Thermal properties of the stationary current in mesoporous Pt/TiO2 structures in an oxyhydrogen atmosphere

Electronic Control of Hot Electron Transport Using Modified Schottky Barriers in Metal-Semiconductor Nanodiodes

Hot electron flux, generated by both incident light energy and the heat of the catalytic reaction, is a major element for energy conversion at the surface. Controlling hot electron flux in a reversible manner is extremely important for achieving high energy conversion efficiency. Here we demonstrate that hot electron flux can be controlled by tuning the Schottky barrier height. This phenomenon was monitored by using a Schottky nanodiode composed of a metal-semiconductor. The formation of a Schottky barrier at a nanometer scale inevitably accompanies an intrinsic image potential between the metal-semiconductor junction, which lowers the effective Schottky barrier height. When a reverse bias is applied to the nanodiode, an additional image potential participates in a secondary barrier lowering, leading to the increased hot electron flow. Besides, a decrease of tunneling width results in facile electron transport through the barrier. The increased hot electron flux by the chemical reaction (chemicurrent) and by the photon absorption (photocurrent) indicates hot electrons are captured more effectively by modifying the Schottky barrier. This study can shed light on a quantitative understanding and application of charge behavior at metal-semiconductor interfaces, in solar energy conversion, or in a catalytic reaction.

Controlling hot electron flux and catalytic selectivity with nanoscale metal-oxide interfaces

Interaction between metal and oxides is an important molecular-level factor that influences the selectivity of a desirable reaction. Therefore, designing a heterogeneous catalyst where metal-oxide interfaces are well-formed is important for understanding selectivity and surface electronic excitation at the interface. Here, we utilized a nanoscale catalytic Schottky diode from Pt nanowire arrays on TiO2 that forms a nanoscale Pt-TiO2 interface to determine the influence of the metal-oxide interface on catalytic selectivity, thereby affecting hot electron excitation; this demonstrated the real-time detection of hot electron flow generated under an exothermic methanol oxidation reaction. The selectivity to methyl formate and hot electron generation was obtained on nanoscale Pt nanowires/TiO2, which exhibited ~2 times higher partial oxidation selectivity and ~3 times higher chemicurrent yield compared to a diode based on Pt film. By utilizing various Pt/TiO2 nanostructures, we found that the ratio of interface to metal sites significantly affects the selectivity, thereby enhancing chemicurrent yield in methanol oxidation. Density function theory (DFT) calculations show that formation of the Pt-TiO2 interface showed that selectivity to methyl formate formation was much larger in Pt nanowire arrays than in Pt films because of the different reaction mechanism.

Operando Surface Characterization on Catalytic and Energy Materials from Single Crystals to Nanoparticles

Modern surface science faces two major challenges, a materials gap and a pressure gap. While studies on single crystal surface in ultrahigh vacuum have uncovered the atomic and electronic structures of the surface, the materials and environmental conditions of commercial catalysis are much more complicated, both in the structure of the materials and in the accessible pressure range of analysis instruments. Model systems and operando surface techniques have been developed to bridge these gaps. In this Review, we highlight the current trends in the development of the surface characterization techniques and methodologies in more realistic environments, with emphasis on recent research efforts at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. We show principles and applications of the microscopic and spectroscopic surface techniques at ambient pressure that were used for the characterization of atomic structure, electronic structure, charge transport, and the mechanical properties of catalytic and energy materials. Ambient pressure scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy allow us to observe the surface restructuring that occurs during oxidation, reduction, and catalytic processes. In addition, we introduce the ambient pressure atomic force microscopy that revealed the morphological, mechanical, and charge transport properties that occur during the catalytic and energy conversion processes. Hot electron detection enables the monitoring of catalytic reactions and electronic excitations on the surface. Overall, the information on the nature of catalytic reactions obtained with operando spectroscopic and microscopic techniques may bring breakthroughs in some of the global energy and environmental problems the world is facing.

Hydrogen Oxidation-Mediated Current Discharge in Mesoporous Pt/TiO2 Nanocomposite

Here we report on direct evidence of a correlation between hydrogen-to-water oxidation on mesoporous Pt/TiO₂ nanocomposites at room temperature and the conversion of surface-released chemical energy into a stationary electrical current. The Pt phase of this heterojunction device is an electrically continuous 15 nm thick mesh deposited onto a mesoporous TiO₂ substrate fabricated with a plasma electrolytic oxidation process. The H₂O turnover frequency approaches an asymptotic value associated with the saturation of the Pt/TiO₂ interface as the concentration of hydrogen gas is increased. In situ measurements of the reaction-induced current concurrently with mass spectrometry measurements illuminate the polarity switch of the reaction current (from thermionic emission to a reverse steady-state flow) simultaneously with the production of water. Furthermore, a concentration-dependent value of 5 min is measured as the time constant for the adsorption of the initial addition of H₂ and H₂O formation and desorption.

