Research into dye sensitised solar cells has increased in recent years as the search for a viable low cost, renewable energy source continues. The synthesis and characterisation of an array of symmetrical and asymmetrical zinc and ruthenium centred phthalocyanines and naphthalocyanines are presented in this work. Certain compounds were designed so that they would possess a carboxylic acid group which could be utilised to chemisorb the compound to a titanium dioxide surface. The dye sensitised titania electrodes were studied as potential photoanodes in dye sensitised solar cells. The use of symmetrical and asymmetrical compounds in the solar cells enabled conclusions to be drawn about the effects on electron injection of the HOMO energy level and the number and position of binding groups. The highest incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 4 % and overall conversion efficiency (η) of 0.09 % were obtained when 2,3:9,10-(22,92-carboxyl)benzo(b,k)-15,18,22,25-tetrakis(octyl)phthalocyaninatozinc(II) (63) was utilised as a sensitiser. This response was concluded to be due to the molecule possessing two binding groups and phthalocyanine like energy levels. When the ruthenium centred and zinc centred compounds were compared as sensitisers in DSCs, an increase in photovoltage and photocurrent was observed with the use of the ruthenium centred compounds. This is due to the binding group being attached to the axial ligand and therefore being situated closer to the LUMO electron density which is found at the centre of the molecule. As the binding group is closer there is less hindrance to electron injection into the TiO2 conduction band. Aggregation studies were also conducted on the acid and ester substituted zinc naphthalocyanine with and without the use of additives. It was found that the ester existed primarily as a dimer whose formation is concentration dependent. The acid also existed as a dimer but produced a "fake" monomer peak due to the formation of J aggregates. It was found that upon dilution the angle of the J aggregates shifted so that they formed face-to-face aggregates. It was found that the peripherally binding additive cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) prevented aggregation at a concentration 20 times that of the compound but upon dilution rearranged itself so that aggregation was no longer inhibited.

Photoelectrochemical cells have been intensively studied in recent years with regard to using thylakoid and photosynthesis system I/II. BBY membrane is another protein complex that has potential to be utilized to build photoelectrochemical cells. Within the BBY membrane lies the highly active photosynthesis system II complex, which upon light activation, generates electrons transported within the electron transport chain during photosynthesis in green plants. This study presents an approach of immobilizing thylakoid or BBY membrane onto gold nanoparticle modified gold plate or multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) modified indium tin oxide vi (ITO) coated glass substrate. The results show that BBY membrane has higher activity with a value of 168 ± 12 μmol DCIP/(mg Chl*hr) than the thylakoid, which has an activity of 67 ± 7 μmol DCIP/(mg Chl*hr). Further amperometric tests also show that BBY membrane generates a higher current than the thylakoid. We used gold based materials to build the cell first since gold has high electrical conductivity. However, in order to minimize the construction cost of cells, relatively cheap materials such as ITO coated glass and MWCNT were used instead. The surface morphology of cells was characterized using atomic force microscope (AFM) throughout cell modification. When comparing to the cell with gold material, the cell constructed with ITO and MWCNT generated a higher current density. The highest current density was found as 20.44 ± 1.58 μA/cm2 with a system of ITO/MWCNT/BBY. More, the stability of the system was examined and the result shows a decreasing rate of 0.78 %/hour.

