Synthesis and Characterization of Ultrathin WO3 Nanodisks Utilizing Long-Chain Poly(ethylene glycol)

Cyclodextrin-Assisted Surface-Enhanced Photochromic Phenomena of Tungsten(VI) Oxide Nanoparticles for Label-Free Colorimetric Detection of Phenylalanine

Herein are presented the results of experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of host-guest interactions in improving the sensitivity of colorimetric detection based on surface-enhanced photochromic phenomena of tungsten(VI) oxide (WO3) nanocolloid particles. The UV-induced photochromic coloration of WO3 nanocolloid particles in the presence of aromatic α-amino acid (AA), l-phenylalanine (Phe) or l-2-phenylglycine (Phg), and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TMβCDx) in an aqueous system was investigated using UV-vis absorption spectrometry. The characteristics of the adsorption modes and configurations of AAs on the WO3 surface have also been identified by using a combination of adsorption isotherm analysis and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). A distinct linear relationship was observed between the concentration of AAs adsorbed on the WO3 nanocolloid particles and the initial photochromic coloration rate in the corresponding UV-irradiated colloidal WO3 in aqueous media, indicating that a simple and sensitive quantification of AAs can be achieved from UV-induced WO3 photochromic coloration without any complicated preprocessing. The proposed colorimetric assay in the Phe/TMβCDx/WO3 ternary aqueous system had a linear range of 1 × 10-8 to 1 × 10-4 mol dm-3 for Phe detection, with a limit of detection of 8.3 × 10-9 mol dm-3. The combined results from UV-vis absorption, ATR-FTIR, and adsorption isotherm experiments conclusively indicated that the TMβCDx-complexed Phe molecules in the Phe/TMβCDx/WO3 ternary aqueous system are preferentially and strongly inner-sphere adsorbed on the WO3 surface, resulting in a more significant surface-enhanced photochromic phenomenon. The findings in this study provided intriguing insights into the design and development of the "label-free" colorimetric assay system based on the surface-enhanced photochromic phenomenon of the WO3 nanocolloid probe.

One-Step Dry Coating of Hybrid ZnO-WO3 Nanosheet Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting with Composition-Dependent Performance

In this study, the potential of zinc oxide (ZnO), tungsten oxide (WO3), and their composites (ZnO-WO3) as photoanodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting was investigated. ZnO-WO3 nanocomposites (NCs) were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates at room temperature using a one-step dry coating process, the nanoparticle deposition system, with no post-processes. Different compositions of ZnO-WO3 NCs were optimized to enhance the kinetics of the PEC water-splitting reaction. Surface morphology analysis revealed the transformation of microsized particle nanosheets (NS) powder into nanosized particle nanosheets (NS) across all photoanodes. The optical characteristics of ZnO-WO3 photoanodes were scrutinized using diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence emission spectroscopy. Of all the hybrid photoanodes tested, the photoanode containing 10 wt.% WO3 exhibited the lowest bandgap of 3.20 eV and the lowest emission intensity, indicating an enhanced separation of photogenerated carriers and solar energy capture. The photoelectrochemical results showed a 10% increase in the photocurrent with increasing WO3 content in ZnO-WO3 NCs, which is attributed to improved charge transfer kinetics and carrier segregation. The maximum photocurrent for a NC, i.e., 10 wt.% WO3, was recorded at 0.133 mA·cm-2 at 1.23V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The observed improvement in photocurrent was nearly 22 times higher than pure WO3 nanosheets and 7.3 times more than that of pure ZnO nanosheets, indicating the composition-dependence of PEC performance, where the synergy requirement strongly relies on utilizing the optimal ZnO-WO3 ratio in the hybrid NCs.

