• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.2271-2275
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• 2013

We report on the photoelectrochemical properties of partially reduced mesoporous titania thin films. The fabrication is achieved by synthesizing mesoporous titania thin films through the self-assembly of a titania precursor and a block copolymer, followed by aging and calcination, and heat-treatment under a $H_2$ (1 torr) environment. Depending on the temperature used for the reaction with $H_2$, the degree of the reduction (generation of oxygen vacancies) of the titania is controlled. The oxygen vacancies induce visible light absorption, and decrease of resistance while the mesoporosity is practically unaltered. The photoelectrochemical activity data on these films, by measuring their photocurrent-potential behavior in 1 M NaOH electrolyte under AM 1.5G 100 mW $cm^{-2}$ illumination, show that the three effects of the oxygen vacancies contribute to the enhancement of the photoelectrochemical properties of the mesoporous titania thin films. The results show that these oxygen deficient $TiO_2$ mesoporous thin films hold great promise for a solar hydrogen generation. Suggestions for the materials design for improved photoelectrochemical properties are made.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.232-240
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• 2020

Cu₂O films as a photocathode for photoelectrochemical water splitting were potentiostatically deposited on FTO glasses. The morphology and composition of the electrodeposited Cu₂O films were adjusted by the applied potentials. The potential-dependent grain size of Cu₂O films was characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. Photoelectrochemical properties of the fabricated Cu₂O photocathodes were investigated with photocurrents as a function of potentials under 1 sun condition of 100mW/㎠. Photocurrents of the electrodeposited Cu₂O films were controlled with the tailored surface morphologies of Cu₂O photocathodes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.401-401
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• 2016

Although vertically aligned one-dimensional (1D) structure has been considered as efficient forms for photoelectrode, development of efficient 1D nanostructured photocathode are still required. In this sense, we recently demonstrated a simple fabrication route for CuInS2 (CIS) nanorod arrays from aqueous solution by template-assisted growth-and-transfer method and their feasibility as a photoelectrode for water splitting. In this study, we further evaluated the photoelectrochemical properties surface-modified CIS nanorod arrays. Surface modification with CdS and ZnS was performed by successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method, which is well known as suitable technique for conformal coating throughout nanoporous structure. With surface modification of CdS and ZnS, both photoelectrochemical performance and stability of CuInS2 nanorod arrays were improved by shifting of the flat-band potential, which was analyzed both onset potential and Mott-schottky plot.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.237-242
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• 2018

We report on the fabrication and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of a ZnO nanorod array structure as an efficient photoelectrode for hydrogen production from sunlight-driven water splitting. Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on an indium-tin-oxide-coated glass substrate via seed-mediated hydrothermal synthesis method with the use of a ZnO nanoparticle seed layer, which was formed by thermally oxidizing a sputtered Zn metal thin film. The structural and morphological properties of the synthesized ZnO nanorods were examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, as well as Raman scattering. The PEC properties of the fabricated ZnO nanorod photoelectrode were evaluated by photocurrent conversion efficiency measurements under white light illumination. From the observed PEC current density versus voltage (J-V) behavior, the vertically aligned ZnO nanorod photoelectrode was found to exhibit a negligible dark current and high photocurrent density, e.g., $0.65mA/cm^2$ at 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl in a 1 mM $Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte. In particular, a significant PEC performance was observed even at an applied bias of 0 V vs Ag/AgCl, which made the device self-powered.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.298-305
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• 2019

We investigated a correlation between morphology and photoelectrochemical properties of TiO₂ nanotubes fabricated by well-controlled anodization processes. Anodization in an ethylene-glycol-based electrolyte solution accelerated the rapid grow rate of TiO₂ nanotubes, but also cause problems such as delamination at the interface between TiO₂ nanotubes and a Ti substrate, and debris on the top of the nanotube. The applied voltages for the anodization of TiO₂ were adjusted to avoid the interface delamination. The heat treatment and the anodizing time were also controlled to enhance the crystallinity of the as-prepared TiO₂ nanotubes and to increase the surface area with the varied length of the anodized TiO₂ nanotubes. Additionally, a 2-step anodization process was utilized to remove the debris on the tube top. The photoelectrochemical properties of TiO₂ nanotubes prepared with the carefully tailored conditions were investigated. By removing the debris on TiO₂ nanotubes, applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) of TiO₂ nanotubes increased up to 0.33%.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2019

Recent industrialization has led to a high demand for the use of fossil fuels. Therefore, the need for producing hydrogen and its utilization is essential for a sustainable society. For an eco-friendly future technology, photoelectrochemical water splitting using solar energy has proven promising amongst many other candidates. With this technique, semiconductors can be used as photocatalysts to generate electrons by light absorption, resulting in the reduction of hydrogen ions. The photocatalysts must be chemically stable, economically inexpensive and be able to utilize a wide range of light. From this perspective, cuprous oxide($Cu_2O$) is a promising p-type semiconductor because of its appropriate band gap. However, a major hindrance to the use of $Cu_2O$ is its instability at the potential in which hydrogen ion is reduced. In this study, gold is used as a bottom electrode during electrodeposition to obtain a preferential growth along the (111) plane of $Cu_2O$ while imperfections of the $Cu_2O$ thin films are removed. This study investigates the photoelectrochemical properties of $Cu_2O$. However, severe photo-induced corrosion impedes the use of $Cu_2O$ as a photoelectrode. Two candidates, $TiO_2$ and $SnO_2$, are selected for the passivation layer on $Cu_2O$ by by considering the Pourbaix-diagram. $TiO_2$ and $SnO_2$ passivation layers are deposited by atomic layer deposition(ALD) and a sputtering process, respectively. The investigation of the photoelectrochemical properties confirmed that $SnO_2$ is a good passivation layer for $Cu_2O$.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.263-270
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• 2000

The Pt/copper oxide/n-Si electrodes were fabricated by depositing copper oxide thin film of 500${\AA}$ and very thin Pt layer on the n-type (100) Si substrate. hotoelectrochemical properties and stability profiles of the electrodes were investigated as a function of deposition time of Pt layer. As the deposition time of Pt layer increased up to 10 seconds, the photocurrent and quantum efficiency were increased and then decreased with further depositing time. The better cell stability was observed for the electrode with longer deposition time. The improvements in above photoelectrochemical properties indicate that Pt layer acts as a catalyst layer at electrode/electrolyte interface as well as a protective layer. The decreasing tendency of the photocurrent and efficiency for the electrode with Pt layer deposited above 20 seconds was explained as an increases in probbility of electron-hole pair recombination and also the absorbing photon loss at electrode surface due to the excessive thickness of Pt layer. The results were confirmed by impedance spectroscopy, mutiple cycle voltammograms and microstructural analyses.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2023

Nanosized TiO₂ has been widely investigated in photoelectrochemical or photocatalytic applications due to their intrinsic properties such as suitable band position, high photocorrosion resistance, and surface area. In this study, to achieve the high efficiency in photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance, TiO₂ nanotubular structures were formed by anodization at various temperatures and times. The morphological and crystal structure of the anodized TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs) were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of the TiO₂ NTs were studied with different lengths and morphologies. From the detailed investigations, the optimum thickness of TiO₂ nanotubes was 3 ㎛. Moreover, we found that the optimum photocatalytic pollutant removal efficiency of TiO₂ nanotubes for photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated solar light was 5.34 ㎛ of tube length.

• Journal of Surface Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.538-546
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• 1999

Ti(IV)-Fe(III) oxide films were formed by MOCVD technique, and their photoelectrochemical properties were examined in 0.5M N $a_2$$SO_4$ solution by a photoelectrochemical polarization test. Ti(IV)-Fe(III) oxide films deposited at 40$0^{\circ}C$ by MOCVD have crystalline structure and are all n-type semiconductors. The photocurrent and the quantum efficiency of the films increase with increasing the iron cationic fraction ($X_{Fe}$ ) in the films. The energy band gap of the films increase linearly with increasing the iron cationic fraction in the films. Ti(IV)-Fe(III) oxide film of $X_{Fe}$ /=0.60 has high photocurrent response and corrosion resistance simultaneously.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.105-108
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• 2018

Transparent $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays are successfully prepared by a two-step approach involving electrochemical anodization and RF magnetron sputtering. First, a Ti film is deposited on an FTO substrate by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The morphologies of the Ti film are controlled by the working distance, Ar flow, and DC power. Second, an anodization treatment is electrochemically performed for the formation of nanotube arrays from the deposited Ti film, followed by post-annealing treatment in air for the formation of $TiO_2$ crystallization. The back side of the crystallized $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays is illuminated with solar light to characterize the photoelectrochemical reaction, and their photoelectrochemical properties are investigated. This work provides information on application of a thin film deposited by RF sputtering in the field of photoelectrochemical water splitting.