Inserido no contexto de fontes de energia renováveis, este trabalho consiste na síntese e caracterização de filmes de bastões de ZnO modificados com quantum dots de CdTe a fim de serem aplicados em células fotoeletroquímicas. Bastões de ZnO são materiais interessantes, porque este tipo de estrutura facilita o transporte de portadores de carga, minimizando a perda destes nos contornos de grão, sua recombinação e aniquilação. A modificação do filme de ZnO com nanocristais de CdTe deve aumentar a eficiência da fotoconversão, facilitando a separação de carga e transferência de elétrons, e isso aumenta a estabilidade dos nanocristais, impedindo a corrosão anódica e a decomposição destes. O filme de ZnO foi eletrodepositado potenciostaticamente sobre a superfície de ITO. As análises de MEV e EDX indicaram que filme de ZnO obtido é homogêneo e consiste de bastões com razão atômica de Zn e O de acordo com a estequiometria 1:1. O resultado de DRX apresentou três planos característicos do ZnO na forma cristalina wurtzita. O plano (002) foi o predominante, indicando a orientação dos bastões no eixo c vertical ao substrato. O filme de ZnO tem espessura de 550 nm, bandgap 3,27 eV, potencial de banda plana de 0,4 V e densidade de portadores de carga de 8,9 x 1019 cm-3. O procedimento sintético dos pontos quânticos de CdTe ocorreu a partir da dissolução de óxido de cádmio em ácido tetradecilfosfônico e octadeceno (ODE) a 300 °C. Subsequentemente, a solução precursora de cádmio foi resfriada a 260 °C e então a solução precursora de telúrio, preparada pela dissolução de telúrio e tributilfosfina em ODE, foi injetada. Os nanocristais obtidos foram dispersos em hexano, precitados com etanol e finalmente os quantum dots foram armazenados em tolueno. A partir das análises de UV-Vis e TEM foi possível estimar o tamanho dos pontos quânticos de CdTe com aproximadamente 4 nm. O DRX dos nanocristais de CdTe apresentou os planos característicos principais da estrutura da blenda de zinco. O eletrodo de ZnO modificado com os quantum dots de CdTe (ZnO/CdTe) foi obtido após 24 h de imersão em uma solução de acetonitrila contendo ácido mercaptopropiônico e ácido propiônico. Subsequentemente, o filme de ZnO modificado com o ligante foi imerso por 48 h na dispersão de pontos quânticos de CdTe. O espectro de FTIR revelou a ausência do estiramento simétrico de C=O em 1700 cm-1. Por outro lado o espectro revelou a presença dos modos assimétrico e simétrico vas(CO2-) e vs(CO2-) que foram observados em 1631 e 1417 cm-1, respectivamente. A transformação de Kulbeka-Munk do espectro de reflectância do eletrodo ZnO/CdTe apresentou a banda relativa ao CdTe no mesmo comprimento de onda observado quando este encontrava-se na dispersão. O eletrodo ZnO/CdTe mostrou um valor de fotocorrente de 138 µA, um valor 10 vezes maior que o obtido para o ZnO. Nos experimentos de IPCE (eficiência de conversão do fóton incidente à corrente) um aumento de aproximadamente cinco vezes também foi observado para o eletrodo de ZnO/CdTe. A dinâmica dos portadores de carga foi investigada por TAS (Espectroscopia de Absorção Transiente) nas escalas de tempo fs e µs para os eletrodos de ZnO e de ZnO/CdTe. A análise TAS indicou um tempo de vida menor para o filme ZnO/CdTe em comparação com filme ZnO. A medidas com o eletrodo de Clark demonstraram uma produção de oxigênio pelo eletrodo de ZnO/CdTe. Assim, o filme de ZnO/CdTe proposto apresenta-se como um material promissor para aplicações fotoeletroquímicas. / Placed in the context of renewable energy sources, this work consists of the synthesis and characterization of ZnO films modified CdTe quantum dots to be applied in photoelectrochemical cells. ZnO rods are interesting materials because this kind of structure facilitates the charge carriers transport, minimizing the loss of these at grain boundaries and their recombination and annihilation. The ZnO film modification with CdTe nanocrystals should increase the photoconversion efficiency by facilitating charge separation and electron transfer, and it increases the nanocrystals stability, preventing it from anodic corrosion and decomposition. The ZnO film was electrodeposited potenciostatically on ITO surface. SEM and EDX analysis indicated that the ZnO film obtained is homogeneous and it consists of rods with atomic ratio of Zn and O according to 1:1 stoichiometry. XRD result showed three characteristic planes of ZnO in wurtzite crystalline form. The (002) plane is the predominant, indicating the rods orientation in the c-axis vertical to the substrate. The ZnO film also has a thickness of 550 nm, bandgap of 3.27 eV, flat band potential of 0.4 V and density