At high concentrations, nitrate ion alters the dynamics of ruthenium "blue dimer"-catalyzed water oxidation by Ce(IV) such that the oxidation rate is enhanced and a unique reaction intermediate accumulates. This intermediate is characterized by distinct EPR, optical, and resonance Raman (RR) spectra, with the appearance in the latter of a new oxygen isotope-sensitive band. Both Ce(IV) and nitrate are required to generate this intermediate, which suggests ceric-nitrate complexes as the causative agents. Use of (18)O-labeled and (15)N-labeled materials has established that (1) the new RR band is not an O-O stretching mode (for example, as might be associated with a peroxo species) but involves the O atom coordinated to a Ru center, and (2) the O(2) product does not contain an O atom derived from nitrate, eliminating several plausible pathways involving O-atom transfer to oxidized dimer. Although these results are surprising, similar phenomena have been reported for water oxidation catalyzed by monomeric Ru complexes. The dramatic effects observed for the "blue dimer" make it an ideal candidate for further study.
Cerium/chemistry , Nitrates/chemistry , Ruthenium/chemistry , Water/chemistry , Catalysis , Dimerization , Oxidation-Reduction
We present the first report of photoluminescence spectra and images of single TiO(2) (anatase) nanotubes. In previous work using ensembles of conventional TiO(2) nanoparticles, we interpreted the broad photoluminescence (PL) spectrum to be a superposition of hole trap emission, peaking in the green, and broad red PL arising from electron traps. PL spectra of individual nanotubes in inert environment show a similar broad emission, with peaks at around 560-610 nm. The PL from single nanotubes differs from the more blue-shifted PL of ordered nanotube films. The intensity of PL is found to be larger for single nanotubes than for ordered arrays, as a result of competition from transport in the contiguous samples and from introduction of additional trap states when the nanotubes are dispersed. PL images of single nanotubes show the emission to be concentrated in the area of excitation, but the peaks in the red and green components of the PL are not spatially coincident. Remote PL, occurring away from the excitation point, is observed in the green (â¼510 nm), showing the possible contribution of charge transport to the observed PL. While the PL from ensembles of TiO(2) nanotubes is fairly insensitive to contacting media, exposure of single nanotubes to air and ethanol changes the shape and intensity of the PL spectrum. Our results point to a very different trap state distribution in TiO(2) nanotubes compared to that of conventional TiO(2) nanoparticles, which we attribute to differences in exposed crystal facets. In addition, separation of nanotubes introduces additional photoluminescent trap states and changes the character of the emission from excitonic in the array to trap-mediated in single nanotubes.
Luminescent Measurements/methods , Nanostructures/chemistry , Nanostructures/ultrastructure , Spectrum Analysis/methods , Titanium/chemistry , Electron Transport , Materials Testing/methods , Particle Size
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) dispersed in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) suspensions exhibit diameter-dependent protonation and oxidative quenching of their E11 fluorescence. This nanotube-diameter-based difference in solution chemistry is substantially changed when complexed with aromatic electron-accepting compounds such as nitrobenzene, o-nitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 9-nitroanthracene. SWNTs were suspended in aqueous SDS, and their emission spectra were measured as a function of pH and concentration of oxidizing agent (hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide) to observe their protonation and oxidation behavior. The chirality dependence of the protonation and oxidation behavior became substantially reduced upon the addition of nitroaromatic compounds to the aqueous suspension. This suggests the possibility of forming an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex, where the SWNT is the electron donor and nitroaromatic compounds are the acceptor, and the resulting supramolecular complex exhibits different redox behavior than the uncomplexed SWNT.
Room-temperature UV-excited photoluminescence spectra are reported for nanocrystalline films of anatase, rutile, and mixed-phase TiO2 (Degussa P25) before and after treatment with TiCl4 solution. The surface defect luminescence of anatase in the visible region is suppressed by TiCl4 treatment, indicating a decrease in surface traps. A similar anatase surface-defect emission is observed in the mixed-phase nanoparticles but is completely quenched following TiCl4 treatment and replaced by emission characteristic of rutile. Our results suggest that TiCl4 treatment of mixed-phase TiO2 may result in a surface layer of rutile and that radiative recombination of electron-hole pairs formed in the bulk anatase region of nanocrystallites occurs after electrons migrate to newly formed rutile surfaces.
An extremely easy method is presented for producing surfactant-free films of nanocrystalline TiO2 at room temperature with excellent mechanical stability when deposited on glass or plastic electrodes for dye-sensitized solar energy conversion. Prolonged magnetic stirring of commercial TiO2 nanoparticles (Degussa P25) in either ethanol or water results in highly homogeneous dispersions which are used to prepare TiO2 films with surface properties which depend on the solvent used for dispersing the particles, even after sintering. The optical and mechanical properties of films cast from ethanol and water dispersions are compared, and differences in the extent of surface defects and dye binding are observed. Optical absorption, photoluminescence, and resonance Raman spectra of TiO2 films sensitized with Ru(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)2(NCS)2 ("N3") reveal that the electronic coupling of the dye and semiconductor depends on the surface structure of the film which varies with film preparation. Current-voltage data for illuminated and dark dye-sensitized solar cells are obtained as a function of film preparation, and results are compared to spectroscopic data in order to interpret the microscopic basis for variations in solar cell performance, especially with regard to sintered versus unsintered TiO2 films. The results suggest that surface traps associated with oxygen vacancies play a critical role in determining the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar energy conversion through their influence on the binding and electronic coupling of the dye to the semiconductor.
Resonance Raman spectra are reported for Ru(4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine)2(NCS)2 (commonly called "N3") in ethanol solution and adsorbed on nanoparticulate colloidal TiO2 in ethanol (EtOH) and in acetonitrile (ACN), at wavelengths within the visible absorption band of the dye. Raman cross sections of free N3 in EtOH are found to be similar to those of N3 adsorbed on colloidal TiO2 in EtOH, and are generally lower than those of N3 on TiO2 in ACN. Strong electronic coupling mediated by surface states results in red-shifted absorption spectra and enhanced Raman signals for N3 adsorbed on nanocolloidal TiO2 in ACN compared to EtOH. In contrast, the absorption spectrum of N3 on nanocrystalline TiO2 in contact with solvent is similar for ACN and EtOH. Wavelength-dependent depolarization ratios for N3 Raman bands of both free and adsorbed N3 reveal resonance enhancement via two or more excited electronic states. Luminescence spectra of N3 adsorbed on nanocrystalline films of TiO2 and ZrO2 in contact with solvent reveal that the quantum yield of electron injection phi(ET) into TiO2 decreases in the order ACN > EtOH > DMSO. Dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated with N3 adsorbed on nanocrystalline films of TiO2 in contact with ACN, EtOH, and DMSO solutions containing LiI/LiI3 electrolyte. Photoconversion efficiencies eta were found to be 2.6% in ACN, 1.3% in DMSO, and 0.84% in EtOH. Higher short circuit currents are found in cells using ACN, while the maximum voltage is found to be largest in DMSO. It is concluded that the increased photocurrent and quantum yield of interfacial electron transfer in acetonitrile as compared to ethanol and DMSO is primarily the result of faster electron injection of N3 when adsorbed on TiO2 in the presence of ACN as opposed to EtOH or DMSO.
