Search results for " Spectroscopy"

2018

We report a novel multi-step method for the preparation of ordered mesoporous titania scaffolds and show an illustrative example of their application to solar cells. The method is based on (monolayer) colloidal nanosphere lithography that makes use of polystyrene nanoparticles organised at a water–air interface and subsequently transferred onto a solid substrate. A titania precursor solution (titanium(IV) isopropoxide in ethanol) is then drop-cast onto the monolayer and left to “incubate” overnight. Surprisingly, instead of the expected inverse monolayer-structure, a subsequent calcination step of the precursor yields an ordered monolayer of hollow titania nanospheres with a wall thickness …

Hydrothermal-mediated synthesis of orange Cr, Sb-containing TiO 2 nano-pigments with improved microstructure

2017

Abstract A hydrothermal-mediated via was developed to prepare discrete, non-aggregated Cr,Sb-doped rutile nano-pigments. After annealing the Cr- and Sb-containing TiO2 anatase nanocrystals obtained by hydrothermal aging the nano-pigments Cr,Sb-TiO2 were characterized with the aid of X-ray diffraction (XRD) including lattice parameter and crystallite size determination, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning and transmission electron microscopies (FESEM and TEM, respectively) including energy-dispersive X-ray (FESEM/EDX) spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) including selected area electron diffraction (SAED), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance (UV–…

Photoelectrochemical characterization of anatase-rutile mixed TiO2 nanosponges

2016

This work studies the influence of using hydrodynamic conditions during anodization on the morphology and electrochemical properties of anatase/rutile mixed TiO2 nanotubes (Reynolds number, Re = 0) and nanosponges (Re > 0). To this purpose different techniques were used, such as: microscopy techniques (Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, FE-SEM, and Confocal Laser-Raman Spectroscopy), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Mott Schottky (MS) analysis and photoelectrochemical water splitting tests. This investigation demonstrates that the morphology of TiO2 nanostructures may be greatly affected due to the hydrodynamic conditions and it can be adjusted in order to increase th…

Thermal effects on the growth by metal organic chemical vapour deposition of TiO2 thin films on (100) GaAs substrates

2002

Abstract TiO 2 thin films were deposited on (100) GaAs substrates by LP-MOCVD with deposition temperatures ( T d ) ranking from 450 to 750 °C. The structure of these layers was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The growth of the TiO 2 anatase phase was observed for T d T d >600 °C. Finally, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) experiments showed the presence of small quantities of Ga and As through the whole film thickness, slightly increasing at the surface of the layers. This result was related to the SEM observations and explained by considering the growth conditions.

Investigation on sol–gel synthesized Ag-doped TiO2 cermet thin films

2005

Abstract Undoped TiO 2 and Ag–TiO 2 (up to 23 at.% Ag) cermet thin films and polycrystalline powders have been prepared by sol–gel process. Their structure, composition, surface morphology and optical properties have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS spectroscopy). It has been observed that while Ag does not form a solid solution with TiO 2 , it promotes the anatase to rutile phase transformation. The transformation temperature decreases from 827 °C for undoped TiO 2 to about 650 °C fo…

BN/GdxTi(1-x)O(4-x)/2 nanofibers for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light

2019

Abstract BN/GdxTi(1-x)O(4-x)/2 nanofibers were elaborated via electrospinning technique. The properties of the prepared nanofibers were controlled using different ratios of gadolinium. All the prepared nanofibers exhibit the tetragonal structure of anatase TiO2 phase. An increase in the unit cell volume and a decrease in the crystallite size were observed with increasing the doping amount of Gd3+ as revealed by Rietveld refinement analysis. The defect in TiO2 lattice was observed by Raman. The Gd3+ incorporation inside TiO2 lattice, which is accompanied by the creation of Ti-O-Gd bond, was characterized by the X-ray photoelectron spectra. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrates that the a…

TiO2 anatase films obtained by direct liquid injection atomic layer deposition at low temperature

2014

International audience; TiO2 thin films were grown by direct liquid injection atomic layer deposition (DLI-ALD) with infrared rapid thermal heating using titanium tetraisopropoxide and water as precursors. This titanium tetraisopropoxide/water process exhibited a growth rate of 0.018 nm/cycle in a self-limited ALD growth mode at 280 degrees C. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy analyses have shown a smooth surface with a low roughness. XPS results demonstrated that the films were pure and close to the TiO2 stoichiometric composition in depth. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the films were crystallized to the anatase structure in the as-deposited state at low temperatu…

Preparation and Characterization of Nanostructured Fe-TiO2 Thin Films Produced by Electrophoretic Deposition

2013

Fe-TiO2 thin films have been produced by a sol-electrophoretic deposition method on metallic Ti foil substrates. X-ray diffractograms and Raman spectra confirms the anatase structure of deposited and annealed Fe-TiO2 films. Obtained Fe-TiO2 thin films demonstrate photoactivity under visible light radiation due to the doping with Fe3+ ions. Open circuit potential results shows that increase of the film thickness and surface area improves the photoactivity of Fe-TiO2.

Effect of Reynolds number and lithium cation insertion on titanium anodization

2016

This work studies the influence of using hydrodynamic conditions (Reynolds number, Re = 0 to Re = 600) during Ti anodization and Li+ intercalation on anatase TiO2 nanotubes. The synthesized photocatalysts were characterized by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), Raman Confocal Laser Microscopy, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Mott-Schottky analysis (M-S), photoelectrochemical hydrogen production and resistance to photocorrosion tests. The obtained results showed that the conductivity of the NTs increases with Li+ intercalation and Re. The latter is due to the fact that the hydrodynamic conditions eliminate part of the initiation layer formed over the tu…

Removal of Surface Oxygen Vacancies Increases Conductance Through TiO(2) Thin Films for Perovskite Solar Cells

2019

[Image: see text] We report that UV–ozone treatment of TiO(2) anatase thin films is an efficient method to increase the conductance through the film by more than 2 orders of magnitude. The increase in conductance is quantified via conductive scanning force microscopy on freshly annealed and UV–ozone-treated TiO(2) anatase thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates. The increased conductance of TiO(2) anatase thin films results in a 2% increase of the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of methylammonium lead iodide-based perovskite solar cells. PCE values up to 19.5% for mesoporous solar cells are realized. The additional UV–ozone treatment results in a reduced number of oxygen…