of charge carriers 8,9 x 1019 cm-3. The synthetic procedure of CdTe quantum dots occurred from the dissolution cadmium oxide in tetradecylphosphonic acid and octadecene (ODE) to 300 °C. Subsequently, cadmium precursor solution of was cooled to 260 °C and then the tellurium precursor solution, prepared by dissolving tellurium in tributylphosphine and in ODE was injected. The obtained nanocrystals were dispersed in hexane, precipitated with ethanol and finally the quantum dots were stored in toluene. From UV-Vis and TEM analysis was possible to estimate the quantum dots size of CdTe as 4 nm. The XRD of CdTe nanocrystals presented the main characteristic planes of zinc blend structure. ZnO electrode modified with CdTe quantum dots (ZnO/CdTe) was obtained by 24 h immersion in a solution of acetonitrile containing mecaptopropionic acid and propionic acid. Subsequently, the ZnO film modified with the linker was immersed for 48 h in CdTe quantum dots dispersion. FTIR spectrum reveals the absence of a symmetrical C=O stretching mode at approximately 1700 cm-1. Instead, the spectrum shows the presence of the asymmetric and symmetric vas(CO2-) and vs(CO2-) modes were observed at 1631 and 1417 cm-1, respectively. Kulbeka-Munk transformation of the reflectance spectrum of the ZnO/CdTe electrode presented the band related to CdTe in the same wavelength observed when this was in the dispersion. The ZnO/CdTe electrode showed a photocurrent value of 138 µA, a value 10 times greater than that obtained for ZnO. At IPCE experiments (incident photon-to-current efficiency) an increase of approximately five times was also noticed to the electrode of ZnO/CdTe. Dynamics of charge carriers was investigated by fs and µs TAS (Transient Absorption Spectroscopy) for ZnO and ZnO/CdTe electrodes. TAS analyses indicate a short life time to ZnO/CdTe electrode compared to ZnO film. Clark electrode measurements showed oxygen production by ZnO/CdTe electrode. Thus, ZnO/CdTe proposed electrode is presented as promising material for photoelectrochemical applications.

Thesis advisor: Dunwei Wang / Solar energy, the most abundant and free renewable energy, holds great promise for humanity's sustainable development. How to efficiently and inexpensively capture, covert solar energy and store it for off peak usages constitutes a grand challenge for the scientific community. Photovoltaic devices are promising candidates but are too costly to be implemented in large scales. On a fundamental level, this is due to the dilemma that the length scales of the optical pathways and electrical pathways often do not match within the photovoltaic device materials. Consider traditional Si solar cell as an example, effective light absorption requires up to hundreds of microns material while the photogenerated charge carries can only diffuse less than a few microns or even shorter before recombination. Such a problem may be solved by using Si nanowires (SiNWs) because vertically aligned nanowires can orthogonalize the light absorption and charge carrier collection pathways, thereby enabling the use of low-cost materials for practically appealing solar energy conversion devices. The objective of this thesis work is to explore low-cost synthesis of vertically aligned SiNW arrays and study their performance in both solar energy conversion and storage devices. We developed a method to synthesize vertically aligned SiNW arrays in a hot-wall chemical vapor deposition system with tunable length, doping level, and diameter for systematical studies. Empowered by the synthetic control, various types of vertical SiNW arrays were characterized by both steady-state (photoelectrochemical measurement) and transient (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) techniques in a photoelectrochemical cell platform. Additionally, SiNWs were demonstrated to be a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical aromatic ketone reduction and CO₂ fixation. The reactions studied in this thesis are in close resemblance to natural photosynthesis and the resulted product molecules are precursors to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen and naproxen. Lastly, vertical transparent conductive oxide nanotubes were prepared from vertical SiNW array templates. Ultrathin hematite (Fe₂O₃) film was coated on the nanotube scaffold by atomic layer deposition to form a heteronanostructure photoelectrode for efficient solar water oxidation. Our results highlight the potential of vertically aligned SiNW arrays in solar cell, solar water splitting and artificial photosynthesis applications. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Chemistry.

