aqueous solution irradiated at 355 nm. The characteristic and the kinetic parameters of transient species were also detected. Hydroxyl radical derived from the photolysis of HNO2 was added to monofluorobenzene with a second-order rate constant of （5.83±0.17）×10^9 L·mol^-1·s^-1 to form an adduct, C6H5F…OH, which was able to react with HNO2 as the main reaction pathway with a rate constant of （8.3±0.1）×10^7 L·mol^-1·s^-1. The C6F6…OH adduct can also be decayed by elimination of H2O to yield monofluorophenyl radical C6H4F-. By GC-MS technique, the final products were identified to be monofluorophenol, nitro-monofluorobenzene, nitro-monofluorophenol and para-fluorobiphenyl.     

Electrochemical properties of LiNi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>1.3</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Li<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> cells

Spinel compounds LiNi_0.5Mn_1.3Ti_0.2O₄ (LNMTO) and Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO) were synthesized by different methods. The particle sizes of LNMTO and LTO are 0.5–2 and 0.5–0.8 μm, respectively. The LNMTO/LTO cell exhibits better electrochemical properties at both a low current rate of 0.2C and a high current rate of 1C. When the specific capacity was determined based on the mass of the LNMTO cathode, the LNMTO/LTO cell delivered 137 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 0.2C and 118.2 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 1C, and the corresponding capacity retentions after 30 cycles are 88.5% and 92.4%, respectively.     

Detection and response mechanism of CN− using Ag2S coated piezoelectric crystal sensor

A new method of determination of trace CN⁻ in water was proposed. A thin film of Ag₂S was electrochemically deposited on both sides of a silver coated piezoelectric crystal. The Ag₂S−Ag films can react with CN⁻ selectively, which causes the frequency shifts of the plezoelectric crystal. The frequency shifts are proportional to the concentration of CN⁻ in the range of 10⁻⁶≈10⁻³ g/L. XPS experiments indicated the sensing film was Ag₂S−Ag. A coordination complex Ag−CN⁻ was formed when Ag₂S−Ag film contacted with solution containing CN⁻ ion. A response mechanism was proposed based on the XPS data. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China Hu Jiming: born in Sept, 1952, Professor     

Synthesis, Characterization and Calorimetry of Ni（C4H8N2O3）2Cl2

A coordination complex was synthesized from NiCl2 and dipeptide glycylglycine（GG）. It was characterized by element analysis, NMR and TG methods, and then was determined to be Ni（C4HsN2O3）2Cl2. Using an isoperibolic reaction calorimeter, the standard molar enthalpy of formation of Ni（GG）2Cl2（solid） has been determined to be -（1 674.66±2.02） kJ · mol^-1 at 298.15 K.