Sijie Li

This study focuses on enhancing the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performance of LaFeO₃ photocathodes by incorporating Ag nanocrystals. LaFeO₃, a perovskite-type metal oxide semiconductor, has potential in PEC water splitting but suffers from fast charge carrier recombination. Ag nanoparticles are introduced due to their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) property and ability to form Schottky junctions with LaFeO₃. A series of Ag/LaFeO₃ materials are prepared using the molten salt method for LaFeO₃ synthesis and the direct reduction method for Ag loading. The results show that Ag nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on LaFeO₃. The 3 mol% Ag/LaFeO₃ photocathode demonstrates a remarkable ninefold increase in photocurrent density (15 mA·cm⁻² at −0.2 V vs. RHE) compared to pure LaFeO₃ (1.7 mA·cm⁻²). The band gap of LaFeO₃ is reduced from 2.07 eV to 1.92 eV with 3 mol% Ag loading, and the charge transfer impedance is reduced by 77%, while the carrier concentration increases by 2.3 times. The novelty of this work lies in the comprehensive investigation of the interaction mechanisms between Ag nanoparticles and LaFeO₃, which lead to enhanced light absorption, improved charge separation, and increased electrochemical activity. The optimized Ag loading not only improves the photocatalytic efficiency but also enhances the stability of the photocathode. This work provides valuable insights into the interaction between Ag and LaFeO₃, and offers experimental and theoretical support for developing efficient photocatalytic materials for PEC water splitting.

This study focuses on enhancing the photoelectro - catalytic (PEC) performance of LaFeO₃ photocathodes by incorporating Ag nanocrystals. LaFeO₃, a perovskite - type metal oxide semiconductor, has potential in PEC water splitting but suffers from fast charge carrier recombination. Ag nanoparticles are introduced due to their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) property and ability to form Schottky junctions with LaFeO₃. A series of Ag/LaFeO₃ materials are prepared using the molten salt method for LaFeO₃ synthesis and the direct reduction method for Ag loading. The results show that Ag nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on LaFeO₃. The 3 mol% Ag loading significantly enhances the photocurrent density, about 9 - fold higher than that of pure LaFeO₃. Ag loading improves light absorption, reduces the band gap, and optimizes charge kinetics. EIS and Mott - Schottky analysis reveal that 3 mol% Ag/LaFeO₃ has the lowest charge transfer impedance and the highest carrier concentration. This work provides valuable insights into the interaction between Ag and LaFeO₃, and offers experimental and theoretical support for developing efficient photocatalytic materials for PEC water splitting.

MoS₂, a typical transition metal dichalcogenide, features a layered structure, multi-phase transition, and tunable band gap, which is a promising candidate for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Recent studies have focused on the metastable 1T-MoS₂ phase, which exhibits superior electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity compared to the more stable 2H phase. Herein, a straightforward one-step hydrothermal method was used to synthesize three-dimensional MoS₂/polymer composites (H-MoS₂-PEDOT). Under acidic conditions, the polymerization and intercalation of EDOT molecules in the MoS₂ layers promote the phase transition from 2H to 1T, thereby enhancing its conductivity and electrochemical performance. Additionally, it was found that the intercalated PEDOT and small amounts of water molecules have contributed to enhancing Zn²⁺ ion diffusion and cycle stability. As a result, AZIBs based on the H-MoS₂-PEDOT composite deliver a high specific capacity of 173.6 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, maintaining a specific capacity of 116 mAh g⁻¹ and a capacity retention of 82.8% after 1000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹.

In order to improve the energy conversion efficiency and power density of the tritium-powered betavoltaic battery, titanium was deposited on the inner surface of the deep porous three-dimensional structure semiconductor as a tritium absorption material. Therefore, magnetron sputtering technology was used to explore the parameters of titanium coating on the inner surface of a deep porous semiconductor. First, the effects of argon pressure and sputtering power on the properties of titanium films were studied. The properties of the titanium films were characterized by a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. The optimized sputtering parameters were obtained as follows: argon pressure of 0.5 Pa and sputtering power of 80 W. Based on this parameter, the background vacuum and coating angle were changed, and the titanium film was coated in the deep porous structure. Energy dispersive spectrometry line scan and surface scan were used to analyze the coating results, which showed that these two parameters directly affected the content of titanium in the channel, and the area of titanium in the channel structure accounted for more than 50% under each test condition.