Submitted by Jos? Henrique Henrique (jose.neves@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2017-06-02T22:41:13Z No. of bitstreams: 2 edilailsa_januario_melo.pdf: 2845467 bytes, checksum: 55f2a32335b696129bb30309f301b7ee (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2017-06-22T12:28:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 edilailsa_januario_melo.pdf: 2845467 bytes, checksum: 55f2a32335b696129bb30309f301b7ee (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-22T12:28:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 edilailsa_januario_melo.pdf: 2845467 bytes, checksum: 55f2a32335b696129bb30309f301b7ee (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / O desenvolvimento de novos semicondutores fotocatalisadores, em particular os ativos na produ??o de hidrog?nio por fragmenta??o molecular da ?gua e da am?nia (presente no lixiviado de biodigestores ou de aterros sanit?rios e em efluentes industriais), tem dominado a ordem priorit?ria de interesse nas tecnologias avan?adas para a gera??o de energia limpa. Este trabalho teve como objetivo principal avaliar a produ??o fotocatalisada de hidrog?nio gasoso, a partir da fragmenta??o molecular da ?gua ou da am?nia, por uso da hematita pura ou da hematita dopada com os c?tions met?licos cobalto, n?quel, cobre e zinco como materiais semicondutores. Os materiais preparados por coprecipita??o foram caracterizados pelas t?cnicas de EDX, MEV, DRX, espectroscopia M?ssbauer, FTIR, BET e XPS. A taxa da produ??o de hidrog?nio foi avaliada por medidas de densidade da corrente gerada pelo H2(g) evolu?do da fragmenta??o molecular da ?gua ou da am?nia, em c?lula fotoeletroqu?mica (PEC). Foram tamb?m realizados testes fotocatal?ticos, sob luz vis?vel, com as hematitas, pura e com dopantes, como fotocatalisadores para degrada??o do corante ?ndigo de carmim, utilizado como mol?cula modelo, simulando a decomposi??o de substrato org?nico poluente em ?gua presente em efluentes industriais. Os resultados dos testes de degrada??o do corante mostraram que as hematitas dopadas com cobre e zinco tiveram relativamente alta atividade na degrada??o do corante; os melhores resultados foram obtidos com a hematita com zinco. Na evolu??o do hidrog?nio da fotocat?lise da ?gua, a dopagem com c?tions met?licos n?o alterou significativamente a atividade fotoeletroqu?mica da hematita. Ainda assim, a amostra de hematita dopada com n?quel foi a que apresentou um discreto aumento da densidade de corrente, maior propor??o de hidrog?nio gasoso produzido, sob radia??o com comprimento de onda maior do que 450 nm. A densidade de corrente gerada da degrada??o da am?nia foi maior, se comparada ? fragmenta??o da ?gua. No entanto, a dopagem tamb?m n?o alterou de forma significativa a atividade PEC dos materiais. Das amostras de hematitas dopadas, a com cobre foi a que apresentou os melhores resultados fotoeletroqu?micos, ainda que abaixo da efici?ncia fotoeletroqu?mica da hematita pura. / Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-gradua??o em Biocombust?veis, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2017. / Technological developments of semiconductors to be used as photocatalysts for hydrogen production and for the degradation of organic pollutants in water in different circumstances, such as ammonia sluggishness from biodigesters and organic residues from industrial effluents, are strongly challenging the interest of the scientific community. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the molecular hydrogen production from the molecular fragmentation of water and ammonia using pure hematite and cobalt, nickel copper and zinc dopant prepared as co-precipitators as semiconductor materials. The materials prepared were characterized by EDX, MEV, XRD, M?ssbauer, FTIR, BET and XPS spectroscopy. The evaluation of the hydrogen production was carried out through measurements of current densities generated by the decomposition of water and ammonia in a photoelectrochemical cell (PEC). Photocatalytic tests were also carried out under visible light using pure hematite and with dopants as photocatalysts for the degradation of carmine indigo dye used as a model molecule. The results of the dye degradation tests showed that copper and zinc doped hematite increased dye degradation, and the best results were obtained for zinc hematite. In the evolution of hydrogen from water, the doping with metallic cations did not significantly alter photoelectrochemical activity of hematite, the hematite with nickel was the sample that presented a small increase in current density when in the presence of light. The current density generated by the ammonia degradation and consequent hydrogen production was higher when compared to water, however, doping also did not significantly alter the PEC activity of the materials, comparing the materials, the hematite with copper was the sample that presented the best results.

Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-05T13:31:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissYNNR.pdf: 3683311 bytes, checksum: e9291665cc68d8dd4abaf96989d12269 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-14T14:26:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissYNNR.pdf: 3683311 bytes, checksum: e9291665cc68d8dd4abaf96989d12269 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-14T14:26:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissYNNR.pdf: 3683311 bytes, checksum: e9291665cc68d8dd4abaf96989d12269 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-14T14:27:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissYNNR.pdf: 3683311 bytes, checksum: e9291665cc68d8dd4abaf96989d12269 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / In the field of nanotechnology, the titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely studied for its optical and electrical properties. This oxide is an n-Type semiconductor and is found naturally in different crystalline phases. Recently, this material has attracted much attention as photocatalyst for the electrochemical photolysis of water displaying a high efficiency, chemical stability and a large surface area. Furthermore, for this application has been proposed that the synthesis of TiO2 nanotubes (Nts-TiO2) prepared by anodization are promising. Thus, we aimed to study the correlation between the synthesis - morphological and microstructural properties for the optical properties of Nts-TiO2 prepared electrochemically, using the photoelectrochemical decomposition reaction of water as a reaction target optical properties. For this, the Nts-TiO2 were prepared by anodizing the titanium substrate in Ethylene glycol solutions /water/ ionic liquid (BMIM-BF4), followed by a heat treatment at 450 °C. In this study, we performed a factorial design 23 to: i) evaluate the statistical significance of synthesis variables: applied potential (Eapl), bath temperature (Tbanho) and percentage of water in the electrolyte (%A); and ii) quantify the correlation between synthesis, morphological, microstructural and optical properties of Nts-TiO2. The synthesized nanotubes were characterized by their morphology and photoelectrochemical properties. The characterization by X-ray diffraction indicated characteristic peaks only the anatase phase interest. The band gap determined by the Wood-Tauc method were calculated values near 3.2 eV. The scanning electron micrographs showed the formation of Nts-TiO2 in all conditions of synthesis, with an internal diameter with values between 23 and 65 nm, being statistically significant main effects Tbanho and %A and interactions effects of Eapl -%A. To study the photoelectrochemical properties of the electrodes, linear voltammetry experiments were carried out in the light and dark in 0, 5 M H2SO4 solution, the photocurrent density values obtained in the course showed values up to 300 μA cm-2 at 1.01 V vs Ag/AgCl/KClsat. (Water oxidation potential for the system studied) compared with the response obtained in the dark. With the results obtained, is observed the variability in current density in function of morphological, microstructural and semiconducting properties of Nts-TiO2. Key words: Titanium dioxide, photoelectrochemical cell, TiO2 / No campo de estudo da nanotecnologia, o dióxido de titânio (TiO2), vem sendo amplamente investigado por suas propriedades ópticas e elétricas. Este óxido é um semicondutor do tipo n e é encontrado na natureza em diferentes fases cristalinas. Recentemente, este