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Plasmonic enhanced Cu₂O-Au-BFO photocathodes for solar hydrogen production.

ABSTRACT: A novel Cu₂O-Au-BFO heterostructure photocathode was constructed which significantly improved the efficiency of photo-generated carrier transfer for solar hydrogen production. A BiFeO₃ (BFO) ferroelectric film was synthesized on top of a Cu₂O layer by a sputtering process. The BFO layer acted to protect the Cu₂O layer from photochemical corrosion, increasing photoelectrochemical (PEC) stability. The p-n heterojunction between Cu₂O and BFO layers enhanced the PEC properties by suppressing charge recombination and improved interfacial charge transfer efficiency. When Cu₂O and BFO are interfaced by Au Nanoparticles (NPs) the PEC performance was further enhanced, due to hot-electron transfer at the plasmonic resonance. After positive poling, the depolarization field across the whole volume of BFO film drove electrons into the electrolyte solution, inducing a significant anodic shift, V_op of 1.01?V vs. RHE, together with a significantly enhanced photocurrent density of -91 ?A/cm² at 0?V vs. RHE under 100?mW/cm² illumination. The mechanism was investigated through experimental and theoretivcal calculations.

SUBMITTER: Cheng X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6435794 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Plasmonic enhanced Cu2O-Au-BFO photocathodes for solar hydrogen production.

Cheng Xiaorong X Gu Shoulin S Centeno Anthony A Dawson Graham G

Scientific reports 20190326 1

A novel Cu2O-Au-BFO heterostructure photocathode was constructed which significantly improved the efficiency of photo-generated carrier transfer for solar hydrogen production. A BiFeO3 (BFO) ferroelectric film was synthesized on top of a Cu2O layer by a sputtering process. The BFO layer acted to protect the Cu2O layer from photochemical corrosion, increasing photoelectrochemical (PEC) stability. The p-n heterojunction between Cu2O and BFO la ...[more]

PMID: 30914703

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Project description:BackgroundBiofilm formation on medical device surfaces is a persistent problem that shelters bacteria and encourages infections and implant rejection. One promising approach to tackle this problem is to coat the medical device with an antimicrobial material. In this work, for the first time, we impart antimicrobial functionality to Ti3Au intermetallic alloy thin film coatings, while maintaining their superior mechanical hardness and biocompatibility.MethodsA mosaic Ti sputtering target is developed to dope controlled amounts of antimicrobial elements of Ag and Cu into a Ti3Au coating matrix by precise control of individual target power levels. The resulting Ti3Au-Ag/Cu thin film coatings are then systematically characterised for their structural, chemical, morphological, mechanical, corrosion, biocompatibility-cytotoxicity and antimicrobial properties.ResultsX-ray diffraction patterns reveal the formation of a super hard β-Ti3Au phase, but the thin films undergo a transition in crystal orientation from (200) to (211) with increasing Ag concentration, whereas introduction of Cu brings no observable changes in crystal orientation. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analysis show the polyhedral shape of the Ti3Au crystal but agglomeration of Ag particles between crystal grains begins at 1.2 at% Ag and develops into large granules with increasing Ag concentration up to 4.1 at%. The smallest doping concentration of 0.2 at% Ag raises the hardness of the thin film to 14.7 GPa, a 360% improvement compared to the ∼4 GPa hardness of the standard Ti6Al4V base alloy. On the other hand, addition of Cu brings a 315-330% improvement in mechanical hardness of films throughout the entire concentration range of 0.5-7.1 at%. The thin films also show good electrochemical corrosion resistance and a > tenfold reduction in wear rate compared to Ti6Al4V alloy. All thin film samples exhibit very safe cytotoxic profiles towards L929 mouse fibroblast cells when analysed with Alamar blue assay, with ion leaching concentrations lower than 0.2 ppm for Ag and 0.08 ppm for Cu and conductivity tests reveal the positive effect of increased conductivity on myogenic differentiation. Antimicrobial tests show a drastic reduction in microbial survival over a short test period of < 20 min for Ti3Au films doped with Ag or Cu concentrations as low as 0.2-0.5 at%.ConclusionTherefore, according to these results, this work presents a new antimicrobial Ti3Au-Ag/Cu coating material with excellent mechanical performance with the potential to develop wear resistant medical implant devices with resistance to biofilm formation and bacterial infection.

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Plasmonic enhanced Cu₂O-Au-BFO photocathodes for solar hydrogen production.

Publications

Plasmonic enhanced Cu<sub>2</sub>O-Au-BFO photocathodes for solar hydrogen production.

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