Effect of Urea as a Shape-Controlling Agent on the Properties of Bismuth Oxybromides

Bismuth oxybromides were prepared via a solvothermal method by applying different urea amounts during synthesis. The effects of the urea ratio on the morpho–structural properties and photocatalytic activity of the samples were investigated. X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and surface tension measurements were carried out to characterize the samples. Their photoactivity was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B and ibuprofen under UV and visible light irradiations. The urea ratio notably influenced morphology, particle size distribution, and photoactivity. However, it only had a limited effect on the crystalline composition, primary crystallite size, and band gap of bismuth oxybromides. The formation of Bi-based complexes and degraded urea-based products were observed, which were deduced to influence band gap energies and hence, photoactivity. Predominantly, samples prepared at low urea ratios proved to be the best for both rhodamine B and ibuprofen degradations under both irradiations.

The Sensitivity of Metal Oxide Electrocatalysis to Bulk Hydrogen Intercalation: Hydrogen Evolution on Tungsten Oxide

Metal oxides are attracting increased attention as electrocatalysts owing to their affordability, tunability, and reactivity. However, these materials can undergo significant chemical changes under reaction conditions, presenting challenges for characterization and optimization. Herein, we combine experimental and computational methods to demonstrate that bulk hydrogen intercalation governs the activity of tungsten trioxide (WO₃) toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In contrast to the focus on surface processes in heterogeneous catalysis, we demonstrate that bulk oxide modification is responsible for experimental HER activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that intercalation enables the HER by altering the acid-base character of surface sites and preventing site blocking by hydration. First-principles microkinetic modeling supports that the experimental HER rates can only be explained by intercalated H_xWO₃, whereas nonintercalated WO₃ does not catalyze the HER. Overall, this work underscores the critical influence of hydrogen intercalation on aqueous cathodic electrocatalysis at metal oxides.

Synthesis Design of Electronegativity Dependent WO3 and WO3∙0.33H2O Materials for a Better Understanding of TiO2/WO3 Composites’ Photocatalytic Activity

The design of a semiconductor or a composite semiconductor system—with applications in materials science—is complex because its morphology and structure depend on several parameters. These parameters are the precursor type, solvent, pH of the solution, synthesis approach, or shaping agents. This study gives meaningful insight regarding the synthesis design of such WO3 materials. By systematically alternating the precursor (sodium tungstate dihydrate—NWH, or ammonium tungstate hydrate—AMT), subsequently shaping the agents (halide salts—NaX, KX, or hydrohalic acids—HX; X = F−, Cl−, Br−, I−), we have obtained WO3 semiconductors by hydrothermal treatment, which in composite systems can enhance the commercial TiO2 photocatalytic activity. We investigated three sample series: WO3-NWH-NaX/WO3-NWH-KX and, subsequently, WO3-AMT-HX. The presence of W+5 centers was evidenced by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. W+5 and W+6 species affected the band gap values of the NaX and KX series; a higher percentage of W+5 and, subsequently, W+6 caused a redshift, while, regarding the HX series, it led to a blue shift. Increased electronegativity of the halide anions has an unfavorable effect on the composites’ photoactivity. In contrast, in the case of hydrohalic acids, it had a positive impact.

Facile, wafer-scale compatible growth of ZnO nanowires via chemical bath deposition: assessment of zinc ion contribution and other limiting factors

ZnO is a highly promising, multifunctional nanomaterial having various versatile applications in the fields of sensors, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, photocatalysts and water purification. However, the real challenge lies in producing large scale, well-aligned, highly reproducible ZnO nanowires (NWs) using low cost techniques. This large-scale production of ZnO NWs has stunted the development and practical usage of these NWs in fast rising fields such as photocatalysis or in photovoltaic applications. The present article shows an effective, simple approach for the uniform, aligned growth of ZnO NWs on entire silicon wafers (sizes 3 or 4 inches), using a low-temperature Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) technique. In addition to this, a systematic study of the substrate size dependent growth of NWs has been conducted to better understand the effect of the limitation in the deposition rate of Zn²⁺ ions on the growth of NWs. The growth rate of ZnO NWs is seen to have a strong relationship with the substrate size. Also, the loading efficiency of the Zn²⁺ ions is higher in ZnO NWs grown on a 3-inch silicon wafer in comparison to those grown on a small piece. An in-depth time dependent growth study conducted on entire 3-inch wafers to track the morphological evolution (length, diameter and number of the NWs) reveals that the growth rate of the length of the NWs reaches a saturation state in a short time span of 20 min. Assessment of the overall homogeneity of the NWs grown on the 3-inch wafer and simultaneous growth on two entire 4-inch silicon wafers has also been demonstrated in this article. This demonstration of large-scale, well-aligned controllable, aligned growth of ZnO NWs on entire silicon wafers is a first step towards NW based devices especially for applications such as photovoltaic, water purification, photocatalysis or biomedical applications.