material tem atraído muito interesse como fotocatalisador para a fotóliseeletroquímica da água por apresentar uma alta eficiência, estabilidade química e uma grande área superficial. Além disso, para esta aplicação tendo sido proposto que a síntese de nanotubos de TiO2 (Nts-TiO2), preparados por anodização são promissores. Deste modo, teve como objetivo principal estudar a correlação síntese-propriedades morfológicas e microestruturais com as propriedades ópticas dos Nts-TiO2 preparados eletroquimicamente, fazendo uso da reação de decomposição fotoeletroquímica da água como reação alvo das propriedades ópticas. Para isso, os Nts-TiO2 foram preparados através da anodização do substrato de titânio em soluções de Etileno glicol/Água/Líquido iônico (BMIM-BF4), seguido de um tratamento térmico a 450 °C. Neste estudo foi realizado um planejamento fatorial 23 para: i) avaliar a significância estatística das variáveis de síntese: potencial aplicado (Eapl), temperatura do banho (Tbanho) e porcentagem de água no eletrólito (%A); e ii) quantificar a correlação entre síntese, propriedades morfológicas, microestruturais e ópticas dos Nts-TiO2. Os eletrodos sintetizados foram caracterizados quanto a sua morfologia e propriedades fotoeletroquímicas. A caracterização por difração de raios-X indicou apenas os picos característicos da fase de interesse anatase. Os band gaps determinados através do método de Wood-Tauc tiveram os valores calculados próximo a 3,2 eV. As micrografias eletrônica de varredura mostraram a formação de Nts-TiO2 em todas as condições de síntese, com diâmetro interno com valores entre 23 e 65 nm, sendo estatisticamente significativos os efeitos principais Tbanho e %A e as interações dos efeitos Eapl - %A. Para estudar as propriedades fotoeletroquímicas dos eletrodos, foram realizados experimentos de voltametria linear no claro e escuro em solução de H2SO4 0.5M, os valores de densidade de fotocorrente obtidas no claro mostraram valores de até 300 μA cm2- em 1,01 V vs Ag/AgCl/KCl sat. (Potencial de oxidação da água para o sistema estudado) quando comparado com a resposta obtida no escuro. Com os resultados obtidos, foi observada a variabilidade na densidade de fotocorrente em função dos parâmetros morfológicos, microestruturais e semicondutores dos Nts-TiO2. Palavras chaves: Dióxido de titânio, célula fotoeletroquímica, nanotubos de TiO2.

Un grupo de investigadores del Instituto Tecnológico de Israel ha observado que el uso de foto ánodos de Fe2O3 produce una mejora importante en el rendimiento de las celdas fotoelectroquímicas. Las mejoras están basadas en el uso de láminas muy delgadas de Fe2O3 que mejoran la eficiencia en el transporte de carga. La elección de Fe2O3 está basada en su estabilidad en agua, su alta eficiencia de absorción de luz, su no toxicidad y su bajo coste. Las celdas fotoelectroquímicas son importantes para la electrólisis del agua y la producción de hidrógeno. / A research group at the Israel Institute of Technology has outlined the use of Fe2O3 photoanodes to enhance the efficiency of photoelectrochemical cells. The improvement is based on the design of extremely thinsheets of Fe2O3, which allow for a more efficient transport of charge carriers, reducing the amount of them that are lost due to recombination. Fe2O3 was chosen as a photoanode material due to its high stability in water, its high light absorption efficiency, the fact that it is non toxic and its low cost. Photoelectrochemical cells are extremely important in order to electrolyse water, hence producing hydrogen,a green fuel.

