Insights into TiO2thin film photodegradation from Kelvin Probe AFM maps

Tuza Olukan; Jekaterina Sydorenko; Atanas Katerski; Mariam Al Mahri; Chia Yun Lai; Abdulrahman Al-Hagri; Sergio Santos; Matteo Chiesa

doi:10.1063/5.0098788

Insights into TiO₂thin film photodegradation from Kelvin Probe AFM maps

Tuza Olukan, Jekaterina Sydorenko, Atanas Katerski, Mariam Al Mahri, Chia Yun Lai, Abdulrahman Al-Hagri, Sergio Santos, Matteo Chiesa

Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The synthesis of TiO2 thin films by the chemical spray pyrolysis method at different titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) to acetylacetone (AcacH) ratios has been shown to lead to the highest photodegradation at 1 (TTIP):8 (AcacH). These films hold promise in the field of indoor pollution treatment. Carbon incorporation into the surface and into the TiO2 lattice could be responsible for the observed performance, but the mechanism is still to be elucidated. Here, we report the correlation of contact potential difference (CPD) contrast maps as produced using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy, and the observed functionality dependence on the TTIP to AcacH ratio. Since the CPD contrast locally provides information about the sample's Fermi level, this correlation provides a means to interpret enhanced photocatalytic activity in terms of the presence of acceptors that make possible a faster transfer of charge carriers to the surface.

Original language	British English
Article number	031901
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	121
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0098788
State	Published - 18 Jul 2022

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title = "Insights into TiO2thin film photodegradation from Kelvin Probe AFM maps",

abstract = "The synthesis of TiO2 thin films by the chemical spray pyrolysis method at different titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) to acetylacetone (AcacH) ratios has been shown to lead to the highest photodegradation at 1 (TTIP):8 (AcacH). These films hold promise in the field of indoor pollution treatment. Carbon incorporation into the surface and into the TiO2 lattice could be responsible for the observed performance, but the mechanism is still to be elucidated. Here, we report the correlation of contact potential difference (CPD) contrast maps as produced using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy, and the observed functionality dependence on the TTIP to AcacH ratio. Since the CPD contrast locally provides information about the sample's Fermi level, this correlation provides a means to interpret enhanced photocatalytic activity in terms of the presence of acceptors that make possible a faster transfer of charge carriers to the surface.",

author = "Tuza Olukan and Jekaterina Sydorenko and Atanas Katerski and {Al Mahri}, Mariam and Lai, {Chia Yun} and Abdulrahman Al-Hagri and Sergio Santos and Matteo Chiesa",

note = "Funding Information: This study was funded by the Estonian Research Council project PRG627 “Antimony chalcogenide thin films for next-generation semi-transparent solar cells applicable in electricity producing windows,” the Estonian Centre of Excellence project TK141 (No. TAR16016EK) “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems,” and the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon2020 programme under the ERA Chair project 5GSOLAR Grant Agreement No. 952509. This work was supported by ERDF project Centre of Technologies and Investigations of Nanomaterials (NAMUR+, Project No. 2014-2020.4.01.16-0123). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Author(s).",

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AU - Olukan, Tuza

AU - Sydorenko, Jekaterina

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AU - Lai, Chia Yun

AU - Al-Hagri, Abdulrahman

AU - Santos, Sergio

AU - Chiesa, Matteo

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by the Estonian Research Council project PRG627 “Antimony chalcogenide thin films for next-generation semi-transparent solar cells applicable in electricity producing windows,” the Estonian Centre of Excellence project TK141 (No. TAR16016EK) “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems,” and the European Union’s Horizon2020 programme under the ERA Chair project 5GSOLAR Grant Agreement No. 952509. This work was supported by ERDF project Centre of Technologies and Investigations of Nanomaterials (NAMUR+, Project No. 2014-2020.4.01.16-0123). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Author(s).

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N2 - The synthesis of TiO2 thin films by the chemical spray pyrolysis method at different titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) to acetylacetone (AcacH) ratios has been shown to lead to the highest photodegradation at 1 (TTIP):8 (AcacH). These films hold promise in the field of indoor pollution treatment. Carbon incorporation into the surface and into the TiO2 lattice could be responsible for the observed performance, but the mechanism is still to be elucidated. Here, we report the correlation of contact potential difference (CPD) contrast maps as produced using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy, and the observed functionality dependence on the TTIP to AcacH ratio. Since the CPD contrast locally provides information about the sample's Fermi level, this correlation provides a means to interpret enhanced photocatalytic activity in terms of the presence of acceptors that make possible a faster transfer of charge carriers to the surface.

AB - The synthesis of TiO2 thin films by the chemical spray pyrolysis method at different titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) to acetylacetone (AcacH) ratios has been shown to lead to the highest photodegradation at 1 (TTIP):8 (AcacH). These films hold promise in the field of indoor pollution treatment. Carbon incorporation into the surface and into the TiO2 lattice could be responsible for the observed performance, but the mechanism is still to be elucidated. Here, we report the correlation of contact potential difference (CPD) contrast maps as produced using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy, and the observed functionality dependence on the TTIP to AcacH ratio. Since the CPD contrast locally provides information about the sample's Fermi level, this correlation provides a means to interpret enhanced photocatalytic activity in terms of the presence of acceptors that make possible a faster transfer of charge carriers to the surface.

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Insights into TiO₂thin film photodegradation from Kelvin Probe AFM maps

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