| AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Thursday Sessions |
| Session AS-ThP |
| Session: | Applied Surface Science Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Sankar Raman, Physical Electronics Inc. |
| Authors: | S. Raman, Physical Electronics Inc. J.F. Moulder, Physical Electronics Inc. S. Banarjee, Washington University, St. Louis Y. Myung, Korea University H. Im, Korea University J. Park, Korea University P. Banarjee, Washington University, St. Louis |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Metal alloys can be efficiently exploited, via controlled fabrication steps, to create mechanically robust and adherent, mixed metal oxide films with tunable photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties. Brass, an alloy of Cu and Zn is an inexpensive source of semiconducting Cu2O, CuO and ZnO, which have all been used separately as photo-cathodes or photo-anodes respectively for solar water splitting. However, thermodynamics and free energy change predicts a prevalence of ZnO formation when brass is oxidized. We have co-fabricated Cu and Zn oxides to form a highly adherent, mixed metal oxide surface and investigated the relationship between structure property and performance in a PEC cell.
Structural and chemical characterization of the oxide layer was accomplished using an SEM and the PHI X-Tool Scanning XPS microprobe. SEM results show the presence of CuO nanowires interspersed with ZnO fibers and high energy resolution XPS provides detailed chemical state information for Cu and Zn on the surface as a function of sample treatment.
This study indicates that the thermal oxidation of metal alloys can lead to formation of highly interspersed, mixed oxide phases forming novel heterojunctions for use as economical and manufacturing-scalable energy harvesting devices.