Liquid-phase catalytic reactor combined with measurement of hot electron flux and chemiluminescence

Understanding the role of electronically nonadiabatic interactions during chemical reactions on metal surfaces in liquid media is of great importance for a variety of applications including catalysis, electrochemistry, and environmental science. Here, we report the design of an experimental apparatus for detection of the highly excited (hot) electrons created as a result of nonadiabatic energy transfer during the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide on thin-film metal-semiconductor nanodiodes. The apparatus enables the measurement of hot electron flows and related phenomena (e.g., surface chemiluminescence) as well as the corresponding reaction rates at different temperatures. The products of the chemical reaction can be characterized in the gaseous phase by means of gas chromatography. The combined measurement of hot electron flux, catalytic activity, and light emission can lead to a fundamental understanding of the elementary processes occurring during the heterogeneous catalytic reaction.

A Stationary Reaction Current Effect in Mesoporous Pt/ZrO2 System Under H2/O2 Environment

There have been many works analyzing thermionic currents and chemicurrents generated on various electrolyte-free metal/semiconductor nanostructures. More recently, the chemicurrent phenomenon was reported for mesoporous Pt/semiconductor systems adept at converting surface-released chemical energy into a stationary electrical signal at room-temperature conditions. The present work points out the existence of an entire class of such surface-driven functional nanosystems. Here, the reaction current generation of Pt/ZrO2 systems was studied at room temperature under exposure to oxyhydrogen environments for mesoporous zirconia; this nanostructure was capable of the continuous oxidation of hydrogen, producing a long-standing stationary current. Synthesis parameters during the anodization process were manipulated to control sample pore density and the average pore diameter. Deposited via wide-angle PVD sputtering, the Pt phase forms an electrically continuous topographical nanomesh layer, and thus the Pt/ZrO2/gas interface is regulated through the manipulation of zirconia porosity. We observed reaction current enhancements with increasing porosity due to the lengthening of the Pt/ZrO2 interface. The most porous sample was significantly more sensitive to initial hydrogen additions, pointing toward the spillover of positive ionic charge across the Pt/ZrO2 interface as the origin of the observed electromotive force.

Hot-electron-mediated surface chemistry: toward electronic control of catalytic activity

Energy dissipation at surfaces and interfaces is mediated by excitation of elementary processes, including phonons and electronic excitation, once external energy is deposited to the surface during exothermic chemical processes. Nonadiabatic electronic excitation in exothermic catalytic reactions results in the flow of energetic electrons with an energy of 1-3 eV when chemical energy is converted to electron flow on a short (femtosecond) time scale before atomic vibration adiabatically dissipates the energy (in picoseconds). These energetic electrons that are not in thermal equilibrium with the metal atoms are called "hot electrons". The detection of hot electron flow under atomic or molecular processes and understanding its role in chemical reactions have been major topics in surface chemistry. Recent studies have demonstrated electronic excitation produced during atomic or molecular processes on surfaces, and the influence of hot electrons on atomic and molecular processes. We outline research efforts aimed at identification of the intrinsic relation between the flow of hot electrons and catalytic reactions. We show various strategies for detection and use of hot electrons generated by the energy dissipation processes in surface chemical reactions and photon absorption. A Schottky barrier localized at the metal-oxide interface of either catalytic nanodiodes or hybrid nanocatalysts allows hot electrons to irreversibly transport through the interface. We show that the chemicurrent, composed of hot electrons excited by the surface reaction of CO oxidation or hydrogen oxidation, correlates well with the turnover rate measured separately by gas chromatography. Furthermore, we show that hot electron flows generated on a gold thin film by photon absorption (or internal photoemission) can be amplified by localized surface plasmon resonance. The influence of hot charge carriers on the chemistry at the metal-oxide interface are discussed for the cases of Au, Ag, and Pt nanoparticles on oxide supports and Pt-CdSe-Pt nanodumbbells. We show that the accumulation or depletion of hot electrons on metal nanoparticles, in turn, can also influence catalytic reactions. Mechanisms suggested for hot-electron-induced chemical reactions on a photoexcited plasmonic metal are discussed. We propose that the manipulation of the flow of hot electrons by changing the electrical characteristics of metal-oxide and metal-semiconductor interfaces can give rise to the intriguing capability of tuning the catalytic activity of hybrid nanocatalysts.

Synthesis of novel Zn0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4@TiO2 nanotube arrays with enhanced photoelectrocatalytic properties

Zn_0.5Mg_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles contribute to widening of the spectral response range and reducing the charge recombination of TiO₂ nanotube arrays.