Anthropogenic climate change presents an unrivalled threat to environmental stability and the prosperity of future generations. Utilising abundant, renewable resources in energy generation and storage will be essential to halt climate change and its effects. Solar water splitting is an excellent tool in the renewable energy arsenal for countering climate change, as it utilises both sunlight and water, two of the most abundant resources available on earth. Furthermore, the direct formation of a chemical fuel, hydrogen, is thought to be more practical for storing in large quantities than electricity. Work in this thesis covers the investigation of a variety of materials, fabricated by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD), for their ability to carry out photoelectrochemical water splitting. In one project, thin films of Bi2Ti2O7 (BTO), specifically of the pyrochlore crystal structure, are fabricated by AACVD and analysed for their photoelectrochemical properties. The resulting thin films are found to be phase pure with a band gap of 2.88 eV, which is 0.32 eV smaller than TiO2. Efforts to dope the BTO thin films are further investigated through the addition of iron. Significant modification to the band gap is observed, leading to a confirmed pyrochlore thin film exhibiting a band gap of 2.5 eV, a reduction of 0.38 eV from undoped BTO. The resulting thin film had a photocurrent 5 times higher than that of undoped BTO. Finally, efforts to fabricate Fe2Ti2O7 are outlined. It is discovered that a stable phase of Fe2TiO5 is preferentially formed over the pyrochlore phase, even with dramatic modification to the deposition parameters and precursor stoichiometry. The high stability of this phase, coupled with the limiting features of the glass substrates, highlights the challenges with forming certain pyrochlore thin films. In a second project, the effect of depositing titanium nanoclusters onto the surface of bismuth vanadate is investigated. Nanoclusters are of huge interest because their properties lie between those of atoms and bulk materials. Additionally, nanoscale clusters can be fabricated with incredible precision, allowing one to select discrete diameter particles for deposition on surfaces. Ti nanoclusters over a range of sizes are deposited onto BiVO4 photoanodes. It is discovered that the deposition of ultralow loadings of Ti2000 clusters results in an 80 % enhancement in the photocurrent of the BiVO4 substrates. Further experimentation highlights that the photocurrent enhancement is linked to the size of the nanocluster and the density of the clusters on the surface. A mechanism is outlined, whereby the Ti nanoclusters partially reduce the surface of the BiVO4, leading to enhanced electron transport within the thin films due to the presence of oxygen vacancies. In a final project, polycrystalline InN, GaN and systematically controlled InxGa1-xN composite thin films are fabricated on FTO glass by a facile, low-cost and scalable aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. Variation of the indium content in the composite films leads to a dramatic shift in the optical absorbance properties, which correlates with the band edges shifting between those of GaN to InN. Moreover, the photoelectrochemical properties are shown to vary with indium content, with the 50 % indium composite having an external quantum efficiency of around 8 %. Whilst the overall photocurrent is found to be low, the photocurrent stability is shown to be excellent, with little degradation seen over 1 hour. Subsequent attempts to modify the morphology by conducting vertical-AACVD are also outlined. Thin films fabricated using vertical-AACVD are found to grow via a different mechanism, leading to undesired split phase growth, where two different compositions form on the same substrate.

