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Optical Quantum Con...
Optical Quantum Confinement in Ultrasmall ZnO and the Effect of Size on Their Photocatalytic Activity
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- Ahmed, Taha (author)
- Uppsala universitet,Strukturkemi
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- Edvinsson, Tomas, Professor, 1970- (author)
- Uppsala universitet,Fasta tillståndets fysik
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(creator_code:org_t)
- 2020-02-17
- 2020
- English.
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In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 124:11, s. 6395-6404
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https://urn.kb.se/re...
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Abstract
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- Zinc oxide is a well-known metal oxide semiconductor with a wide direct band gap that offers a promising alternative to titanium oxide in photocatalytic applications. ZnO is studied here as quantum dots (QDs) in colloidal suspensions, where ultrasmall nanoparticles of ZnO show optical quantum confinement with a band gap opening for particles below 9 nm in diameter from the shift of the band edge energies. The optical properties of growing ZnO QDs are determined with Tauc analysis, and a system of QDs for the treatment and degradation of distributed threats is analyzed using an organic probe molecule, methylene blue, whose UV/vis spectrum is analyzed in some detail. The effect of optical properties of the QDs and the kinetics of dye degradation are quantified for low-dimensional ZnO materials in the range of 3-8 nm and show a substantial increase in photocatalytic activity compared to larger ZnO particles. This is attributed to a combined effect from the increased surface area as well as a quantum confinement effect that goes beyond the increased surface area. The results show a significantly higher photocatalytic activity for the QDs between 3 and 6 nm with a complete decolorization of the organic probe molecule, while QDs from 6 nm and upward in diameter show signs of competing reduction reactions. Our study shows that ultrasmall ZnO particles have a reactivity beyond that which is expected because of their increased surface area and also demonstrates size-dependent reaction pathways, which introduces the possibility for size-selective catalysis.
Subject headings
- NATURVETENSKAP -- Kemi -- Fysikalisk kemi (hsv//swe)
- NATURAL SCIENCES -- Chemical Sciences -- Physical Chemistry (hsv//eng)
- NATURVETENSKAP -- Kemi -- Teoretisk kemi (hsv//swe)
- NATURAL SCIENCES -- Chemical Sciences -- Theoretical Chemistry (hsv//eng)
Publication and Content Type
- ref (subject category)
- art (subject category)
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