abstract: Developing a system capable of using solar energy to drive the conversion of an abundant and available precursor to fuel would profoundly impact humanity's energy use and thereby the condition of the global ecosystem. Such is the goal of artificial photosynthesis: to convert water to hydrogen using solar radiation as the sole energy input and ideally do so with the use of low cost, abundant materials. Constructing photoelectrochemical cells incorporating photoanodes structurally reminiscent of those used in dye sensitized photovoltaic solar cells presents one approach to establishing an artificial photosynthetic system. The work presented herein describes the production, integration, and study of water oxidation catalysts, molecular dyes, and metal oxide based photoelectrodes carried out in the pursuit of developing solar water splitting systems. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Chemistry 2013

Inserido no contexto de fontes de energia renováveis, este trabalho consiste na síntese e caracterização de filmes de bastões de ZnO modificados com quantum dots de CdTe a fim de serem aplicados em células fotoeletroquímicas. Bastões de ZnO são materiais interessantes, porque este tipo de estrutura facilita o transporte de portadores de carga, minimizando a perda destes nos contornos de grão, sua recombinação e aniquilação. A modificação do filme de ZnO com nanocristais de CdTe deve aumentar a eficiência da fotoconversão, facilitando a separação de carga e transferência de elétrons, e isso aumenta a estabilidade dos nanocristais, impedindo a corrosão anódica e a decomposição destes. O filme de ZnO foi eletrodepositado potenciostaticamente sobre a superfície de ITO. As análises de MEV e EDX indicaram que filme de ZnO obtido é homogêneo e consiste de bastões com razão atômica de Zn e O de acordo com a estequiometria 1:1. O resultado de DRX apresentou três planos característicos do ZnO na forma cristalina wurtzita. O plano (002) foi o predominante, indicando a orientação dos bastões no eixo c vertical ao substrato. O filme de ZnO tem espessura de 550 nm, bandgap 3,27 eV, potencial de banda plana de 0,4 V e densidade de portadores de carga de 8,9 x 1019 cm-3. O procedimento sintético dos pontos quânticos de CdTe ocorreu a partir da dissolução de óxido de cádmio em ácido tetradecilfosfônico e octadeceno (ODE) a 300 °C. Subsequentemente, a solução precursora de cádmio foi resfriada a 260 °C e então a solução precursora de telúrio, preparada pela dissolução de telúrio e tributilfosfina em ODE, foi injetada. Os nanocristais obtidos foram dispersos em hexano, precitados com etanol e finalmente os quantum dots foram armazenados em tolueno. A partir das análises de UV-Vis e TEM foi possível estimar o tamanho dos pontos quânticos de CdTe com aproximadamente 4 nm. O DRX dos nanocristais de CdTe apresentou os planos característicos principais da estrutura da blenda de zinco. O eletrodo de ZnO modificado com os quantum dots de CdTe (ZnO/CdTe) foi obtido após 24 h de imersão em uma solução de acetonitrila contendo ácido mercaptopropiônico e ácido propiônico. Subsequentemente, o filme de ZnO modificado com o ligante foi imerso por 48 h na dispersão de pontos quânticos de CdTe. O espectro de FTIR revelou a ausência do estiramento simétrico de C=O em 1700 cm-1. Por outro lado o espectro revelou a presença dos modos assimétrico e simétrico vas(CO2-) e vs(CO2-) que foram observados em 1631 e 1417 cm-1, respectivamente. A transformação de Kulbeka-Munk do espectro de reflectância do eletrodo ZnO/CdTe apresentou a banda relativa ao CdTe no mesmo comprimento de onda observado quando este encontrava-se na dispersão. O eletrodo ZnO/CdTe mostrou um valor de fotocorrente de 138 µA, um valor 10 vezes maior que o obtido para o ZnO. Nos experimentos de IPCE (eficiência de conversão do fóton incidente à corrente) um aumento de aproximadamente cinco vezes também foi observado para o eletrodo de ZnO/CdTe. A dinâmica dos portadores de carga foi investigada por TAS (Espectroscopia de Absorção Transiente) nas escalas de tempo fs e µs para os eletrodos de ZnO e de ZnO/CdTe. A análise TAS indicou um tempo de vida menor para o filme ZnO/CdTe em comparação com filme ZnO. A medidas com o eletrodo