abstract: Photocatalytic water splitting is a promising technique to produce H2 fuels from water using sustainable solar energy. To better design photocatalysts, the understanding of charge transfer at surfaces/interfaces and the corresponding structure change during the reaction is very important. Local structural and chemical information on nanoparticle surfaces or interfaces can be achieved through characterizations on transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Emphasis should be put on materials structure changes during the reactions in their “working conditions”. Environmental TEM with in situ light illumination system allows the photocatalysts to be studied under light irradiation when exposed to H2O vapor. A set of ex situ and in situ TEM characterizations are carried out on typical types of TiO2 based photocatalysts. The observed structure changes during the reaction are correlated with the H2 production rate for structure-property relationships. A surface disordering was observed in situ when well-defined anatase TiO2 rhombohedral nanoparticles were exposed to 1 Torr H2O vapor and 10suns light inside the environmental TEM. The disordering is believed to be related to high density of hydroxyl groups formed on surface oxygen vacancies during water splitting reactions. Pt co-catalyst on TiO2 is able to split pure water producing H2 and O2. The H2 production rate drops during the reaction. Particle size growth during reaction was discovered with Z-contrast images. The particle size growth is believed to be a photo-electro-chemical Ostwald ripening. Characterizations were also carried out on a more complicated photocatalyst system: Ni/NiO core/shell co-catalyst on TiO2. A decrease of the H2 production rate resulting from photo-corrosion was observed. The Ni is believed to be oxidized to Ni2+ by OH• radicals which are intermediate products of H2O oxidation. The mechanism that the OH• radicals leak into the cores through cracks on NiO shells is more supported by experiments. Overall this research has done a comprehensive ex situ and in situ TEM characterizations following some typical TiO2 based photocatalysts during reactions. This research has shown the technique availability to study photocatalyst inside TEM in photocatalytic conditions. It also demonstrates the importance to follow structure changes of materials during reactions in understanding deactivation mechanisms. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2015

Submitted by Luciana Sebin (lusebin@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-19T13:34:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseIAC.pdf: 3635782 bytes, checksum: af0cdbb8c8caf2d9a90377d533f6b0ca (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-20T18:14:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseIAC.pdf: 3635782 bytes, checksum: af0cdbb8c8caf2d9a90377d533f6b0ca (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-20T18:14:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseIAC.pdf: 3635782 bytes, checksum: af0cdbb8c8caf2d9a90377d533f6b0ca (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-20T18:15:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseIAC.pdf: 3635782 bytes, checksum: af0cdbb8c8caf2d9a90377d533f6b0ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / The use of semiconductors for environmental applications and solar photoconversion has been widely explored recently. Due the intensive researches on renewable energy such as the photoelectrochemical H2 evolution from water splitting reaction, the design of new catalysts has been investigated. In this context, tungsten oxide – WO3 – is a promising catalyst for such application, however its conduction band is located at a more positive potential than the potential of water reduction, as a result WO3 does not have the ability to reduce H+ to H2. In the first part, this work deal with the synthesis of WO3 by the oxidant peroxide method, as a promising catalyst for this reaction. Tuning of the band-edge levels for the different synthesized catalysts was verified from Mott Schottky plot, and it represents the effective photoelectrocatalytic water splitting.In the second part, the study of heterostructuring TiO2 with WO3was investigated because of the possibility to mitigate the recombination of electron–hole pairs and therefore obtain more active systems for photocatalytic applications. The synthesis of WO3/TiO2 heterostructures was evaluated by hydrothermal method using three different routes: (I) precursors used as peroxo-complexes; (II) tungsten peroxo-complex and TiO2 pre-formed oxide; (III) pre-formed oxides as building blocks. The results showed by electrochemical characterization demonstrated how the electronic parameters (band edge positions, Fermi level energy and charge migration) affect the photocatalytic activity of heterostructures obtained by the distinct synthetic routes. The as-synthesized materials was investigated toward the photodegradation of organic dye (Rhodamine-B) under visible and UV illumination. The growth mechanism was observed to play a significant role in governing surface and interfacial properties, which has a direct influence on xvi materials photoactivity. The band edge positions for the materials was determined from Mott Schottky plot and the experimentally determined energy diagram is consistent with the formation of a type II heterostructure for WO3/TiO2 and it is well correlated to recent reports in literature. As a result, the photogenerated electrons and holes can be spatially distributed in two different crystalline phases in contact and the charge recombination is inhibited, which is efficient for photocatalytic reactions.Additionally, regarding the energy diagram obtained for the heterostrucutres, it is possible from the thermodynamic aspect the use of those structures as promising candidates for the photoelectrocatalytic water splitting, since the band positions are sufficiently large to overcome the character of this reaction. / O uso de semicondutores para aplicações