Multi-stoichiometric quasi-two-dimensional WnO3n-1 tungsten oxides

Quasi-two-dimensional tungsten oxide structures, which nucleate by epitaxial growth on W19O55 nanowires (NW) and grow as thin platelets, were identified. Both the nanowires and the platelets accommodate oxygen deficiency by the formation of crystallographic shear planes. Stoichiometric phases, W18O53 (WO2.944), W17O50 (WO2.941), W16O47 (WO2.938), W15O44 (WO2.933), W14O41 (WO2.929), W10O29 (WO2.9), and W9O26 (WO2.889), syntactically grow inside a single platelet. These layered crystals show a new kind of polycrystallinity, where crystallographic shear planes accommodate oxygen deficiency and at the same time stabilize this multi-stoichiometric structure.

The precursor-guided hydrothermal synthesis of CuBi2O4/WO3 heterostructure with enhanced photoactivity under simulated solar light irradiation and mechanism insight

Z-scheme heterojunction can efficiently suppress the electron-holes recombination and promote the charges transfer rate, which result in the high photocatalytic performance. Herein, a flower-flake-sphere like CuBi₂O₄/WO₃ hybrid photocatalyst was fabricated via a precursor-guided hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure, composition, chemical and electronic properties of the as-prepared samples were systematically investigated by multiple techniques (XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-vis, BET, PL, ESR. etc.). Particularly, the 60 wt% CuBi₂O₄/WO₃ nanocomposite exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity for tetracycline (20 mg/L) degradation under simulated solar light irradiation. The rate constant was 0.0179 min^-1, which was almost 8 times and 4.5 times higher than that of bulk WO₃ and CuBi₂O₄, respectively. The experimental results confirmed that CuBi₂O₄ made a direct Z-scheme heterojunction by band alignment with WO₃, which are conducive to the efficient charges separation and prolonged carriers lifetime. According to the quenching experiments, •OH and •O₂- were testified to be the predominant active species. The electrons accumulated in the CuBi₂O₄ negative CB and the holes in the WO₃ positive VB made significant contribution to the strong redox ability of the CuBi₂O₄/WO₃ nanocomposite. This work provides some deep insights into the design of band-alignment-based Z-scheme heterostuctures, which is also applicable to other catalytic system.

Recent Progress in the Preparation, Assembly, Transformation, and Applications of Layer-Structured Nanodisks beyond Graphene

Layered nanodisks with confined thickness and lateral size have been emerging as a unique type of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials in recent years. Inheriting some properties of 2D nanosheets and meanwhile possessing the size-confinement effect, these layered nanodisks exhibit unique optical, electronic, and chemical properties, which endow them with great promise in a wide range of applications. Here, the recent progress of layered nanodisks is introduced. The synthetic strategies, assembly, structural/compositional transformation, and applications of layered nanodisks are systematically described and discussed, with emphasis on their new appealing structures and functions. Finally, some perspectives and future research directions of this promising field are given.

Effect of the morphology and phases of WO3 nanocrystals on their photocatalytic efficiency

Understanding of the effect of the morphology and crystal phase on photocatalytic efficiency and their precise control are still a great challenge in photocatalysis.

Tungsten oxide single crystal nanosheets for enhanced multichannel solar light harvesting

Substoichiometric tungsten oxide single-crystal nanosheets are successfully prepared via the exfoliation of layered tungstic acid and subsequent introduction of oxygen vacancies. The combination of different strategies, i.e., 2D-structure construction, the introduction of surface oxygen vacancies, and the creation of localized surface plasmon resonance can promote the light-harvesting performance of tungsten oxide through accumulative and synergistic effects.

