Structure, Optical Properties, and Magnetism of the Full Zn1–xCuxWO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) Composition Range

Preparation and Properties of a High-Entropy Wolframite-Type Antiferromagnet, (Mn0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Cd0.2)WO4

The homogeneous high-entropy wolframite-type solid solution (Mn1/5Co1/5Ni1/5Cu1/5Cd1/5)WO4 was prepared by solid-state reaction at 1000 °C. Elongated "crystals" were grown from the Na2WO4 flux, but their strongly broadened powder X-ray diffraction patterns indicated partial dissolution. Nevertheless, successive annealing of the homogeneous solid solution for 3-4 h at 800, 700, and 600 °C did not bring any sign of dissolution. Thus, the material is kinetically stable at low temperatures although thermodynamically unstable. The long-range antiferromagnetic order was established at TN ∼ 24.8 K. Based on magnetization and specific heat measurements, a magnetic phase diagram was built, demonstrating the presence of an additional field-induced phase. In contrast to the parent MnWO4, no dielectric anomaly has been found down to 2 K.

Disclosing the Biocide Activity of α-Ag2−2xCuxWO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.16) Solid Solutions

In this work, α-Ag2−2xCuxWO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.16) solid solutions with enhanced antibacterial (against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and antifungal (against Candida albicans) activities are reported. A plethora of techniques (X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinements, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, micro-Raman spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence emissions, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) were employed to characterize the as-synthetized samples and determine the local coordination geometry of Cu2+ cations at the orthorhombic lattice. To find a correlation between morphology and biocide activity, the experimental results were sustained by first-principles calculations at the density functional theory level to decipher the cluster coordinations and electronic properties of the exposed surfaces. Based on the analysis of the under-coordinated Ag and Cu clusters at the (010) and (101) exposed surfaces, we propose a mechanism to explain the biocide activity of these solid solutions.

Increased photocurrent of CuWO4 photoanodes by modification with the oxide carbodiimide Sn2O(NCN)

Tin(ii) oxide carbodiimide is a novel prospective semiconductor material with a band gap of 2.1 eV and lies chemically between metal oxides and metal carbodiimides. We report on the photochemical properties of this oxide carbodiimide and apply the material to form a heterojunction with CuWO₄ thin films for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. Mott-Schottky experiments reveal that the title compound is an n-type semiconductor with a flat-band potential of -0.03 V and, as such, the position of the valence band edge would be suitable for photochemical water oxidation. Sn₂O(NCN) increases the photocurrent of CuWO₄ thin films from 32 μA cm^-2 to 59 μA cm^-2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) under backlight AM 1.5G illumination. This upsurge in photocurrent originates in a synergistic effect between the oxide and oxide carbodiimide, because the heterojunction photoanode displays a higher current density than the sum of its individual components. Structural analysis by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that Sn₂O(NCN) forms a core-shell structure Sn₂O(NCN)@SnPO_x during the PEC water oxidation in phosphate buffer. The electrochemical activation is similar to the behavior of Mn(NCN) but different from Co(NCN).

Insights into the multiple effects of oxygen vacancies on CuWO4 for photoelectrochemical water oxidation

For CuWO₄, oxygen vacancies can shorten the electron transfer time and boost the water oxidation kinetics, but they aggravate the charge recombination on the surface.

Progress on ternary oxide-based photoanodes for use in photoelectrochemical cells for solar water splitting

Solar water splitting using photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) has emerged as one of the most promising routes to produce hydrogen as a clean and renewable fuel source. Among various semiconductors that have been considered as photoelectrodes for use in PECs, oxide-based photoanodes are particularly attractive because of their stability in aqueous media in addition to inexpensive and facile processing compared to other types of semiconductors. However, they typically suffer from poor charge carrier separation and transport. In the past few years, there has been tremendous progress in developing ternary oxide-based photoelectrodes, specifically, photoanodes. The use of ternary oxides provides more opportunities to tune the composition and electronic structure of the photoelectrode compared to binary oxides, thus providing more freedom to tune the photoelectrochemical properties. In this article, we outline the important characteristics to analyze when evaluating photoanodes and review the major recent progress made on the development of ternary oxide-based photoanodes. For each system, we highlight the favorable and unfavorable features and summarize the strategies utilized to address the challenges associated with each material. Finally, by combining our analyses of all the photoanodes surveyed in this review, we provide possible future research directions for each compound and an outlook for constructing more efficient oxide-based PECs. Overall, this review will provide a critical overview of current ternary oxide-based photoanodes and will serve as a platform for the design of future oxide-based PECs.

Double perovskite compounds A2CuWO6 (A = Sr and Ba) with p-type semiconductivity for photocatalytic water oxidation under visible light illumination

Sr₂CuWO₆ and Ba₂CuWO₆ are novel p-type semiconductors that work well for photocatalytic water oxidation under visible light illumination.

