Photoelectrochemical properties of AFe2O4 (A=Co,Cu,Zn) ferrospinels for water photo-reduction

Photoelectrocatalytic peroxymonosulfate activation over CoFe2O4-BiVO4 photoanode for environmental purification: Unveiling of multi-active sites, interfacial engineering and degradation pathways

This work reported on the development of CoFe₂O₄-BiVO₄ photoanode based photoelectrocatalytic system collaborating with peroxymonosulfate activation for organic contaminants removal. CoFe₂O₄ layer not only provided active sites for direct peroxymonosulfate activation but also accelerated charge separation process for the enhancement of photocurrent density and photoelectrocatalytic performance. Junction of CoFe₂O₄ layer on BiVO₄ photoanode led to the improvement of photocurrent density to 4.43 mA/cm² at 1.23 V_RHE, which was approximately 4.06 times higher than that of pure BiVO₄. Subsequently, the corresponding optimal degradation efficiency toward the tetracycline model contaminant achieved to be 89.1% with total organic carbon removal value of about 43.7% within 60 min. Moreover, the degradation rate constant of CoFe₂O₄-BiVO₄ photoanode in photoelectrocatalytic system was 0.037 min^-1, which was about 1.23, 2.64 and 3.70 times higher than the values in photocatalysis, electrocatalysis and PMS only based systems, respectively. In addition, radical scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance spectra indicated a synergy of radical and nonradical coupling process where •OH and ¹O₂ played vital roles during tetracycline degradation. Plausible photoelectrocatalytic mechanism and degradation pathway were proposed. This work provided an effective strategy to construct peroxymonosulfate assisted photoelectrocatalytic system toward green environmental applications.

Effect of cation configuration and solvation on the band positions of zinc ferrite (100)

Zinc ferrite ZnFe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] belongs to the spinel-type ferrites that have been proposed as photocatalysts for water splitting. The electronic band gap and the band edge positions are of utmost importance for the efficiency of the photocatalytic processes. We, therefore, calculated the absolute band energies of the most stable surface of ZnFe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text], the Zn-terminated (100) surface at self-consistent hybrid density functional theory level. The effect of Fe- and Zn-rich environments, cation exchange as antisite defects and implicit solvation on the band positions is investigated. Calculated flat band potentials of the pristine surface model ranges from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] V against SHE in vacuum. For Zn-rich (Fe-rich) models this changes 0.3-0.9 (0.0-0.7) V against SHE. Fe-rich models are closest to the experimental range of reported flat band potentials. Solvent effects lower the calculated flat band potentials by up to 1.8 eV. The calculated band gaps range from 1.5 to 2.9 eV in agreement with previous theoretical work and experiment. Overall, our calculations confirm the experimentally observed low activity of ZnFe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] and its dependence on preparation conditions.

Hematite coated, conductive Y doped ZnO nanorods for high efficiency solar water splitting

For the first time, hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) crystals were electrochemically deposited over vertically aligned conductive zinc oxide nanorods (NR) to form a specially designed 3D heterostructure with a unique triple layer structure. The structure formed with a thin layer of ZnFe₂O₄ sandwiched between the hematite and the ZnO, which forms a barrier to reduce the back migration of holes. Hence, the charge separation is significantly improved. The small unequal bandgaps of α-Fe₂O₃ and ZnFe₂O₄ help to enhance and broaden visible light absorption. The electron transportation was further improved by yttrium doping in the ZnO (YZnO) NRs, resulting in increased conductivity. This allowed the vertically aligned NRs to perform as electron highways, which also behave as effective optical waveguides for improved light trapping and absorption, since ZnO absorbs little visible light. All these benefits made the unique structures suitable for high performance photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Optimisation of α-Fe₂O₃ thickness led to a photocurrent density improvement from 0.66 to 0.95 mA cm^-2 at 1.23 V_RHE. This was further improved to 1.59 mA cm^-2 by annealing at 550 °C for 3 h, representing a record-breaking photocurrent for α-Fe₂O₃/ZnO systems. Finally IPCE confirmed the successful generation and transfer of photoelectrons under visible light excitation in the specifically designed heterostructure photoanode, with 5% efficiency for blue light, and 15% for violet light.

GW-BSE Calculations of Electronic Band Gap and Optical Spectrum of ZnFe2 O4 : Effect of Cation Distribution and Spin Configuration

The G0W0, evGW0, evGW, and scGW0 approximations to many‐body perturbation theory combined with the Bethe‐Salpeter approach (BSE) are applied to calculate electronic and optical properties of the open‐shell spinel ferrite ZnFe₂O₄. The effect of the various degrees of self‐consistency is assessed by comparison to recent experimental results. Furthermore, the influence of the method for obtaining the ground‐state wavefunction is studied, including the GGA functional PBE with and without an intermediate step using the COHSEX approximation, as well as PBE+U, where we try to minimize the influence of the Hubbard potential U. Best agreement for the optical band gap and the first maxima of the excitation spectrum is obtained with the evGW method based on a PBE+U wavefunction. This method is chosen and converged carefully to yield quantitative results for the optical spectra of four different magnetic structures and cation distributions of ZnFe₂O₄. With the results we provide a possible explanation for inconsistency in experimental results.

Photoelectrochemistry of Ferrites: Theoretical Predictions vs. Experimental Results

This paper gives an overview about recent theoretical and experimental work on electronic and optical properties of spinel ferrites MFe2O4. These compounds have come into focus of research due to their possible application as photocatalyst material for photoelectrochemical water splitting. The theoretical background of state-of-the-art quantum-chemical approaches applied for predicting electronic and optical band gaps, absolute band positions, optical absorption spectra, dielectric functions and Raman spectra, is briefly reviewed. Recent applications of first-principles methods on magnetic and electronic properties of ferrites with M = Mg and the first row of subgroup elements Sc to Zn are presented, where it is shown that the fundamental band gap is strongly dependent on the spin state and the degree of inversion of the spinel structure. The observed variation of electronic properties may serve as an explanation for the large scattering of experimental results. The exchange of M and Fe cations has also a pronounced effect on the Raman spectra of ferrites, which is analyzed at atomic scale from first principles. Calculated optical absorption spectra of ferrites are compared to experimental spectra. The electronic nature of the first excitations and the role of oxygen vacancies are discussed. For the calculation of absolute band positions, which have a significant impact on the photoelectrochemical activity of the ferrites, models of the most stable ferrite surfaces are developed that take into account their polar nature and the interaction with the solvent. Theoretically predicted valence and conduction band edges are compared to results from electrochemical measurements. The role of cation exchange on the surface electronic structure is investigated both theoretically and experimentally.

Influence of Spin State and Cation Distribution on Stability and Electronic Properties of Ternary Transition-Metal Oxides

This work is a systematic ab initio study of the influence of spin state and cation distribution on the stability, dielectric constant, electronic band gap, and density of states of ternary transition-metal oxides. As an example, the chemical family of spinel ferrites MFe₂O₄, with M = Mg, Sc-Zn is chosen. Dielectric constant and band gap are calculated for various spin states and cation configurations via dielectric-dependent self-consistent hybrid functionals and compared to available experimental data. When choosing the most stable spin state and cation configuration, the calculated electronic properties are in reasonable agreement with measured values. The nature of the excitation is investigated through projected density of states. A pronounced dependence of band gap energy and dielectric constant on the spin state and cation configuration is observed, which is a possible explanation for the large variation of the experimental results, in particular, if several states are energetically close.

Facile fabrication of heterostructured cubic-CuFe2O4/ZnO nanofibers (c-CFZs) with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity and magnetic separation

Photocatalytic mechanism of a c-CuFe₂O₄/ZnO nanofibers (c-CFZs) p–n heterojunction.