The effect of two alkylpyridinium ionic liquids （py-iLs） including N-butylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate （BpyHSO4） and N-hexylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate （HpyHSO4） on the kinetics of copper electrodeposition from a...The effect of two alkylpyridinium ionic liquids （py-iLs） including N-butylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate （BpyHSO4） and N-hexylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate （HpyHSO4） on the kinetics of copper electrodeposition from acidic sulfate solution was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. Results from cyclic voltammetry indicate that these py-iLs have a pronounced inhibiting effect on CuE＋ electroreduction and there exists a typical nucleation and growth process. Kinetic parameters such as Tafel slope, transfer coefficient and exchange current density obtained from Tafel plots, lead to the conclusion that py-iLs inhibit the charge transfer by slightly changing the copper electrodeposition mechanism through their adsorption on the cathodic surface. In addition, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the presence of these additives leads to more leveled and fine-grained cathodic deposits without changing the crystal structure of the electrodeposited copper but strongly affects the crystallographic orientation by significantly inhibiting the growth of （111）, （200） and （311） planes.展开更多
Photoelectrochemical （PEC） water splitting is a promising approach to harvest and store solar energy [1]. Silicon has been widely investigated for PEC photoelectrodes due to its suitable band gap （1.12 eV） matchin...Photoelectrochemical （PEC） water splitting is a promising approach to harvest and store solar energy [1]. Silicon has been widely investigated for PEC photoelectrodes due to its suitable band gap （1.12 eV） matching the solar spectrum [2]. Here we investigate employing nickel both as a catalyst and protecting layer of a p-type silicon photocathode for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution in basic electrolytes for the first time. The silicon photocathode was made by depositing 15 nm Ti on a p-type silicon wafer followed by 5 nm Ni. The photocathode afforded an onset potential of -0.3 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode （RHE） in alkaline solution （1 M KOH）. The stability of the Ni/Ti/p-Si photocathode showed a 100 mV decay over 12 h in KOH, but the stability was significantly improved when the photocathode was operated in potassium borate buffer solution （pH ≈ 9.5）. The electrode surface was found to remain intact after 12 h of continuous operation at a constant current density of 10 mA/cm^2 in potassium borate buffer, suggesting that Ni affords good protection of Si based photocathodes in borate buffers.展开更多
基金Projects(51204080, 51274108) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(2011FA009) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan Province, ChinaProject(2011FZ020) supported by the Application Research Foundation of Yunnan Province, China
文摘The effect of two alkylpyridinium ionic liquids （py-iLs） including N-butylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate （BpyHSO4） and N-hexylpyridinium hydrogen sulfate （HpyHSO4） on the kinetics of copper electrodeposition from acidic sulfate solution was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. Results from cyclic voltammetry indicate that these py-iLs have a pronounced inhibiting effect on CuE＋ electroreduction and there exists a typical nucleation and growth process. Kinetic parameters such as Tafel slope, transfer coefficient and exchange current density obtained from Tafel plots, lead to the conclusion that py-iLs inhibit the charge transfer by slightly changing the copper electrodeposition mechanism through their adsorption on the cathodic surface. In addition, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the presence of these additives leads to more leveled and fine-grained cathodic deposits without changing the crystal structure of the electrodeposited copper but strongly affects the crystallographic orientation by significantly inhibiting the growth of （111）, （200） and （311） planes.
文摘Photoelectrochemical （PEC） water splitting is a promising approach to harvest and store solar energy [1]. Silicon has been widely investigated for PEC photoelectrodes due to its suitable band gap （1.12 eV） matching the solar spectrum [2]. Here we investigate employing nickel both as a catalyst and protecting layer of a p-type silicon photocathode for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution in basic electrolytes for the first time. The silicon photocathode was made by depositing 15 nm Ti on a p-type silicon wafer followed by 5 nm Ni. The photocathode afforded an onset potential of -0.3 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode （RHE） in alkaline solution （1 M KOH）. The stability of the Ni/Ti/p-Si photocathode showed a 100 mV decay over 12 h in KOH, but the stability was significantly improved when the photocathode was operated in potassium borate buffer solution （pH ≈ 9.5）. The electrode surface was found to remain intact after 12 h of continuous operation at a constant current density of 10 mA/cm^2 in potassium borate buffer, suggesting that Ni affords good protection of Si based photocathodes in borate buffers.
