Optical and Structural Analysis of TiO2-SiO2 Nanocomposite Thin Films Fabricated via Pulsed Laser Deposition Technique

TiO₂-SiO₂ nanocomposite thin films have gained the attention of the scientific community due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of a TiO₂-SiO₂ nanocomposite disk-shaped target. The target was used for the deposition of TiO₂-SiO₂ nanocomposite thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide/glass substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The thicknesses of the thin films were fixed to 100 nm, and the deposition temperature ranged from room temperature to 300 °C. As revealed by the microstructural and morphological characterizations revealed, the TiO₂-SiO₂ nanocomposite thin films are amorphous and display homogeneous distribution. The determined values of the indirect optical band gap range from 2.92 to 3.07 eV, while those of the direct optical band gap lie between 3.50 and 3.55 eV. Additionally, as the deposition temperature decreases, the light transmission increases in the visible and in the ultraviolet ranges, which is suitable for flexible perovskite solar cells. This research can uncover new insights into the fabrication of amorphous TiO₂-SiO₂-based nanostructured thin films using the PLD technique for perovskite solar cell technology.

Tracking areal lithium densities from neutron activation - quantitative Li determination in self-organized TiO2 nanotube anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Nanostructuring of electrode materials is a promising approach to enhance the performance of next-generation, high-energy density lithium (Li)-ion batteries. Various experimental and theoretical approaches allow for a detailed understanding of solid-state or surface-controlled reactions that occur in nanoscaled electrode materials. While most techniques which are suitable for nanomaterial investigations are restricted to analysis widths of the order of Å to some nm, they do not allow for characterization over the length scales of interest for electrode design, which is typically in the order of mm. In this work, three different self-organized anodic titania nanotube arrays, comprising as-grown amorphous titania nanotubes, carburized anatase titania nanotubes, and silicon coated carburized anatase titania nanotubes, have been synthesized and studied as model composite anodes for use in Li-ion batteries. Their 2D areal Li densities have been successfully reconstructed with a sub-millimeter spatial resolution over lateral electrode dimensions of 20 mm exploiting the ⁶Li(n,α)³H reaction, in spite of the extremely small areal Li densities (10-20 μg cm^-2 Li) in the nanotubular active material. While the average areal Li densities recorded via triton analysis are found to be in good agreement with the electrochemically measured charges during lithiation, triton analysis revealed, for certain nanotube arrays, areas with a significantly higher Li content ('hot spots') compared to the average. In summary, the presented technique is shown to be extremely well suited for analysis of the lithiation behavior of nanostructured electrode materials with very low Li concentrations. Furthermore, identification of lithiation anomalies is easily possible, which allows for fundamental studies and thus for further advancement of nanostructured Li-ion battery electrodes.

A Bi-layer Composite Film Based on TiO2 Hollow Spheres, P25, and Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Photoanode of Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

ABSTRACT

A bi-layer photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated, in which TiO2 hollow spheres (THSs) were designed as a scattering layer and P25/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as an under-layer. The THSs were synthesized by a sacrifice template method and showed good light scattering ability as an over-layer of the photoanode. MWNTs were mixed with P25 to form an under-layer of the photoanode to improve the electron transmission ability of the photoanode. The power conversion efficiency of this kind of DSSC with bi-layer was enhanced to 5.13 %, which is 14.25 % higher than that of pure P25 DSSC.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

A bi-layer composite photoanode based on P25/MWNTs-THSs with improved light scattering and electron transmission, which will provide a new insight into fabrication and structure design of highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.