Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting 2018 (NFM18)
Publication date: 6th July 2018
We have developed a straightforward microwave synthesis protocol using acetylacetonate and acetate precursors to produce nanocrystals of the earth-abundant cubic spinel ferrites MgFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4[1,2], which are promising materials for both photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic water splitting under visible light irradiation due to their narrow band gaps (~ 2.0 eV) and matching band positions. The crystallite size can be tailored by post-synthetic heat treatment or seed-mediated growth method. Samples were characterized employing transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Raman spectroscopy and N2 physisorption, indicating highly-crystalline, single phase nanoparticles with specific surface areas of around 200 m²/g and good colloidal stability in non-polar solvents. Phase transfer into aqueous medium has been performed using different organic capping ligands, resulting in stable dispersions with a narrow size distribution. First results of photocatalytic experiments will be presented.
In addition, well-ordered mesoporous ZnFe2O4 thin films were fabricated by sol-gel synthesis, using a polymer-templating approach previously reported by Haetge et al.[3]. By means of the amphiphilic diblockcopolymer poly(isobutylene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PIB50-b-PEO45), ordered mesopores are obtained after dip-coating by evaporation-induced self-assembly [4] followed by heat treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms the porous morphology with average pore diameters of 12-15 nm. Raman spectroscopy and XRD Rietveld analysis revealed phase pure ZnFe2O4 with a crystallite size of 15 nm of. Furthermore, photocurrent and Mott‑Schottky measurements were performed at different pH values to determine the flat band potential and photocurrent density of the thin film electrodes calcined at various temperatures.
References
[1] C. Suchomski, B. Breitung, R. Witte, M. Knapp, S. Bauer, T. Baumbach, C. Reitz, T. Brezesinski, Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1350
[2] K. Kirchberg, A. Becker, A. Bloesser, T. Weller, J. Timm, C. Suchomski, R. Marschall, J. Phys. Chem. C 121 (2017) 27126−27138
[2] J. Haetge, C. Suchomski, T. Brezesinski, Inorg. Chem. 2010, 49, 11619.
[3] C. J. Brinker et al., Adv. Mater. 1999, 11, 579.
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