Sharif Digital Repository

In this investigation, we have studied the kinetics and mechanism of photocatalytic conversion of methane into methanol reaction over the MoO 3(010) surface using a computer simulation method. Methane and oxygen as the reactants are used at room temperature and atmospheric pressure under UV photoirradiation of the catalyst. According to our data analysis, the order of methanol formation reaction with respect to CH4 and O 2 was determined to be l = 0.30 and m = -1.03, respectively. The highest methanol formation rate (TOF) value was obtained at about 0.05 molecule/s.site in a range of 25-35 W/cm2 incident light intensity with energy hv ≥ Eg. The selectivity of CH3OH was increased with... 

In this research, we have used glancing angle deposition (GLAD) RF sputtering technique with various angular speeds ranging from 5 to 30 RPM to fabricate polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon) coated Tungsten on glass substrate for producing hydrophobic surface. According to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, Tungsten nanorods were formed on the substrate with average diameter and length of about ∼50 nm and 300 nm, respectively. Hydrophobic property of W/Glass and PTFE/W/Glass systems was investigated by water contact angle measurements and we have found that the contact angle varied with the substrate angular speed. Maximum contact angle of 121 was measured for the... 

TiO2/ZnO and ZnO/TiO2 nanolayer thin films were synthesized using sol-gel method. Optical analysis revealed high transmittance of the films in the visible range with almost the same bandgap energy for the both systems. XPS technique shows stoichiometric formation of TiO2 and ZnO on the surface of TiO2/ZnO and ZnO/TiO2 layers, respectively. According to AFM observations and its data analysis, the TiO2/ZnO films exhibited a higher surface roughness and more effective interfaces with electrolyte during redox reactions. Based on photoelectrochemical measurements, TiO2/ZnO nanolayer photoanode possesses a lower charge transfer resistance and higher transient time for charge carriers (e- and h+)... 

In this study, the effects of TiO2 addition on the physical and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO thin films have been investigated. The (TiO2)x-(ZnO)1-x nanocomposite thin films were dip-coated on both glass and indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated conducting glass substrates with various values of x, specifically 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5. Optical properties of the samples were studied by UV-vis spectrophotometry in the range of 300-1100 nm. The optical spectra of the nanocomposite thin films showed high transparency in the visible region. The optical bandgap energy of the (TiO2)x-(ZnO)1-x films increased slightly with increasing values of x. The crystalline structure of the nanocomposite... 

In this investigation, the effect of annealing temperature and concentration of gold nanoparticles on the photoelectrochemical properties of sol-gel deposited Au : TiO2 nanocomposite thin films is studied. Various gold concentrations have been added to the TiO2 thin films and their properties are compared. All the deposited samples are annealed at different temperatures. The optical density spectra of the films show the formation of gold nanoparticles in the films. The optical bandgap energy of the Au : TiO2 films decreases with increasing Au concentration. The crystalline structure of the nanocomposite films is studied by x-ray diffractometry indicating the formation of gold nanocrystals in... 

BiVO4/Graphene/TiO2 as a novel nanocomposite photoanode was designed, synthesized and characterized for photoelectrochemical application. BiVO4/Graphene nanocomposite was initially synthesized by photocatalytic process and then, BiVO4/Graphene/TiO2 nanocomposite thin film was prepared by deposition of the BiVO4/Graphene solution onto the surface of sol-gel derived TiO2 thin film. Morphology, crystal structure, surface chemical composition and optical properties of the synthesized BiVO4/Graphene/TiO2 nanocomposite thin film were characterized and compared with the BiVO4/Graphene and pure TiO2 samples. Observations of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the surface of the... 

Due to rapid population growth, industrialization, and urbanization, both discharged wastewaters are rich in various pollutants, and energy crises are two of the world's leading challenges. Simultaneous photocatalysis to produce H2 from wastewater treatment is a promising approach for addressing both global environmental and energy problems at the same time. As a step toward achieving this goal, designing visible-light-active photocatalysts has been an appealing approach in dual-functional photocatalytic reactions via heterojunction formation and cocatalyst utilization. In this study, organic pollutants, namely dyes, drugs, and biomass, will be examined to produce hydrogen from these... 

ZnO/gC 3 N 4 hybrid nanofibers containing different concentrations of gC 3 N 4 nanosheets were prepared using electrospinning technique; this was followed by annealing at 460 forC for one hour in a box furnace. Based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image analysis, the mean diameter of the nanofibers was measured to be ~ 55 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of ZnO and gC 3 N 4 in the prepared nanofibers. The photocatalytic activity of the nanofibers was examined under UV photoirradiation, showing that the ZCN0.5 nanofibers containing 0.5 wt% of gC 3 N 4exhibited the highest performance, as compared to other photocatalysts. The observed improvement... 

ZnO Nanorods (NRs) are deposited on glass substrate using the hydrothermal method by applying a strategic growth control to improve their aspect ratios. In this research, the aspect ratio was tuned by tailoring the synthesis parameters, including the seed layer annealing temperature, absence/presence of polyethylenimine (PEI) in the growth solution, and the solution preheating process. The effects of these parameters on the morphology, crystal structure, room temperature photoluminescence properties, and current-voltage characteristics were examined by FESEM, XRD, PL, and I-V measurements. It was demonstrated that by varying the seed layer annealing temperature and presence of PEI solution... 

A simple method for synthesis of Na0.65WO3 nanobelts by using sodium, as a catalyst, in soda-lime glass substrate was reported. The synthesized product was characterized and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometery. According to SEM observations, nanobelts with U-shape cross section grew between sodium-tungsten oxide islands. The thickness, width, and length of nanobelts were measured <100 nm, between 300 nm-3 μm and 5-20 μm, respectively. In addition, it was observed that some of the nanobelts were constituted from nanowires. Based on XPS analysis, more than 70% of the film... 

Abstract: Photocatalysis using semiconductors has emerged as a promising wastewater treatment process to overcome the major challenges faced by conventional technologies. The advantages of ZnO nanomaterials over other semiconductors, and their structure-dependent properties, make them important building blocks in nanotechnology as multifunctional materials. Moreover, it has been confirmed that ZnO nanomaterials can exhibit high performance in photodegradation of organic dyes for treatment of industrial effluent. The wurtzite structure of ZnO contains polar and nonpolar planes; the low surface energy and thermodynamic stability of the nonpolar planes enable formation of one-dimensional (1D)... 

The physical and photoelectrochemical properties of the anodized ZnO-TiO2 thin films were investigated in this study. Impedance spectroscopy revealed a decrease in charge transfer resistance and Tafel plots determined enhancement of about 200 times in the exchange current (i 0) after anodization at high positive potential. It was found from XPS analysis that after applying the potential of 5 V to the ZnO-TiO2 photoelectrode, the lattice oxygen (O2-) in the thin film is oxidized to molecular oxygen and then, cations such as Zn2+ can be solved in the basic electrolyte and passed to the solution. Moreover, according to AFM analysis it was observed that the surface of the samples has been... 

Ce-doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films with Ce/Zn ratio fixed at optimum value (10 at.%) have been prepared via sol-gel method at different annealing temperatures varied from 180 to 500 °C. The synthesized samples were characterized employing atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. According to AFM analysis, the average grain size increased from about 70 nm to 150 nm by increasing the annealing temperature from 300 to 500 °C. Moreover, based on the XPS data analysis, it was found that three major metal ions namely Ce 3+, Ce4+, and Zn2+ coexist on the surface of the nanocomposite films. XPS data analysis also revealed that... 

Ce-doped ZnO and pure ZnO nanocomposite thin films with different Ce/Zn ratios (0, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 at.%) have been prepared by sol-gel method at optimum annealing temperature of 500 °C. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis spectrophotometry. According to our XPS data analysis, there are three major metal ions namely Ce3+, Ce4+ and Zn 2+ that coexist on the surface. The XRD measurements indicate that the ZnO thin films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure, and CeO2 crystallites formed in the Ce-doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films. Photoelectrochemical property of the samples was studied by three... 

The effect of etching time on the statistical properties of hydrophilic surfaces of SiO2/TiO2/glass nano bilayers has been studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and a stochastic approach based on a level crossing analysis. We have created rough surfaces of the hydrophilic SiO 2/TiO2 nano bilayer system by using 26% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. Measuring the average apparent contact angle allowed us to assess the degree of hydrophilicity, and the optimum condition was determined to be 10 min etching time. A level crossing analysis based on AFM images provided deeper insight into the microscopic details of the surface topography. With different etching times, it has been shown... 

In this research, initially anodization process was used to fabricate ZnO nanorods on Zn substrate and then RF sputtering technique was applied to grow a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon) on the coated ZnO nanorods for producing a superhydrophobic surface. According to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, ZnO nanorods were formed with average diameter and length of about ∼180 nm and 14 μm, respectively. Superhydrophilic property of ZnO nanorods and superhydrophobic property of PTFE/ZnO nanorods was investigated by water contact angle (WCA) measurements. It was found that the contact angle varied with the PTFE deposition time. The highest contact angle... 

WO3-TiO2 nano porous layers were synthesized by micro arc oxidation (MAO) process under different applied voltages in electrolytes containing sodium tungstate and phosphate salts with various concentrations. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques were employed to study phase structure and chemical composition of the layers. According to our data analysis, the nano porous layers consisted of anatase, rutile, and tungsten oxide phases with a varying fraction depending on the voltage and electrolyte concentration. Moreover, it was found that WO3 not only dispersed in the TiO2 matrix, but also doped into the TiO2... 

V2O5-TiO2 porous layers were synthesized via micro-arc oxidation for the first time. The effect of the applied voltage on morphology, composition, and photo-activity of the layers was investigated. The layers, which consisted of anatase, rutile, and vanadium pentoxide phases, revealed an enhanced photo-activity. About 93% of methylene blue solution was degraded on the synthesized layers after 120 min UV-irradiation with a reaction rate constant of k = 0.0228 min-1. The band gap energies of the vanadia-titania and pure titania layers were calculated as 2.56 and 3.39 eV, respectively  

In this research, the effect of applied voltage and electrolyte concentration on structure, chemical composition, optical properties, and especially photo-catalytic activity of the TiO2 layers containing micro/nano-sized pores are discussed. TiO2 layers were synthesized by micro arc oxidation (MAO) process using different electrolyte concentrations and applied voltages. Surface structure of the layers was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM); furthermore, energy dispersive spectrophotometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were employed to determine phase structure and chemical composition of the layers. Photo-activity of the... 

Pure titania porous layers consisted of anatase and rutile phases, chemically and structurally suitable for catalytic applications, were grown via micro-arc oxidation (MAO). The effect of applied voltage, process time, and electrolyte concentration on surface structure, chemical composition, and especially photocatalytic activity of the layers was investigated. SEM and AFM studies revealed that pore size and surface roughness of the layers increased with the applied voltage, and the electrolyte concentration. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance of the layers synthesized at medium applied voltages was significantly higher than that of the layers produced at other voltages. About 90% of...