• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.9-12
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• 2015

Nano-structured electrodes were fabricated to develop efficient photoelectrochemical conversion systems for the synthesis of hydrogen from water and hydrocarbon fuels from $CO_2$. In this work, we compared the photoactivity of rutile $TiO_2$ nanorods grown on FTO and SEED/FTO by a hydrothermal method. An analysis of the microstructures showed that the density of nanorod/SEED/FTO samples, which showed only the (002) peak in their x-ray diffraction patterns, was two times higher than that of a nanorod/FTO sample. The photocurrent density of nanorod/SEED/FTO samples was increased by as much as 40% of the photocurrent density of the nanorod/FTO sample due to the increased specific density of the nanorods. However, the transient time for a recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes was 20 times faster in the nanorod/SEED/FTO. The seed layers are discussed as possible recombination sites.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.183-188
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• 2001

The deposition behavior and photoelectric response characteristics of chlorophyll a(Chl a) monolayers and multilayers were investigated under various film fabrication conditions. Chl a LB films were deposited onto quartz and pretreated ITO glass substrates under several fabrication conditions, including surface pressure and number of layers. The absorption spectra of Chl a in a solution state and solid-like state (LB films) were fairly consistent with each other, and two absorption peaks were found at 678 and 438nm, respectively. The prepared Chl a LB films were set into an electrochemistry cell equipped with a Pt plate as the counter electrode, and the photoelectric response characteristics were obtained and analyzed relative to the light illumination. By considering the resulting photocurrents, the optimal fabrication conditions for Chl a LB films were determined as 20mN/m of surface pressure and 20 layers. The action spectrum of the Chl a LB films was obtained in the visible region, and was found to be in good agreement with the absorption spectrum. The possible application of the proposed system as a constituent of an artificial color recognition device was suggested based on combining with the photoelectric conversion property of another light-sensitive biological pigment.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.15 no.2 s.46
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• pp.96-106
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• 2006

Among several different hydrogen production technologies, solar hydrogen system for water splitting is the only clean and sustainable energy supplier. Hydrogen production by water-splitting utilizing solar energy has attracted considerable interest since the pioneering work of Honda and Fujishima in 1979, who discovered that water can be photo-electrochemically decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen using a semiconductor ($TiO_2$) electrode under UV irradiation. Most efforts to utilize solar ray lead to explore visible responding photocatalysts, PEC cells and other fusion technology like bio-photocatalytic conversion. In this paper, photon utilization technologies for water splitting have been briefly reviewed except solar thermal utilization technology.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.584-587
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• 2011

In this work, the $TiO_2$ and $SnO_2$ thin films as blocking layers were coated directly onto the metal-mesh electrode surface to prevent unnecessary inflow of back-transfer electrons from the electrolyte ($I^-/I_3^-$) to the metal-mesh electrode. The DSCs were fabricated with working electrode of SUS mesh coated with blocking $TiO_2$ and $SnO_2$ layers, dye-attached mesoporous $TiO_2$ film, gel electrolyte and counter electrode of Pt-deposited F:$SnO_2$. From the experimental result, it was ascertained that the efficiency of metal electrode coated with $TiO_2$ by Dip-coating was superior to that of metal electrode coated with $SnO_2$ by Dip-coating and screen printing with the results of experiments. The photo-current conversion efficiency of the cell obtained from optimum fabrication condition was 3% ($V_{oc}$=0.61V, $J_{sc}$=11.64 mA/$cm^2$, ff=0.64) under AM1.5, 100 mW/$cm^2$ illumination.

• Clean Technology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.229-249
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• 2012

At present, global warming and depletion of fossil fuels have been one of the big issues which should be solved for sustainable development in the future. CCS (carbon capture and sequestration) technology as the post $CO_2$ reduction technology has been considered as a promising solution for global warming due to increased carbon emission. However, the environmental and ecological effects of CCS have drawn concerns. There are needs for noble post reduction technology. More recently, CCU (carbon capture and utilization) Technology, which emphasizes transforming carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals rather than storing it, has been attracted attentions in terms of preventing global warming and recycling the renewable carbon source. In this paper, various technologies developed for carbon dioxide conversion both in gas and liquid phase have been reviewed. For the thermochemical catalysis in gas phase, the development of the catalytic system which can be performed at mild condition and the separation and purification technology with low energy supply is required. For the photochemical conversion in liquid phase, efficient photosensitizers and photocatalysts should be developed, and the photoelectrochemical systems which can utilize solar and electric energy simultaneously are also in development for more efficient carbon dioxide conversion. The energy needed in CCU must be renewable or unutilized one. CCU will be a key connection technology between renewable energy and bio industry development.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.33-38
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• 2020