ambientais e na fotoconversão solar tem sido amplamente explorado recentemente. Devido a pesquisas intensivas sobre energias renováveis como a reação de produção fotoeletroquímica de H2 a partir da água, o desenvolvimento de novos catalisadores tem sido investigado. O óxido de tungstênio – WO3– é um material promissor para tais aplicações, entretanto, a posição da sua banda de condução possui valores mais positivos que o potencial de redução da água, e desta forma este material não tem a habilidade de reduzir diretamente o H+ para H2. Na primeira parte, este trabalho aborda a síntese de WO3 pelo método dos peróxidos oxidantes (OPM), como um catalisador promissor para esta reação. Foi observado deslocamento nas bandas de energia para o filme de WO3 obtido pela rota OPM em relação ao óxido obtido pela rota convencional, determinado pela da relação de Mott Schottky e estes resultados caracterizam a efetiva reação water splitting. Na segunda parte, foi investigado a formação de heteroestruturas de TiO2 com WO3, no acoplamento entre as estruturas eletronicas dos óxidos semicondutores para obtenção de sistemas mais ativos em processos fotocatalíticos. A síntese de heteroestruturas WO3/TiO2 foi avaliada pelo método hidrotérmico utilizando três rotas distintas: (I) precursores na forma de peroxo-complexos estáveis; (II) peroxo-complexo de tungstênio e óxido pré-formado de TiO2 e (III) óxidos pré-formados como “blocos de construção”. De acordo com os resultados obtidos por caracterização eletroquímica, os parâmetros eletrônicos (posições de banda de energia, nível de Fermi e migração de cargas) influenciaram na atividade fotocatalítica de heteroestruturas obtidas por rotas sintéticas distintas. Os materiais foram investigados na reação defotodegradação do corante orgânico (Rodamina-B) sob xiv iluminação visível e UV. Observou-se que o mecanismo de crescimento das estruturas desempenha um papel significativo nas propriedades finais dos catalisadores produzidos, e uma influência direta sobre a fotoatividade destes. As posições do nível de Fermi para os materiais foi determinada a partir da caracterização eletroquímica pela relação de Mott Schottky e o diagrama de energia determinado experimentalmente é consistente com a formação de uma heteroestrutura tipo II para WO3/TiO2 e está de acordo com relatos recentes na literatura. Como consequência, os elétrons e buracos fotogerados podem estar espacialmente distribuídos nas fases cristalinas em contato e a taxa de recombinação é inibida, o que é eficaz para reações catalíticas. Além disso, em relação ao diagrama de energia obtida para as heteroestruturas, é possível do ponto de vista termodinâmico, a utilização como candidatos promissores para a reação fotoeletrocatalítica de water splitting, uma vez que os potenciais são energeticamente favoráveis para esta reação. / FAPESP: 2011/07484-8 / CAPES: 8218-13-7

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第21590号 / 理博第4497号 / 新制||理||1646(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 寺西 利治, 教授 島川 祐一, 教授 吉村 一良 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

L’étude de la cinétique de la photodissociation de l’eau assistée par lumière visible a été l’objectif principal de ce travail. En tant que matériau photo-excitable, le semi-conducteur SrTiO₃ dopé au Rh a été utilisé. Le dopage permet l’absorption de lumière visible et donc la transformation d’énergie solaire en combustibles chimiques. Le 1er Chapitre de cette thèse est consacré à une étude bibliographique couvrant les méthodes de caractérisation et les modèles de la cinétique photo-électrochimique. Le 2ème Chapitre traite la description des matériaux et méthodes expérimentaux. Le 3ème Chapitre concerne la caractérisation de la cinétique de la photodissociation de l’eau sur photo-électrodes à base de Rh:SrTiO₃, modifiées en surface par ajout d’un clathrochélate modèle, ou avec du Cu ou du Pt métalliques. Le 4ème Chapitre décrit une étude théorique du mécanisme de la réaction de dégagement d’hydrogène, catalysée par un clathrochélate modèle. Le spectre EXAFS du complexe a été analysé et modélisé, et les intermédiaires importants du mécanisme ont été mis en évidence. Le 5ème Chapitre est consacré à l’étude dynamique de photo-électrodes à base de Rh:SrTiO₃ en utilisant la technique de la photo-tension à lumière modulée. Ce Chapitre présente des résultats inattendus, qui sont rapportés pour la première fois. Ce comportement bizarre a été modélisé par un système d’équations différentielles usuellement utilisées pour décrire ce type de système photo-électrochimique. / The kinetics of water photo-dissociation assisted by visible light was the main topic of this work. The Rh doped SrTiO₃ semiconductor was employed as photo-excitable material. It can absorb visible light and therefore transform solar energy into useful chemical fuels. In this manuscript, a wide bibliographic overview is provided in the 1st Chapter, covering a description of the characterization methods and current models for photoelectrochemical kinetics. The 2nd Chapter is devoted to the description of the materials and methods. The 3rd Chapter deals with the full photoelectrochemical kinetic characterization of water splitting with Rh:SrTiO₃ photoelectrodes, surface-modified by addition of a model clathrochelate or with metallic Cu or Pt. In the 4th Chapter, a theoretical study of the mechanism of hydrogen evolution catalyzed by a model clathrochelate is provided. During the discussion, the EXAFS spectrum of the organometallic complex was thoroughly analyzed and modelled, and the relevant protonated intermediates involved in the mechanism were identified. The 5th Chapter deals with the photoelectrochemical dynamics of illuminated Rh:SrTiO₃ -based photo-electrodes, characterized by the light-modulated photovoltage technique. Unusual results were obtained and are reported in this thesis for the first time. This unexpected dynamic behavior has been modelled by a set of classical differential equations usually used to describe such photo-processes.