CuWO4 as a photocatalyst for room temperature aerobic benzylamine oxidation

We report the first example of a controlled photo-oxidation reaction on CuWO₄, the aerobic oxidative coupling of benzylamine.

Structural evolution, growth mechanism and photoluminescence properties of CuWO4 nanocrystals

Copper tungstate (CuWO₄) crystals were synthesized by the sonochemistry (SC) method, and then, heat treated in a conventional furnace at different temperatures for 1h. The structural evolution, growth mechanism and photoluminescence (PL) properties of these crystals were thoroughly investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns, micro-Raman spectra and Fourier transformed infrared spectra indicated that crystals heat treated and 100°C and 200°C have water molecules in their lattice (copper tungstate dihydrate (CuWO₄·2H₂O) with monoclinic structure), when the crystals are calcinated at 300°C have the presence of two phase (CuWO₄·2H₂O and CuWO₄), while the others heat treated at 400°C and 500°C have a single CuWO₄ triclinic structure. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed a change in the morphological features of these crystals with the increase of the heat treatment temperature. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution-TEM images and selected area electron diffraction were employed to examine the shape, size and structure of these crystals. Ultraviolet-Visible spectra evidenced a decrease of band gap values with the increase of the temperature, which were correlated with the reduction of intermediary energy levels within the band gap. The intense photoluminescence (PL) emission was detected for the sample heat treat at 300°C for 1h, which have a mixture of CuWO₄·2H₂O and CuWO₄ phases. Therefore, there is a synergic effect between the intermediary energy levels arising from these two phases during the electronic transitions responsible for PL emissions.

Advancing the Chemistry of CuWO4 for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells are an ongoing area of exploration that provide a means of converting solar energy into a storable chemical form (molecular bonds). In particular, using PEC cells to drive the water splitting reaction to obtain H2 could provide a clean and sustainable route to convert solar energy into chemical fuels. Since the discovery of catalytic water splitting on TiO2 photoelectrodes by Fujishima and Honda, significant efforts have been directed toward developing high efficiency metal oxides to use as photocatalysts for this reaction. Improving the efficiency of PEC cells requires developing chemically stable, and highly catalytic anodes for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER). This water oxidation half reaction requires four protons and four electrons coupling in two bond making steps to form O2, which limits the rate. Our group has accelerated efforts in CuWO4 as a candidate for PEC OER chemistry. Its small band gap of 2.3 eV allows for using visible light to drive OER, and the reaction proceeds with a high degree of chemoselectivity, even in the presence of more kinetically accessible anions such as chloride, which is common to seawater. Furthermore, CuWO4 is a chemically robust material when subjected to the highly oxidizing conditions of PEC OER. The next steps for accelerating research using this (and other), ternary phase oxides, is to move beyond reporting the basic PEC measurements to understanding fundamental chemical reaction mechanisms operative during OER on semiconductor surfaces. In this Account, we outline the process for PEC OER on CuWO4 thin films with emphasis on the chemistry of this reaction, the reaction rate and selectivity (determined by controlled-potential coulometry and oxygen-detection experiments). We discuss key challenges with CuWO4 such as slow kinetics and the presence of an OER-mediating mid-gap state, probed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We propose that this mid-gap state imparts the observed chemoselectivity of OER on CuWO4. We introduce insights into the chemical mechanism of PEC OER on CuWO4 using Tafel analysis of electrochemical polarization. We measure Tafel slopes of ∼161 mV/dec, showing that PEC OER proceeds at a slower rate on CuWO4 than on common electrocatalysts for this reaction. Moreover, the observed photocurrent is independent of the borate buffer concentration, signaling that the buffer plays no role in the rate-determining elementary step of the reaction. Finally, we explore some recent developments in doping this material with Co (a known electrocatalytically active metal) and in coupling it with a transparent manganese phosphate (MnPO) electrocatalyst. We find that introducing Co into the wolframite structure leads to detrimental recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. However, coupling CuWO4 with MnPO increases the photocurrent density. Despite some of these challenges, CuWO4 proves to be a robust, visible light absorbing photoanode that can oxidize water with a high degree of selectivity and is therefore worthy of further exploration. Even if new compositions emerge that show better reactivity, this material serves as an excellent proving ground for the common challenges in developing ternary-phase oxides and other compositionally complex materials.

Improved charge separation via Fe-doping of copper tungstate photoanodes

By doping CuWO₄ photoanodes with Fe, the charge separation efficiency and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiencies have increased dramatically, leading to improvements in the fundamentally limiting processes in this material. These results offer new methods and insights into improved solar water splitting photoelectrodes.

Band gap engineering design for construction of energy-levels well-matched semiconductor heterojunction with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

Energy-levels well-matched Mg_1−xCu_xWO₄/Bi₂WO₆ heterojunction was constructed based on band gap engineering. It exhibits high visible-light photoactivity for RhB degradation and photocurrent generation.