Branched WO3 nanosheet array with layered C3 N4 heterojunctions and CoOx nanoparticles as a flexible photoanode for efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation

A hybrid WO3 /C3 N4 /CoOx system exhibits excellent photoelectrochemical activity for water oxidation. The system comprises a novel three-dimensionally branched WO3 nanosheet array coated with a layer of C3 N4 heterojunctions that are further decorated with CoOx nanoparticles. The photoelectrochemical activity arises from the effective light harvesting due to the 3D structure and "window effect," the excellent charge separation and transport in the heterojunction, and the fast interfacial charge collection and surface reactions due to the large surface area.

Morphology controlled bulk synthesis of disc-shaped WO3 powder and evaluation of its photocatalytic activity for the degradation of phenols

The surfactant assisted synthesis of disc-shaped WO3 powder and its photocatalytic performance in sunlight exposure is reported. UV-vis DRS, XRD and FESEM characterized the synthesized WO3. The synthesized powder exhibited a bandgap of ∼2.55eV with cubic lattice and high crystallinity. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized WO3 was examined for the degradation of phenol, resorcinol, 2-chlorophenol and 2-nitrophenol in complete spectrum and visible segment of sunlight. The highly efficient degradation/mineralization of 2-chloro and 2-nitrophenol compared to that of phenol and resorcinol, under identical experimental conditions, suggested the regulatory role of substituents attached to the aromatic ring in degradation/mineralization process. The time-scale HPLC degradation profiles, identification of intermediates by GC-MS and removal of organic carbon during the course of reaction were utilized to approximate the possible route of degradation/mineralization of phenolic substrates. The measurement of the anions released during the photocatalytic process was used to identify the nature of the major oxidants (O2(•-), OH(•)) and the possible interaction sites. A significant decrease in the photocatalytic activity of synthesized WO3, ∼50%, was observed in visible portion of sunlight however, a sustained activity was observed in the repeated exposures.

WO₃ nanolamella gas sensor: porosity control using SnO₂ nanoparticles for enhanced NO₂ sensing

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is one of the important multifunctional materials used for photocatalytic, photoelectrochemical, battery, and gas sensor applications. Nanostructured WO3 holds great potential for enhancing the performance of these applications. Here, we report highly sensitive NO2 sensors using WO3 nanolamellae and their sensitivity improvement by morphology control using SnO2 nanoparticles. WO3 nanolamellae were synthesized by an acidification method starting from Na2WO4 and H2SO4 and subsequent calcination at 300 °C. The lamellae were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which clearly showed the formation of single-crystalline nanolamellae with a c-axis orientation. The stacking of each nanolamella to form larger lamellae that were 50-250 nm in lateral size and 15-25 nm in thickness was also revealed. From pore size distribution measurements, we found that introducing monodisperse SnO2 nanoparticles (ca. 4 nm) into WO3 lamella-based films improved their porosity, most likely because of effective insertion of nanoparticles into lamella stacks or in between assemblies of lamella stacks. In contrast, the crystallite size was not significantly changed, even by introducing SnO2. Because of the improvement in porosity, the composites of WO3 nanolamellae and SnO2 nanoparticles displayed enhanced sensitivity (sensor response) to NO2 at dilute concentrations of 20-1000 ppb in air, demonstrating the effectiveness of microstructure control of WO3 lamella-based films for highly sensitive NO2 detection. Electrical sensitization by SnO2 nanoparticles was also considered.

Hydrothermal synthesis and electrochromism of WO3 nanocuboids

Tungsten trioxide (WO₃) nanocuboids are preferentially developed through control over three important processing parameters: fluoroboric acid concentration, hydrothermal reaction time and temperature.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells from polymer-templated TiO2 bilayer thin films

We report an inexpensive method using solvent-swollen poly(methyl methacrylate) as a sacrificial template for mesoporous titanium oxide thin films with tunable meso/nano morphology. The conversion efficiency reaches 4.2% despite using a solid-state electrolyte, which circumvents the longevity issues of liquid electrolytes. The cells show a large short-circuit photocurrent density of 7.98 mA, open-circuit voltage of 0.78 V, and maximum conversion efficiency of 4.2% under air-mass 1.5 global illumination. At higher titania precursor ratios, nanodisk particles are formed that increase light scattering and double the efficiency over our previous reports. The tunability of the semiconductor morphology and all solid-state nature of the cells makes the method a viable alternative to existing solar cell technology.

Ultrathin, single-crystal WO(3) nanosheets by two-dimensional oriented attachment toward enhanced photocatalystic reduction of CO(2) into hydrocarbon fuels under visible light

An ultrathin, single-crystal WO3 nanosheet of ∼4-5 nm in thickness, corresponding to six repeating unit cells of monoclinic WO3 along the c axis, was synthesized with laterally oriented attachment of tiny WO3 nanocrystals formed using a solid-liquid phase arc discharge route in an aqueous solution. Size-quantization effects in this ultrathin nanostructure alter the WO3 band gap to enable the nanosheet to exhibit enhanced performance for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 in the presence of water in hydrocarbon fuels that do not exist in its bulk form.

Nano-architecture and material designs for water splitting photoelectrodes

This review concerns the efficient conversion of sunlight into chemical fuels through the photoelectrochemical splitting of water, which has the potential to generate sustainable hydrogen fuel. In this review, we discuss various photoelectrode materials and relative design strategies with their associated fabrication for solar water splitting. Factors affecting photoelectrochemical performance of these materials and designs are also described. The most recent progress in the research and development of new materials as well as their corresponding photoelectrodes is also summarized in this review. Finally, the research strategies and future directions for water splitting are discussed with recommendations to facilitate the further exploration of new photoelectrode materials and their associated technologies.

Cobalt-doping-induced synthesis of ceria nanodisks and their significantly enhanced catalytic activity

High-quality cobalt-doped ceria nanostructures with triangular column, triangular slab, and disklike shapes are synthesized by tuning the doping amount of cobalt nitrate in a facile hydrothermal reaction. The cobalt-doped ceria nanodisks display significantly enhanced catalytic activity in CO oxidation due to exposed highly active crystal planes and the presence of numerous surface defects.

Lattice defect-enhanced hydrogen production in nanostructured hematite-based photoelectrochemical device

Nanostructured hematite photoanodes have been intensively studied in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for sustainable hydrogen production. Whereas many previous efforts have been focused on doping elements in nanostructured hematite (α-Fe(2)O(3)), we herein demonstrated an alternative approach to enhance the PEC performance by exploiting intrinsic nanostructuring properties of hematite. We found that the introduction of lattice defects effectively decreased the flatband potential and increased the charge transport mobility of nanostructured hematite, hence enhance the light harvest for more efficient hydrogen production via PEC. The nanostructured hematite photoanodes with lattice defects yielded water-splitting photocurrent density of 1.2 mA/cm(2) at 1.6 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which excelled defect-free ones by approximately 1.5 folds. This study thus provides a new strategy for finely tuning properties of nanostructured hematite photoanodes and enhancing the water-splitting ability of PEC.

Synthesis of polyethylene glycol (PEG) assisted tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoparticles for L-dopa bio-sensing applications

Nanocrystalline tungsten oxides (WO(3-δ)) are currently receiving a lot of attention because of their interesting electrical, magnetic, optical and mechanical properties. In this report, we present the synthesis of PEG assisted tungsten oxide (WO(3)) nanoparticles by simple household microwave irradiation (2.45 GHz) method. The samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG/DTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible diffusion reflectance spectroscopy (UV-VIS-DRS), cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Powder XRD results revealed that both the samples prepared with and without surfactant crystallize in the orthorhombic structure corresponding to WO(3) · H(2)O phase. Subsequent annealing under identical conditions (600°C/air/6h) led to significantly different products i.e. monoclinic W(17)O(47) from surfactant free sample and orthorhombic WO(3) from PEG assisted sample. Blue emission was observed through UV-VIS-DRS with blue shift and the band gap energy was estimated as 2.7 and 3.28 eV for PEG assisted as prepared (WO(3) · H(2)O) and annealed samples (WO(3)) respectively. Electrochemical measurements have been performed on all the samples deposited on the surface of glassy carbon (GC) electrode which showed high sensitivity and good selectivity for PEG assisted sample (WO(3) · H(2)O) for the direct detection of L-dopa.

Crystal structure, phase, and electrical conductivity of nanocrystalline W₀.₉₅Ti(₀.₀₅)O₃ thin films

W(0.95)Ti(0.05)O(3) films were fabricated using sputter-deposition onto Si(100) wafers in by varying the growth temperature from room temperature (RT) to 500 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) were performed to investigate the effect of temperature on the growth behavior, crystal structure, texturing, surface morphology, and chemical bonding of W(0.95)Ti(0.5)O(3) films. The results indicate that the effect of temperature is significant on the growth and microstructure of W(0.95)Ti(0.05)O(3) films. XRD results indicate that the effect of Ti is remarkable on the crystallization of WO(3). W(0)(.95)Ti(0.05)O(3) films grown at temperatures <300 °C are amorphous compared to pure WO(3) crystalline films crystallizing at 200 °C. Phase transformation is induced in W(0)(.95)Ti(0.05)O(3) resulting in tetragonal structure at ≥300 °C. The structural changes were also reflected in the intensities of -W-O-W- vibrational modes in RS measurements. The SEM imaging analysis indicates that the phase transformations are accompanied by a characteristic change in surface morphology. Room temperature electrical conductivity of W(0.95)Ti(0.05)O(3) films increases from 0.63 to 27 (Ω m)(-1) with increasing temperature from RT to 400 °C due to improved structural order. Electrical conductivity exhibit a decrease at 500 °C (7.4 (Ω m)(-1)) due to disordering induced by Ti segregation, which is confirmed by XRD and RS measurements.

Sedimentation field flow fractionation and flow field flow fractionation as tools for studying the aging effects of WO₃ colloids for photoelectrochemical uses

WO₃ colloidal suspensions obtained through a simple sol-gel procedure were subjected to a controlled temperature aging process whose time evolution in terms of particle mass and size distribution was followed by sedimentation field flow fractionation (SdFFF) and flow field flow fractionation (FlFFF). The experiments performed at a temperature of 60 °C showed that in a few hours the initially transparent sol of WO₃ particles, whose size was less than 25 nm, undergoes a progressive size increase allowing nanoparticles to reach a maximum equivalent spherical size of about 130 nm after 5 h. The observed shift in particle size distribution maxima (SdFFF), the broadening of the curves (FlFFF) and the SEM-TEM observations suggest a mixed mechanism of growth-aggregation of initial nanocrystals to form larger particles. The photoelectrochemical properties of thin WO₃ films obtained from the aged suspensions at regular intervals, were tested in a biased photoelectrocatalytic cell with 1M H₂SO₄ under solar simulated irradiation. The current-voltage polarization curves recorded in the potential range 0-1.8 V (vs. SCE) showed a diminution of the maximum photocurrent from 3.7 mA cm⁻² to 2.8 mA cm⁻² with aging times of 1h and 5h, respectively. This loss of performance was mainly attributed to the reduction of the electroactive surface area of the sintered particles as suggested by the satisfactory linear correlation between the integrated photocurrent and the cyclic voltammetry cathodic wave area of the W(VI)→W(V) process measured in the dark.