III-nitride nanostructures have generated tremendous scientific and technological interests in studying and engineering their low dimensional physics phenomena. Among these, 2D planar, free standing III-nitride nanomembranes are unrivalled in their scalability for high yield manufacture and can be mechanically manipulated. Due to the increase in their surface to volume ratio and the manifestation of quantum phenomena, these nanomembranes acquire unique physical properties. Furthermore, III-nitride membranes are chemically stable and biocompatible. Finally, nanomembranes are highly flexible and can follow curvilinear surfaces present in biological systems. However, being free-standing, requires especially new techniques for handling nanometers or micrometers thick membrane devices. Furthermore, effectively transferring these membrane devices to other substrates is not a direct process which requires the use of photoresists, solvents and/or elastomers. Finally, as the membranes are transferred, they need to be properly attached for subsequent device fabrications, which often includes spin coating and rinsing steps. These engineering complications have impeded the development of novel devices based on III-nitride membranes. In this thesis, we demonstrate the versatility of III-nitride membranes where we develop a thermal bio-sensor nanomembrane and solar energy photo-anode membrane. First, we present a novel preparation technique of nanomembranes with new characteristics; having no threading dislocation cores. We then perform optical characterization to reveal changes in their defect densities compared to the bulk crystal. We also study their mechanical properties where we successfully modulate their bandgap emission by 55 meV through various external compressive and tensile strain fields. Furthermore, we characterize the effect of phonon-boundary scattering on their thermal properties where we report a reduction of thermal conductivity from 130 to 9 W/mK. We employ these modifications to develop a thermal biosensor, which conformally gets attached to cells to measure their thermal properties. We also assess the statistical significance of our measurements to differentiate between different cell lines based on their measured thermal properties. Finally, we demonstrate the application of nanomembranes in solar-based water-splitting by merging them with nanowires to form nanowire membranes which are used to fabricate membrane photo-anodes. Finally, through optical, chemical and electrochemical measurements, we demonstrate their superior operations compared to typical fabrication techniques.

Converting solar energy to clean fuel has gained remarkable attention as an emerged renewable energy resource but optimum efficiency in photocatalytic applications has not yet been reached. One of the dominant factors is designing efficient photocatalytic semiconductors. The research reveals a theoretical investigation of optoelectronic properties of bismuth-based metal oxide and oxysulfide semiconductors using highly accurate first-principles quantum method based on density functional theory along with the range-separated hybrid HSE06 exchange-correlation functional. First, bismuth titanate compounds including Bi12TiO20, Bi4Ti3O12, and Bi2Ti2O7 were studied in a combined experimental and theoretical approach to prove its photocatalytic activity under UV light. They have unique bismuth layered structure, tunable electronic properties, high dielectric constant and low electron and effective masses in one crystallographic direction allowing for good charge separation and carrier diffusion properties. The accuracy of the investigation was determined by the good agreement between experimental and theoretical values. Next, BiVO4 with the highest efficiency for oxygen evolution was investigated. A discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical bandgap was reported and inspired a systematic study of all intrinsic defects of the material and the corresponding effect on the optical and transport properties. A candidate defective structure was proposed for an efficient photocatalytic performance. To overcome the carrier transport limitation, a mild hydrogen treatment was also introduced. Carrier lifetime was enhanced due to a significant reduction of trap-assisted recombination, either via passivation of deep trap states or reduction of trap state density. Finally, an accurate theoretical approach to design a new family of semiconductors with enhanced optoelectronic properties for water splitting was proposed. We simulated the solid solutions Bi1−xRExCuOS (RE = Y, La, Gd and Lu) from pure BiCuOS to pure RECuOS compositions. Starting from the thermodynamic stability of the solid solution, several properties were computed for each system including bandgaps, dielectric constants, effective masses and exciton binding energies. Several compositions with specific organization and density of Bi and RE atoms, were found to be appropriate for water splitting applications. In General, the presented results give further insights to the experimentalists and recommendations for appropriate future application and defect-design of each material.

Hydrogen is a carrier energy gas that can be utilized as a clean energy source instead of oil and natural gas. Splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen is one of the most favorable methods to generate hydrogen. The catalytic properties of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) could be valuable in this role, particularly due to its unique structure and ability to be chemically modified, enabling its catalytic activity to be further enhanced or made comparable to that of Pt-based materials. In general, these modification strategies may involve either structural engineering of MoS2 or enhancing the kinetics of charge transfer, including by confining to single metal atoms and clusters or integrating with a conductive substrate. We present the results of synergetic integration of MoS2 films with a Si-heterojunction solar cell for generating H2 via the photochemical water splitting approach. The results of the photochemical measurements demonstrated an efficient photocurrent of 36. 3 mA cm-2 at 0 V vs. RHE and an onset potential of 0.56 V vs. RHE. In addition to 25 hours of continuous photon conversion to H2 generation, this study points out that the integration of the Si-HJ with MoS2 is an effective strategy for enhancing the internal conductivity of MoS2 towards efficient and stable hydrogen production. Moreover, we studied the effect of doping an atomic scale of Pt on the catalytic activity of MoS2. The electrochemical results indicated that the optimum single Pt atoms loading amount demonstrated a distinct enhancement in the hydrogen generating, in which the overpotential was minimized to -0.0505 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 using only 10 ALD cycles of Pt. The Tafel slopes of the ALD Pt/ML-MoS2 electrodes were in the range of 55–120 mV/decade, which indicates a fast improvement in the HER velocity as a result of the increased potential. Stability is another important parameter for evaluating a catalyst. The same (10 ALD cycles) Pt/ML-MoS2 electrode was able to continuously generate hydrogen molecules at for 150 hours. These superior results demonstrate that the low conductivity of semiconductive MoS2 can be enhanced by anchoring the film with Pt SAs and clusters, leading to sufficient charge transport and a decrease in the overpotential.

One way of harnessing and storing our most abundant and renewable energy source, sunlight, is by utilizing it to split water for the hydrogen generation as a storable form of fuel. Si, the most investigated material for solar-to-hydrogen technology has great potential as the single photoelectrode. While some success has been achieved in Si-Based photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems, they suffer from low efficiency and short longevity. Moreover, in order for hydrogen to be commercially viable, the existing challenges of electrical, optical, and catalysis management must be addressed concurrently. Herein, we work on the simultaneous improvement in light harvesting, charge carrier separation/transfer, and catalysis management of Si-based photocathodes, achieving best-in-class efficiency with stable electrochemical performance. By decoupling the light harvesting side from the electrocatalytic surface we nullify parasitic light absorption. We developed a Si bifacial (SiBF) PEC photocathode to absorb light on both sides of PEC devices, which exhibits a current density of 39.01 mA/cm2. Unlike conventional monofacial PEC cells, our bifacial design demonstrates excellent omnidirectional light harvesting capability. Furthermore, back buried junction photoelectrochemical (BBJ-PEC) cells were fabricated that can realize efficient decoupling of photon. This scheme enables maximum light-harvesting without any metal contact, which prevents the shadow effect during the water splitting reaction. The highest hydrogen evolution current density (41.76 mA/cm2) was demonstrated based on a single BBJ-PEC device. Additionally, wireless water splitting can be achieved when three BBJ-PEC cells were connected in series. The efficient PEC cell design described herein demonstrates promising performance, taking us a step closer to real-world solar-to-hydrogen production.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20582号 / 工博第4362号 / 新制||工||1678(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科物質エネルギー化学専攻 / (主査)教授 阿部 竜, 教授 陰山 洋, 教授 安部 武志 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM