异质结型NiO/ZnO复合纳米纤维的制备及光催化性能

采用静电纺丝技术, 以聚乙烯醇(PVA)和醋酸锌[Zn(CH₃COO)₂]为前驱体, 制备纯ZnO纳米纤维, 并以其为基质, 醋酸镍为镍源, 通过溶剂热法制备了NiO/ZnO复合纳米纤维. 利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)和荧光光谱(PL)等分析测试手段对样品的结构和形貌进行表征。以罗丹明Ｂ的脱色降解为模式反应, 考察了样品的光催化性能。结果表明: NiO粒子均匀地负载到ZnO纳米纤维上, 得到了异质结型NiO/ZnO复合纳米纤维光催化材料, 与纯ZnO纳米纤维相比光催化活性明显提高, 且易于分离、回收和再利用。循环使用3次, RB的脱色率仍保持在89%以上。     

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of CuFeO2-ZnO heterostructures for methylene blue degradation under sunlight

One of the strategies to overcome the drawbacks of fast charge recombination of a photocatalyst is to develop semiconductor heterostructures. Herein, we report a two-step precipitation-hydrothermal process to create CuFeO₂-ZnO heterostructures with different weight percentages of CuFeO₂ (0.5, 1, 5, and 10%). Though X-ray diffraction detected the presence of CuFeO₂ on ZnO above 5%, Raman spectroscopy could reveal the presence of CuFeO₂ phase as low as 0.5 wt%. For all of the compositions, the bandgap of ZnO did not vary (3.15 eV) on forming heterostructures with CuFeO₂. The oxidation of methylene blue under sunlight was used to determine the photocatalytic performance of the heterostructures. In comparison to pure ZnO and CuFeO₂, CuFeO₂-ZnO heterostructures exhibited a better photocatalytic efficiency. Overall, 5 wt% CuFeO₂ on ZnO showed 100% degradation with a rate constant of 0.272?±?0.002 min^?1, which is 16 times faster than ZnO. Time-resolved photoluminescence analysis indicated a higher lifespan of charge carriers in the 5wt% CuFeO₂-ZnO heterostructure (32.3 ns) than that of CuFeO₂ (0.85 ns) and ZnO (27.6 ns). The Mott–Schottky flat band potentials of ZnO and CuFeO₂ was determined to be -0.82 and 1.17 eV, respectively, revealing the presence of Type I heterostructures. The heterostructures also showed outstanding recyclability, with a degradation rate of 97% even after four cycles. The current study shows the significance of forming p-type CuFeO₂ and n-type ZnO heterostructures for enhanced photocatalysis.

     

ZnO nanorod/CdS nanocrystal core/shell-type heterostructures for solar cell applications

ZnO/CdS core/shell nanorod arrays were fabricated by a two-step method. Single-crystalline ZnO nanorod arrays were first electrochemically grown on SnO(2):F (FTO) glass substrates. Then, CdS nanocrystals were deposited onto the ZnO nanorods, using the successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique, to form core/shell nanocable architectures. Structural, morphological and optical properties of the nanorod heterojunctions were investigated. The results indicate that CdS single-crystalline domains with a mean diameter of about 7 nm are uniformly and conformally covered on the surface of the single-crystalline ZnO nanorods. ZnO absorption with a bandgap energy value of 3.30 ± 0.02 eV is present in all optical transmittance spectra. Another absorption edge close to 500 nm corresponding to CdS with bandgap energy values between 2.43 and 2.59 eV is observed. The dispersion in this value may originate in quantum confinement inside the nanocrystalline material. The appearance of both edges corresponds with the separation of ZnO and CdS phases and reveals the absorption increase due to CdS sensitizer. The photovoltaic performance of the resulting ZnO/CdS core/shell nanorod arrays has been investigated as solar cell photoanodes in a photoelectrochemical cell under white illumination. In comparison with bare ZnO nanorod arrays, a 13-fold enhancement in photoactivity was observed using the ZnO/CdS coaxial heterostructures.     

Facile synthesis of Ag/ZnO heterostructures assisted by UV irradiation: Highly photocatalytic property and enhanced photostability

We report a new method to synthesize Ag/ZnO heterostructures assisted by UV irradiation. The formation of Ag/ZnO heterostructures depends on photogenerated electrons produced by ZnO under UV light to reduce high valence silver. Functional property of the Ag/ZnO heterostructures is evaluated by photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV illumination. Results of photodegradation tests reveal that the optimal photocatalytic activity of as-syntheszied samples is about 1.5 times higher than the pure ZnO synthesized in the same condition or commercial TiO₂ (P-25), showing the advantage of the unique structure in the Ag/ZnO heterostructure. Besides, due to the reduced activation of surface oxygen atom, photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts has no evident decrease even after three recycles.     

Structure and cathodoluminescence of individual ZnS/ZnO biaxial nanobelt heterostructures

We report on a controlled synthesis of two novel semiconducting heterostructures: heterocrystalline-ZnS/single-crystalline-ZnO biaxial nanobelts and side-to-side single-crystalline ZnS/ZnO biaxial nanobelts via a simple one-step thermal evaporation method. In the first heterostructure, a ZnS domain is composed of the heterocrystalline superlattice (3C-ZnS) N /(2H-ZnS) M [111]-[0001] with the atomically smooth interface between wurtzite and zinc blende ZnS fragments. High-spatial resolution cathodoluminescence studies on individual heterostructures for the first time reveal a new ultraviolet emission peak ( approximately 355 nm), which is not observed in separate ZnS or ZnO nanostructures. The present hererostructures are expected to become valuable not only with respect to fundamental research but also for a design of new broad-range ultraviolet nanoscale lasers and sensors.     

Microstructural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnO deposited onto vertically aligned carbon nanotubes by physical vapor deposition

Nanocrystalline ZnO films with thicknesses of 5 nm, 10 nm, 20 nm, and 50 nm were deposited via magnetron sputtering onto the surface of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The ZnO/CNTs heterostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction studies. No structural degradation of the CNTs was observed and photoluminescence (PL) measurements of the nanostructured ZnO layers show that the optical properties of these films are typical of ZnO deposited at low temperatures. The results indicate that magnetron sputtering is a viable technique for growing heterostructures and depositing functional layers onto CNTs.     

Growth and characterization of flower-like Ag/ZnO heterostructure composites with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Flower-like Ag/ZnO heterostructure composites were prepared through a solvothermal method without surfactants or templates. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Results demonstrate that flower-like Ag/ZnO heterostructure composites were composed of wurtzite ZnO flowers coated by face-center-cubic Ag nanoparticles. The growth process of flower-like ZnO crystals was investigated, and a possible growth mechanism was proposed. The photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared flower-like Ag/ZnO samples, pure ZnO samples, and commercial TiO₂ (Degussa, P-25) was tested with the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Results show that the Ag/ZnO heterostructures were superior in photocatalytic activity to the pure ZnO samples and the commercial TiO₂ (Degussa, P-25), but the mixture of Ag (0.1 wt%) particles and ZnO flowers did not, which implies that the heterostructure promoted the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, enhancing the photocatalytic activity. That was primarily verified by the PL results.     

Temperature induced hierarchical growth of ZnO microcrystal

Unique ZnO microcrystal composed of hierarchical nanorod arrays was successfully prepared by a surfactant-free process in aqueous solution under moderate temperature. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The as-prepared ZnO microstructures are of hexagonal phase and high purity. On the basis of SEM images and parallel experiments, a possible formation mechanism for this ZnO microcrystal with hierarchical nanorod arrays is proposed and the reaction temperatures are found to have great influence on inducing secondary nucleation and the hierarchical growth. In addition, the optical properties of the ZnO samples were also investigated by the photoluminescence (PL) spectrometer.     

Brush-shaped ZnO heteronanorods synthesized using thermal-assisted pulsed laser deposition

Brush-shaped ZnO heteronanostructures were synthesized using a newly designed thermal-assisted pulsed laser deposition (T-PLD) system that combines the advantages of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and a hot furnace system. Branched ZnO nanostructures were successfully grown onto CVD-grown backbone nanowires by T-PLD. Although ZnO growth at 300 °C resulted in core-shell structures, brush-shaped hierarchical nanostructures were formed at 500-600 °C. Materials properties were studied via photoluminescence (PL), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations. The enhanced photocurrent of a SnO(2)-ZnO heterostructures device by irradiation with 365 nm wavelength ultraviolet (UV) light was also investigated by the current-voltage characteristics.     

Thin film chemical sensors based on p-CuO/n-ZnO heterocontacts

Previous work on bulk ceramic heterocontacts (n-ZnO/p-CuO) has indicated significant sensitivity to the presence of specific adsorbed chemical species. Here, these results are extended to thin film heterostructures fabricated via chemical solution methods. It is expected that thin film sensor architectures will possess significant advantages over their bulk counterparts. In this study, the desired properties of porosity and crystallinity have been optimized with respect to pyrolysis temperature for each ZnO and CuO sol-gel process. The results of microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that an optimal balance of these two properties is achieved at a pyrolysis temperature of 250 °C. The CuO films were seen to possess a level of porosity significantly higher than that seen in the ZnO films, making them an ideal candidate for the top layer in a planar thin film heterostructure. Results of current-voltage measurements conducted in 4000 ppm hydrogen have confirmed that the inherent porosity of the CuO films led to an enhanced sensor response in CuO on ZnO heterostructures. Lastly, the fabrication and structural characterization of a mixed solution type heterostructure has been detailed. Atomic force microscopy and XRD data indicated the presence of ZnO pillars dispersed among a matrix of CuO.     

Highly efficient visible light photocatalysis of novel CuS/ZnO heterostructure nanowire arrays

Here, a facile approach for the fabrication of CuS nanoparticle (NP)/ZnO nanowire (NW) heterostructures on a mesh substrate through a simple two-step solution method is demonstrated. Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) was employed to uniformly deposit CuS NPs on the hydrothermally grown ZnO NW array. The synthesized CuS/ZnO heterostructure NWs exhibited superior photocatalytic activity under visible light compared to bare ZnO NWs. This strong photocatalytic activity under visible light is due to the interfacial charge transfer (IFCT) from the valence band of the ZnO NW to the CuS NP, which reduces CuS to Cu(2)S. After repeated cycles of photodecolorization of Acid Orange 7 (AO7), the photocatalytic behavior of CuS/ZnO heterostructure NWs exhibited no significant loss of activity. Furthermore, our CuS/ZnO NWs/mesh photocatalyst floats in solution via partial superhydrophobic modification of the NWs.     

Nitrogen ion irradiation effect on enhancing photocatalytic performance of CdTe/ZnO heterostructures

To deal with the increasingly deteriorating environment problems, more and more harsh requirements are put forward for photocatalysis application. Building semiconductor heterostructures has been proven to be an efficient way to enhance photocatalytic performance. A kind of CdTe/ZnO heterostructures were synthesized by a hydrothermal and successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method and achieved obviously efficient photocatalytic performance. Moreover, after the N ion irradiation treatment, the photocatalytic activity was further enhanced, which can be ascribed to the introduction of oxygen vacancy defects. The photocatalytic performance enhancement mechanism by coupling constructing heterostructures and ion irradiation are further studied to give us an overall understanding on ZnO nanowires.     

Heterogeneous graphene nanostructures: ZnO nanostructures grown on large-area graphene layers

In this work, the synthesis and characterization of three-dimensional hetergeneous graphene nanostructures (HGN) comprising continuous large-area graphene layers and ZnO nanostructures, fabricated via chemical vapor deposition, are reported. Characterization of large-area HGN demonstrates that it consists of 1-5 layers of graphene, and exhibits high optical transmittance and enhanced electrical conductivity. Electron microscopy investigation of the three-dimensional heterostructures shows that the morphology of ZnO nanostructures is highly dependent on the growth temperature. It is observed that ordered crystalline ZnO nanostructures are preferably grown along the <0001> direction. Ultraviolet spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy indicates that the CVD-grown HGN layers has excellent optical properties. A combination of electrical and optical properties of graphene and ZnO building blocks in ZnO-based HGN provides unique characteristics for opportunities in future optoelectronic devices.     

Construction and evaluation of high-quality n-ZnO nanorod/p-diamond heterojunctions

Vertically-aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs) arrays were synthesized by a low-temperature solution method on boron-doped diamond (BDD) films. The morphology, growth direction, and crystallinity of the ZnO NRs were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and cathodoluminescence. Electrical characterization of the ZnO NR/BBD heterostructures revealed characteristic p-n junction properties with an on/off ratio of about 50 at +/- 4 V and a small reverse leakage current approximately 1 microA. Moreover, the junctions showed an ideality factor around 1.0 at a low forward voltage from 0 to 0.3 V and about 2.1 for an increased voltage ranging from 1.2 to 3.0 V, being consistent with that of an ideal diode according to the Sah-Noyce-Shockley theory.     

Electrical,optical, and structural properties of thin films with tri-layers of AZO/ZnMgO/AZO grown by filtered vacuum arc deposition

Transparent conductive oxides (TCO) are indispensable as front electrode for most of thin film electronic devices such as transparent electrodes for flat panel displays, photovoltaic cells, windshield defrosters, transparent thin film transistors, and low emissivity windows. Thin films of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) have shown to be one of the most promising TCOs. In this study, three layered Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/ZnMgO/AZO heterostructures were prepared by filtered cathodic arc deposition (FCAD) on glass substrates. The objective is to find a set of parameters that will allow for improved optical and electrical properties of the films such as low resistivity, high mobility, high number of charge carriers, and high transmittance. We have investigated the effect of modifications in thickness and doping of the ZnMgO inner layer on the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of the stacked heterostructures.     

Structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by laser ablation using target of ZnO powder mixture with glue

ZnO thin films were deposited on ITO/glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using two different kinds of targets. One of the targets was made of pure ZnO powder and the other one consisted of a mixture of ZnO powder with cyanoacrylate glue. The structural and morphological properties of the films obtained using both targets were compared, in order to determine which one produces samples with properties more suitable for their use as buffer and antireflective layer in CdTe-based solar cells, also different heterostructures were deposited to study the optical properties of the obtained thin films and their utility in the applications mentioned before. The films deposited with the mixture powder target were polycrystalline with preferential orientations in the planes (100) and (101) with a high transmittance in the range of 70–90% in the 540–850 nm wavelength region and showed a high resistivity of \({\sim }1.30 \times 10^{2} \,\Omega \hbox { cm}^{-1}\), such properties are considered to be appropriate for thin films that are wanted to be used as a buffer and antireflective layer in CdTe solar cells.     

Low-temperature spin spray deposited ferrite/piezoelectric thin film magnetoelectric heterostructures with strong magnetoelectric coupling

We report low-temperature spin spray deposited Fe₃O₄/ZnO thin film microwave magnetic/piezoelectric magnetoelectric heterostructures. A voltage induced effective ferromagnetic resonance field of 14 Oe was realized in Fe₃O₄/ZnO magnetoelectric (ME) heterostructures. Compared with most thin film magnetoelectric heterostructures prepared by high temperature (>600 °C) deposition methods, for example, pulsed laser deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, or sputtering, Fe₃O₄/ZnO ME heterostructures have much lower deposition temperature (<100 °C) at a much lower cost and less energy dissipation, which can be readily integrated in different integrated circuits.     

Optical properties of BaTiO3/ZnO heterostructures under the effect of an applied bias

We report electro-optical measurements of BaTiO₃/ZnO heterostructures grown by pulsed laser deposition. The optical properties of the heterostructures were examined with and without an applied bias. A change in the heterostructure optical properties is found and attributed to a linear electro-optical effect causing a change in the band gap. Moreover the formation of an electric polarization in the BaTiO₃ layer causes a remanent change in the dielectric function if the bias is removed. The change could be estimated to be around 5 meV.     

Selective formation of GaN-based nanorod heterostructures on soda-lime glass substrates by a local heating method

We report on the fabrication of high-quality GaN on soda-lime glass substrates, heretofore precluded by both the intolerance of soda-lime glass to the high temperatures required for III-nitride growth and the lack of an epitaxial relationship with amorphous glass. The difficulties were circumvented by heteroepitaxial coating of GaN on ZnO nanorods via a local microheating method. Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of ZnO nanorods and GaN layers using the microheater arrays produced high-quality GaN/ZnO coaxial nanorod heterostructures at only the desired regions on the soda-lime glass substrates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy examination of the coaxial nanorod heterostructures indicated the formation of an abrupt, semicoherent interface. Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy was also applied to confirm the high optical quality of the coaxial nanorod heterostructures. Mg-doped GaN/ZnO coaxial nanorod heterostructure arrays, whose GaN shell layers were grown with various different magnesocene flow rates, were further investigated by using photoluminescence spectroscopy for the p-type doping characteristics. The suggested method for fabrication of III-nitrides on glass substrates signifies potentials for low-cost and large-size optoelectronic device applications.     

Laser ablated ZnO layers for ALGaN/GaN HEMT passivation

ZnO layer in a role of passivation of the AlGaN/GaN-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) is presented. The thin layer is deposited by pulsed laser deposition technique. It is fully compatible with the process technology of high electron mobility transistors prepared on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures due to its physical properties similar to the GaN. We have succeeded to (1) suppress the gate leakage current; (2) increase the maximum of the drain current and the electron drift mobility, and (3) ensure the threshold voltage to be unaltered by employment of the thin ZnO layer to the channel area of the HEMT.