Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-22dnz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T08:58:15.017Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

N-doped graphene quantum dots-functionalized titanium dioxide nanofibers and their highly efficient photocurrent response

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2014

Xiaotian Wang ,
Dandan Ling ,
Yueming Wang ,
Huan Long ,
Yibai Sun ,
Yanqiong Shi ,
Yuchao Chen ,
Yao Jing ,
Yueming Sun  and
Yunqian Dai
Xiaotian Wang*
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Dandan Ling
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yueming Wang*
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Huan Long
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yibai Sun*
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yanqiong Shi
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yuchao Chen
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yao Jing
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yueming Sun
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
Yunqian Dai*
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189, People’s Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to these authors. email: Sun@seu.edu.cn
b)email: Daiy@seu.edu.cn
Get access

Abstract

Titanium dioxide (TiO2), a widely used inorganic semiconductor owing to its superb photoelectric properties, has frequently been fabricated into composites to reduce its relatively large band gap and overcome its limited visible light absorption. In this article, a “layer-by-layer” method has been developed to prepare the composite structure of nitrogen (N)-doped graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-sensitized TiO2 nanofibers. The as-prepared structure shows considerable luminescence and exhibits excellent photoelectric properties. Various factors including the crystalline phase of TiO2, amount of N in GQDs, and irradiation wavelength were investigated to find the optimal conditions for enhanced photoelectric activity. It is demonstrated that the combination of highest N amount GQDs with TiO2 nanofibers of mixed phases (750 °C-sintered TiO2 nanofibers) possess the best photoelectric properties. The enhancement of properties using TiO2 nanofibers with mixed phases mainly contributes to the transfer of electrons between conduction bands of different phases in TiO2 and the distinctive photoluminescence (PL) property of N-GQDs. Furthermore, this enhancement can be achieved in most areas of the visible light range. The general mechanism of the electron generation and transfer of the structure is based on the normal PL and upconversion PL property of N-GQDs which serve as the sensitizer. We consider it a feasible method to improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency in photovoltaic devices.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 29 , Issue 13 , 14 July 2014 , pp. 1408 - 1416
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Girit, Ç.Ö., Meyer, J.C., Erni, R., Rossell, M.D., Kisielowski, C., Yang, L., Park, C-H., Crommie, M., Cohen, M.L., and Louie, S.G.: Graphene at the edge: Stability and dynamics. Science 323, 1705–1708 (2009).Google Scholar
Yan, X., Cui, X., Li, B., and Li, L.S.: Large, solution-processable graphene quantum dots as light absorbers for photovoltaics. Nano Lett. 10, 1869–1873 (2010).Google Scholar
Zhuo, S., Shao, M., and Lee, S-T.: Upconversion and downconversion fluorescent graphene quantum dots: Ultrasonic preparation and photocatalysis. ACS Nano 6, 1059–1064 (2012).Google Scholar
Shen, J., Zhu, Y., Yang, X., and Li, C.: Graphene quantum dots: Emergent nanolights for bioimaging, sensors, catalysis and photovoltaic devices. Chem. Commun. 48, 3686–3699 (2012).Google Scholar
Ponomarenko, L., Schedin, F., Katsnelson, M., Yang, R., Hill, E., Novoselov, K., and Geim, A.: Chaotic Dirac billiard in graphene quantum dots. Science 320, 356–358 (2008).Google Scholar
Baker, S.N. and Baker, G.A.: Luminescent carbon nanodots: Emergent nanolights. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 49, 6726–6744 (2010).Google Scholar
Yang, S-T., Cao, L., Luo, P.G., Lu, F., Wang, X., Wang, H., Meziani, M.J., Liu, Y., Qi, G., and Sun, Y-P.: Carbon dots for optical imaging in vivo. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 131, 11308–11309 (2009).Google Scholar
Li, Y., Hu, Y., Zhao, Y., Shi, G., Deng, L., Hou, Y., and Qu, L.: An electrochemical avenue to green-luminescent graphene quantum dots as potential electron-acceptors for photovoltaics. Adv. Mater. 23, 776–780 (2011).Google Scholar
Reddy, A.L.M., Srivastava, A., Gowda, S.R., Gullapalli, H., Dubey, M., and Ajayan, P.M.: Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene films for lithium battery application. ACS Nano 4, 6337–6342 (2010).Google Scholar
Jeong, H.M., Lee, J.W., Shin, W.H., Choi, Y.J., Shin, H.J., Kang, J.K., and Choi, J.W.: Nitrogen-doped graphene for high-performance ultracapacitors and the importance of nitrogen-doped sites at basal planes. Nano Lett. 11, 2472–2477 (2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, Y., Zhao, Y., Cheng, H., Hu, Y., Shi, G., Dai, L., and Qu, L.: Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots with oxygen-rich functional groups. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 15–18 (2012).Google Scholar
Parambhath, V.B., Nagar, R., and Ramaprabhu, S.: Effect of nitrogen doping on hydrogen storage capacity of palladium decorated graphene. Langmuir 28, 7826–7833 (2012).Google Scholar
Li, M., Wu, W., Ren, W., Cheng, H-M., Tang, N., Zhong, W., and Du, Y.: Synthesis and upconversion luminescence of N-doped graphene quantum dots. Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 103107 (2012).Google Scholar
Liu, R., Wu, D., Feng, X., and Müllen, K.: Bottom-up fabrication of photoluminescent graphene quantum dots with uniform morphology. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133, 15221–15223 (2011).Google Scholar
Xia, Y., Yang, P., Sun, Y., Wu, Y., Mayers, B., Gates, B., Yin, Y., Kim, F., and Yan, H.: One-dimensional nanostructures: Synthesis, characterization, and applications. Adv. Mater. 15, 353–389 (2003).Google Scholar
Long, R., English, N.J., and Prezhdo, O.V.: Photoinduced charge separation across the graphene-TiO2 interface is faster than energy losses: A time-domain ab initio analysis. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 14238–14248 (2012).Google Scholar
Du, A., Ng, Y.H., Bell, N.J., Zhu, Z., Amal, R., and Smith, S.C.: Hybrid graphene/titania nanocomposite: Interface charge transfer, hole doping, and sensitization for visible light response. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2, 894–899 (2011).Google Scholar
Chen, C., Cai, W., Long, M., Zhou, B., Wu, Y., Wu, D., and Feng, Y.: Synthesis of visible-light responsive graphene oxide/TiO2 composites with p/n heterojunction. ACS Nano 4, 6425–6432 (2010).Google Scholar
Dai, Y., Sun, Y., Yao, J., Ling, D., Wang, Y., Long, H., Wang, X., Lin, B., Zeng, T.H., and Sun, Y.: Graphene-wrapped TiO2 nanofibers with effective interfacial coupling as ultrafast electron transfer bridges in novel photoanodes. J. Mater. Chem. A 2, 1060–1067 (2014).Google Scholar
Shockley, W. and Queisser, H.J.: Detailed balance limit of efficiency of p-n junction solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. 32, 510–519 (1961).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, K.J., Nelson, C.A., Yan, X., Li, L-S., and Zhu, X.: Hot electron injection from graphene quantum dots to TiO2 . ACS Nano 7, 1388–1394 (2013).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dai, Y., Jing, Y., Zeng, J., Qi, Q., Wang, C., Goldfeld, D., Xu, C., Zheng, Y., and Sun, Y.: Nanocables composed of anatase nanofibers wrapped in UV-light reduced graphene oxide and their enhancement of photoinduced electron transfer in photoanodes. J. Mater. Chem. 21, 18174–18179 (2011).Google Scholar
Dai, Y., Long, H., Wang, X., Wang, Y., Gu, Q., Jiang, W., Wang, Y., Li, C., Zeng, T.H., and Sun, Y.: Versatile graphene quantum dots with tunable nitrogen doping. Part. Part. Syst. Charact. 31, 597–604 (2013).Google Scholar
Hummers, W.S. Jr. and Offeman, R.E.: Preparation of graphitic oxide. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 80, 1339 (1958).Google Scholar
Zhang, W., Zhang, M., Yin, Z., and Chen, Q.: Photoluminescence in anatase titanium dioxide nanocrystals. Appl. Phys. B 70, 261–265 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lide, Z. and Mo, C-M.: Luminescence in nanostructured materials. Nanostruct. Mater. 6, 831–834 (1995).Google Scholar
Shen, J., Yan, B., Shi, M., Ma, H., Li, N., and Ye, M.: One step hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2-reduced graphene oxide sheets. J. Mater. Chem. 21, 3415–3421 (2011).Google Scholar
Luo, D., Zhang, G., Liu, J., and Sun, X.: Evaluation criteria for reduced graphene oxide. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 11327–11335 (2011).Google Scholar
Kudin, K.N., Ozbas, B., Schniepp, H.C., Prud'Homme, R.K., Aksay, I.A., and Car, R.: Raman spectra of graphite oxide and functionalized graphene sheets. Nano Lett. 8, 36–41 (2008).Google Scholar
Zhang, Y-H., Chan, C.K., Porter, J.F., and Guo, W.: Micro-Raman spectroscopic characterization of nanosized TiO2 powders prepared by vapor hydrolysis. J. Mater. Res. 13, 2602–2609 (1998).Google Scholar
Yang, Q., Xie, C., Xu, Z., Gao, Z., and Du, Y.: Synthesis of highly active sulfate-promoted rutile titania nanoparticles with a response to visible light. J. Phys. Chem. B 109, 5554–5560 (2005).Google Scholar
Jing, L., Li, S., Song, S., Xue, L., and Fu, H.: Investigation on the electron transfer between anatase and rutile in nano-sized TiO2 by means of surface photovoltage technique and its effects on the photocatalytic activity. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 92, 1030–1036 (2008).Google Scholar
Zhang, Y., Li, G., Jin, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, J., and Zhang, L.: Hydrothermal synthesis and photoluminescence of TiO2 nanowires. Chem. Phys. Lett. 365, 300–304 (2002).Google Scholar
Francisco, M.S.P. and Mastelaro, V.R.: Inhibition of the anatase-rutile phase transformation with addition of CeO2 to CuO-TiO2 system: Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and textural studies. Chem. Mater. 14, 2514–2518 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scanlon, D.O., Dunnill, C.W., Buckeridge, J., Shevlin, S.A., Logsdail, A.J., Woodley, S.M., Catlow, C.R.A., Powell, M.J., Palgrave, R.G., and Parkin, I.P.: Band alignment of rutile and anatase TiO2 . Nat. Mater. 12, 798–801 (2013).Google Scholar
Morales-Torres, S., Pastrana-Martinez, L.M., Figueiredo, J.L., Faria, J.L., and Silva, A.M.: Design of graphene-based TiO2 photocatalysts – A review. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. Int. 19, 3676–3687 (2012).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhang, Q., He, Y., Chen, X., Hu, D., Li, L., Yin, T., and Ji, L.: Structure and photocatalytic properties of TiO2-graphene oxide intercalated composite. Chin. Sci. Bull. 56, 331–339 (2011).Google Scholar
Li, Q., Zhang, S., Dai, L., and Li, L.S.: Nitrogen-doped colloidal graphene quantum dots and their size-dependent electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134, 18932–18935 (2012).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wei, D., Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, H., Huang, L., and Yu, G.: Synthesis of N-doped graphene by chemical vapor deposition and its electrical properties. Nano Lett. 9, 1752–1758 (2009).Google Scholar
Li, Y., Zhou, Z., Shen, P., and Chen, Z.: Spin gapless semiconductor-metal-half-metal properties in nitrogen-doped zigzag graphene nanoribbons. ACS Nano 3, 1952–1958 (2009).Google Scholar
Shen, J., Zhu, Y., Chen, C., Yang, X., and Li, C.: Facile preparation and upconversion luminescence of graphene quantum dots. Chem. Commun. 47, 2580–2582 (2011).Google Scholar
Pan, D., Zhang, J., Li, Z., Wu, C., Yan, X., and Wu, M.: Observation of pH-, solvent-, spin-, and excitation-dependent blue photoluminescence from carbon nanoparticles. Chem. Commun. 46, 3681–3683 (2010).Google Scholar
Hoffmann, R.: Trimethylene and the addition of methylene to ethylene. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 90, 1475–1485 (1968).Google Scholar
Wang, X., Yu, W.W., Zhang, J., Aldana, J., Peng, X., and Xiao, M.: Photoluminescence upconversion in colloidal CdTe quantum dots. Phys. Rev. B 68, 125318 (2003).Google Scholar