Room temperature one-step polyol synthesis of anatase TiO2 nanotube arrays: photoelectrochemical properties

We describe an optimized anodization process to fabricate anatase TiO2 nanotube arrays at room temperature using a polyol electrolyte. The critical roles of water and anodization voltage are investigated, and mechanistic actions are considered. The as-fabricated electrodes show low efficiency when used as photoanodes to photoelectrochemically split water; however, their efficiency is remarkably enhanced upon their annealing at temperatures as low as 300 degrees C. The efficiency of the annealed samples was found to increase with the anatase content in the as-anodized electrodes, suggesting that these pre-existing crystallites can act as seeding layers that enhance the nucleation and growth of further anatase crystallites.

Photoelectrochemical water splitting using dense and aligned TiO2 nanorod arrays

Dense and aligned TiO2 nanorod arrays are fabricated using oblique-angle deposition on indium tin oxide (ITO) conducting substrates. The TiO2 nanorods are measured to be 800-1100 nm in length and 45-400 nm in width with an anatase crystal phase. Coverage of the ITO is extremely high with 25 x 10(6) mm(-2) of the TiO2 nanorods. The first use of these dense TiO2 nanorod arrays as working electrodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells used for the generation of hydrogen by water splitting is demonstrated. A number of experimental techniques including UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemistry are used to characterize their structural, optical, and electronic properties. Both UV/Vis and incident-photon-to-current-efficiency measurements show their photoresponse in the visible is limited but with a marked increase around approximately 400 nm. Mott-Schottky measurements give a flat-band potential (V(FB)) of +0.20 V, a carrier density of 4.5 x 10(17) cm(-3), and a space-charge layer of 99 nm. Overall water splitting is observed with an applied overpotential at 1.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl) with a photo-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.1%. The results suggest that these dense and aligned one-dimensional TiO2 nanostructures are promising for hydrogen generation from water splitting based on PEC cells.

Size- and shape-controlled conversion of tungstate-based inorganic-organic hybrid belts to WO3 nanoplates with high specific surface areas

Two-dimensional monoclinic WO(3) nanoplates with high specific surface areas are synthesized through a novel conversion process using tungstate-based inorganic-organic hybrid micro/nanobelts as precursors. The process developed involves a topochemical transformation of tungstate-based inorganic-organic hybrid belts into WO(3) nanoplates via an intermediate product of H(2)WO(4) nanoplates, utilizing the similarity of the W-O octahedral layers in both H(2)WO(4) and WO(3). The as-obtained WO(3) nanoplates show a single-crystalline nanostructure with the smallest side along the [001] direction. The WO(3) nanoplates are 200-500 nm x 200-500 nm x 10-30 nm in size, and their specific surface areas are up to 180 m(2) g(-1). Photocatalytic measurements of visible-light-driven oxidation of water for O(2) generation in the presence of Ag(+) ions indicate that the activity of the as-obtained WO(3) nanoplates is one order of magnitude higher than that of commercially available WO(3) powders.

Comparative study of the shape-dependent electrocatalytic activity of platinum multipods, discs, and hexagons: applications for fuel cells

We here demonstrate a remarkable potential-dependent morphological evolution of platinum mesostructures in the form of multipods, discs, and hexagons using a porous anodic alumina membrane (PAAM). These structures prepared potentiostatically at -0.7, -0.5 and -0.3 V, respectively, reveal unique shape-dependent electrocatalytic activity toward both formic acid and ethanol oxidation reactions. A comparison of the electrooxidation kinetics of these structures illustrates that hexagons show better performance toward formic acid oxidation whereas, for ethanol oxidation, multipods show significantly enhanced activity. Interestingly, the enhancement factor (R) for these mesostructures with respect to that of commercial platinized carbon toward formic acid oxidation ranges up to 2000% for hexagons whereas for multipods and disc they are about 700% and 300%, respectively. Similarly, for ethanol oxidation, the calculated value of R varies up to 600% for multipods while for disc and hexagons these values are 500% and 200%, respectively. These shape-dependent electrocatalytic activity of Pt mesostructures have been further correlated with XRD results. Thus, the present results demonstrate the importance of precise control of morphology by an electric field and their potential benefits especially for fuel cell applications since designing a better electrocatalyst for many fuel cell reactions continues to be an important challenge.