de Clark demonstraram uma produção de oxigênio pelo eletrodo de ZnO/CdTe. Assim, o filme de ZnO/CdTe proposto apresenta-se como um material promissor para aplicações fotoeletroquímicas. / Placed in the context of renewable energy sources, this work consists of the synthesis and characterization of ZnO films modified CdTe quantum dots to be applied in photoelectrochemical cells. ZnO rods are interesting materials because this kind of structure facilitates the charge carriers transport, minimizing the loss of these at grain boundaries and their recombination and annihilation. The ZnO film modification with CdTe nanocrystals should increase the photoconversion efficiency by facilitating charge separation and electron transfer, and it increases the nanocrystals stability, preventing it from anodic corrosion and decomposition. The ZnO film was electrodeposited potenciostatically on ITO surface. SEM and EDX analysis indicated that the ZnO film obtained is homogeneous and it consists of rods with atomic ratio of Zn and O according to 1:1 stoichiometry. XRD result showed three characteristic planes of ZnO in wurtzite crystalline form. The (002) plane is the predominant, indicating the rods orientation in the c-axis vertical to the substrate. The ZnO film also has a thickness of 550 nm, bandgap of 3.27 eV, flat band potential of 0.4 V and density of charge carriers 8,9 x 1019 cm-3. The synthetic procedure of CdTe quantum dots occurred from the dissolution cadmium oxide in tetradecylphosphonic acid and octadecene (ODE) to 300 °C. Subsequently, cadmium precursor solution of was cooled to 260 °C and then the tellurium precursor solution, prepared by dissolving tellurium in tributylphosphine and in ODE was injected. The obtained nanocrystals were dispersed in hexane, precipitated with ethanol and finally the quantum dots were stored in toluene. From UV-Vis and TEM analysis was possible to estimate the quantum dots size of CdTe as 4 nm. The XRD of CdTe nanocrystals presented the main characteristic planes of zinc blend structure. ZnO electrode modified with CdTe quantum dots (ZnO/CdTe) was obtained by 24 h immersion in a solution of acetonitrile containing mecaptopropionic acid and propionic acid. Subsequently, the ZnO film modified with the linker was immersed for 48 h in CdTe quantum dots dispersion. FTIR spectrum reveals the absence of a symmetrical C=O stretching mode at approximately 1700 cm-1. Instead, the spectrum shows the presence of the asymmetric and symmetric vas(CO2-) and vs(CO2-) modes were observed at 1631 and 1417 cm-1, respectively. Kulbeka-Munk transformation of the reflectance spectrum of the ZnO/CdTe electrode presented the band related to CdTe in the same wavelength observed when this was in the dispersion. The ZnO/CdTe electrode showed a photocurrent value of 138 µA, a value 10 times greater than that obtained for ZnO. At IPCE experiments (incident photon-to-current efficiency) an increase of approximately five times was also noticed to the electrode of ZnO/CdTe. Dynamics of charge carriers was investigated by fs and µs TAS (Transient Absorption Spectroscopy) for ZnO and ZnO/CdTe electrodes. TAS analyses indicate a short life time to ZnO/CdTe electrode compared to ZnO film. Clark electrode measurements showed oxygen production by ZnO/CdTe electrode. Thus, ZnO/CdTe proposed electrode is presented as promising material for photoelectrochemical applications.

This thesis deals with the construction of a photoelectrochemical cell, which is used for detection of ultraviolet radiation by means of generated photocurrent in dependence on the intensity of incident radiation. The cell construction is based on a carbon electrode system with a titanium dioxide sensory layer and a UV curable electrolyte. Printing techniques such as screen printing, inkjet printing and pad printing were used to deposit individual layers. Carbon electrodes with sensory layer were studied through profilometric analysis, optical microscopy, and four-point probes. The viscosity of the liquid formulation of uncured electrolyte was characterized by rheometric measurement. Photoelectrochemical properties of the prepared cell for use as a UV sensor were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry.