Microscale structure designing of nanoparticle-based photocatalyst films for enhanced functionalities and efficient energy utilization
Microscale structure designing of nanoparticle-based photocatalyst films for enhanced functionalities and efficient energy utilization
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基于纳米粒子的光催化剂薄膜的微观结构设计，以增强功能和高效能源利用
DOI：
10.1088/1755-1315/463/1/012114
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发表时间：
2020
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
H. Yabe
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Y. Kameya;H. Yabe
光催化剂已日益成为利用可再生太阳能分解污染物、生产清洁水、实现表面自清洁等的重要材料。因此，通过增强其功能并提供足够的设计灵活性来拓展光催化剂的应用是非常可取的。在此，为了增强其有用的功能，对具有微尺度表面结构的基于纳米粒子的光催化剂薄膜的潜力进行了研究。使用二氧化钛（TiO₂）纳米粒子悬浮液制备了具有微尺度表面结构的光催化剂薄膜。利用扫描电子显微镜对所制备薄膜的微尺度结构特征进行了评估，还使用了原子力显微镜（AFM）。对由纳米粒子球形聚集体组成的薄膜进行的原子力显微镜分析揭示了亚波长表面结构的表面轮廓。然后对光学和润湿特性进行了研究。研究发现，由于亚波长表面结构，可见光透过率提高，并且微结构化的TiO₂薄膜在没有紫外光照射的情况下呈现出小于10度的接触角，即超亲水行为。基于所给出的结果，有人提出可以设计光催化剂薄膜的微尺度表面结构以实现增强的功能。预计在许多应用中，通过使用优化设计的功能性光催化剂薄膜能够有效地利用太阳光能。
Photocatalysts have increasingly become important materials to utilize renewable solar energy for decomposing pollutants, producing clean water, achieving self-cleaning surface, and so on. Therefore, it is desirable to expand the applications of photocatalysts by enhancing the functionalities and allowing ample design flexibility. Here the potential of nanoparticle-based photocatalyst films with microscale surface structures was investigated in order to enhance their useful functionalities. Photocatalyst films with microscale surface structures were prepared using the suspension of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. The micro-scale structural features of prepared films were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope. Also, an atomic force microscope (AFM) was used. The AFM analysis of a film consisting of nanoparticle spherical aggregates revealed a surface profile of subwavelength surface structure. Then the optical and wetting characteristics were investigated. It was found that the visible-light transmittance increased due to subwavelength surface structures and that the microstructured TiO2 films exhibited the contact angles below 10 degrees, i.e., superhydrophilic behavior, without ultraviolet-light illumination. On the basis of the presented results, it was suggested that the microscale surface structures of photocatalyst film can be designed to achieve enhanced functionalities. It is expected to effectively utilize the energy of sunlight in many applications using functional photocatalyst films with optimized design.