In the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, GaN is one of the most promising photoanode materials due to high stability in electrolytes and adjustable energy band position. However, the application of GaN is limited because of low efficiency. To improve solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency, we introduce a Cobalt Phosphate (Co-pi) catalyst by photo-electrodeposition. The Co-pi deposition GaN were characterized by SEM, EDS, and XPS, respectively, which illustrated that Co-pi was successfully decorated on the surface of GaN. PEC measurement showed that photocurrent density of GaN was 0.5 mA/㎠ and that of Co-pi deposited GaN was 0.75 mA/㎠. Impedance and Mott-Schottky measurements were performed, and as a result of the measurement, polarization resistance (R_p) and increased donor concentration (N_D) values decreased from 50.35 Ω to 34.16 Ω were confirmed. As a result of analyzing the surface components before and after the water decomposition, it was confirmed that the Co-pi catalyst is stable because Co-pi remains even after the water decomposition. Through this, it was confirmed that Co-pi is effective as a catalyst for improving GaN efficiency, and when applied as a catalyst to other photoelectrodes, it is considered that the efficiency of the PEC system can be improved.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.113-117
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• 2016

Recently, hydrogen is regarded as important energy in the future, because it is clean and renewable. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) system, which produce hydrogen using water splitting by solar energy, is one of the most promising energy systems because it has abundant energy sources and good theoretical efficiency. GaN has recently been regarded as suitable photoelectrode that could be used to split water to generate hydrogen without extra bias because its band edge position include water redox potential ($V_{redox}=1.23$ vs. SHE). GaN also shows considerable corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions and it is possible to control its properties, such as structure, band gap, and catalyst characteristics, in order to improve solar energy conversion efficiency. But, even if the band edge position of GaN make PEC reaction facilitate without bias, the overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction could reduce the efficiency of system. One of the ways to decrease overpotential is introduction of co-catalyst on photoelectrode. In this paper, we will investigate the effect of manganese dioxide ($MnO_2$) as a co-catalyst. $MnO_2$ particles were dispersed on GaN photoelectrode by spincoater and analyzed properties of the PEC system using potentiostat (PARSTAT4000). After coating $MnO_2$, the flat-band potential ($V_{fb}$) and the onset voltage ($V_{onset}$) were moved negatively by 0.195 V and 0.116 V, respectively. The photocurrent density increased on $MnO_2$ coated sample and time dependence was also improved. These results showed $MnO_2$ has an effect as a co-catalyst and it would enhance the efficiency of overall PEC system.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2013

Excellent electron transport properties with enhanced light scattering ability for light harvesting have made well-ordered one dimensional $TiO_2$ nanotube(TNT) arrays an alternative candidate over $TiO_2$ nanoparticles in the area of solar energy conversion applications. The principal drawback of TNT arrays being activated only by UV light has been addressed by coupling the TNT with secondary materials which are visible light-triggered. As well as extending the absorption region of sunlight, the introduction of these foreign components is also found to influence the charge separation and electron lifetime of TNT. In this study, a novel method to fabricate the TNT-based composite photoelectrodes employing visible responsive $CuInS_2$ (CIS) nanoparticles is presented. The developed method is a square wave pulse-assisted electrochemical deposition approach to wrap the inner and outer walls of a TNT array with CIS nanoparticles. Instead of coating as a dense compact layer of CIS by a conventional non-pulsed-electrochemical deposition method, the nanoparticles pack relatively loosely to form a rough surface which increases the surface area of the composite and results in a higher degree of light scattering within the tubular channels and hence a greater chance of absorption. The excellence coverage of CIS on the tubular $TiO_2$ allows the construction of an effective heterojunction that exhibits enhanced photoelectrochemical performance.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.216-222
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• 2010

Self-standing $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays were fabricated by potentiostatic anodic oxidation method using pure Ti foil as a working electrode and ethylene glycol solution as electrolytes with small addition of $NH_4F$ and $H_2O$. The influences of anodization temperature and time on the morphology and formation of $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays were investigated. The fabricated $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays were applied as a photoelectrode to dye-sensitized solar cells. Regardless of anodizing temperature and time, the average diameter and wall thickness of $TiO_2$ nanotube show a similar value, whereas the thickness show a different trend with reaction temperature. The thickness of $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays anodized at $20^{\circ}C$ and $30^{\circ}C$ was time-dependent, but on the other hand its at $10^{\circ}C$ are independent of anodization time. The conversion efficiency is low, which is due to a morphology breaking of the $TiO_2$ nanotube arrays in manufacturing process of photoelectrode.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.491-496
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• 2019

In this study, we prepare pure $WO_3$ inverse opal(IO) film with a thickness of approximately $3{\mu}m$ by electrodeposition, and an ultra-thin $TiO_2$ layer having a thickness of 2 nm is deposited on $WO_3$ IO film by atomic layer deposition. Both sets of photoelectrochemical properties are evaluated after developing dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs). In addition, morphological, crystalline and optical properties of the developed films are evaluated through field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and UV/visible/infrared spectrophotometry. In particular, pure $WO_3$ IO based DSSCs show low $V_{OC}$, $J_{SC}$ and fill factor of 0.25 V, $0.89mA/cm^2$ and 18.9 %, achieving an efficiency of 0.04 %, whereas the $TiO_2/WO_3$ IO based DSSCs exhibit $V_{OC}$, $J_{SC}$ and fill factor of 0.57 V, $1.18mA/cm^2$ and 50.1 %, revealing an overall conversion efficiency of 0.34 %, probably attributable to the high dye adsorption and suppressed charge recombination reaction.