Yttrium-doped hematite photoanodes for solar water splitting: Photoelectrochemical and electronic properties
Abstract We investigate yttrium-doped hematite thin-film photoelectrochemical properties and find yttrium incorporation to amply improve the performance as a photoanode for water splitting under visible light. We used the spray pyrolysis method to prepare a set of yttrium doped Fe2-xYxO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.2) thin films (thickness below 500 nm) on glass and transparent conductive oxide coated glass slides. Using a substitutional homovalent (Y3+) dopant, the effect on functionality is rationalised as a combined effect on the electronic structure and small polaron mobility from the lattice structure, impurity levels, lattice stability and variance in hybridisation. The photoelectroch…
Progress in development of a new luminescence setup at the FinEstBeAMS beamline of the MAX IV laboratory
The main funding for the FinEstBeAMS beamline has been obtained from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (project “Estonian beamline to MAX-IV synchrotron”, granted to the University of Tartu) and from the Academy of Finland through the Finnish Research Infrastructure funding projects ( FIRI2010 , FIRI2013 , FIRI2014 ). The authors also acknowledge the funding contributions of the University of Oulu , University of Turku , Tampere University of Technology , the Estonian Research Council ( IUT 2-25 , IUT 2-26 , PRG-111 ), as well as the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics…
Study of the structural phase transformation of iron oxide nanoparticles from an Fe2+ ion source by precipitation under various synthesis parameters and temperatures
Abstract Magnetite nanoparticles were precipitated from a pure aqueous ferrous salt solution in an air atmosphere. The influence of the solution molarity, the rate of precipitator agent addition, stirring time and annealing temperature was studied. The morphology, crystalline phase purity and magnetic properties of the obtained powders were studied by X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The synthesis conditions were seen to have an effect on phase composition. It was possible to obtain near stoichiometric Fe…
Photocatalytic activity of anatase-nickel ferrite heterostructures
The simple co-precipitation route was used to couple commercial TiO2 anatase nanopowder with nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4). The morphology and the crystalline structure of composite nanoparticles were characterised by TEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD and Rietveld refinement, XPS and XAS. The optical and magnetic properties were investigated. After co-precipitation NiFe2O4 nanoparticles, composed of spinel ferrite crystal phase, were formed on the surface of TiO2 anatase nanopowder. The TiO2/NiFe2O4 composite oxide demonstrated large specific surface area, high visible light absorption efficiency and efficient charge carrier separation, compared to pristine anatase TiO2 or pristine NiFe2O4, rep…
Effect of antisite defects on the magnetic properties of ZnFe2 O4
Magnetic zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) nanopowders were synthesized using the sol–gel autocombustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements demonstrated that thermal decomposition of the 1-mm-thick xerogel layers in air formed monophasic spinel ferrite nanopowders with a particle size less than 30 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the obtained reaction product contained antisite defects, with zinc ions occurring at the octahedral sites of the spinel structure. The concentration of antisite defects or inversion degree decreased when the relatively low annealing temperature was increased from 150 to 500 °C. Overall, the obtained ZnFe2…
Ag sensitized TiO2 and NiFe2O4 three-component nanoheterostructures: synthesis, electronic structure and strongly enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity
This study reports on the synthesis and characterisation of two- and three-component visible light active photocatalytic nanoparticle heterostructures, based on TiO2 and NiFe2O4 and sensitized with Ag. We observe that a Ag content as small as 1 at% in the TiO2/NiFe2O4 heterostructure increases by more than an order of magnitude the rate constant for the visible light photocatalytic process. We rationalise this in terms of the measured structure and electronic structure data of the binary and ternary combinations of the component materials and focus on details, which show that an optimised deposition sequence is vital for attaining high values of photocatalytic efficiency, because the charge…
Photocatalytic activity of non-stoichiometric ZnFe2O4under visible light irradiation
Nanostructured zinc ferrites with different excess iron contents (ZnFe2+zO4, where z = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) have been synthesized using the sol–gel auto-combustion method. The effect of excess iron on the structural, optical and visible light photocatalytic activity of zinc ferrite samples has been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis) and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the synthesized non-stoichiometric ZnFe2O4 powders. The XRD patterns demonstrated that the samples con…
Co doped ZnO nanowires as visible light photocatalysts
Abstract High aspect ratio cobalt doped ZnO nanowires showing strong photocatalytic activity and moderate ferromagnetic behaviour were successfully synthesized using a solvothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities evaluated for visible light driven degradation of an aqueous methylene orange (MO) solution were higher than for Co doped ZnO nanoparticles at the same doping level and synthesized by the same synthesis route. The rate constant for MO visi…
Performance and characterization of the FinEstBeAMS beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory
European Regional Development Fund (grant No. TK-141 HiTechDevices 2014-2020.4.01.15-0011 to University of Tartu; grant No. MAX-TEENUS 2014-2020.4.01.20-0278 to University of Tartu; grant No. Eesti Kiirekanal SLOFY11156T/1 to University of Tartu); Estonian Research Council (grant No. PRG-629 to University of Tartu); Jane & Aatos Erkko Foundation (grant No. SOFUS); Business Finland (grant No. 1464/31/2019); Academy of Finland (grant No. 319042; grant No. 326461; grant No. 326406; grant No. 320165); University of Oulu; University of Turku; Tampere University; University of Tartu.