A review on photoelectrochemical cathodic protection semiconductor thin films for metals

Photoelectrochemical(PEC) cathodic protection is considered as an environment friendly method for metals anticorrosion. In this technology, a n-type semiconductor photoanode provides the photogenerated electrons for metal to achieve cathodic protection. Comparing with traditional PEC photoanode for water splitting, it requires the photoanode providing a suitable cathodic potential for the metal, instead of pursuit ultimate photon to electric conversion efficiency, thus it is a more possible PEC technology for engineering application. To date, great efforts have been devoted to developing novel n-type semiconductors and advanced modification method to improve the performance on PEC cathodic protection metals. Herein, recent progresses in this field are summarized. We highlight the fabrication process of PEC cathodic protection thin film, various nanostructure controlling, doping, compositing methods and their operation mechanism. Finally, the current challenges and future potential works on improving the PEC cathodic protection performance are discussed.

Photoelectrochemical cathodic protection of Cu2O/TiO2 p-n heterojunction under visible light

The Cu2O/TiO2 p-n heterojunction composite photoelectrodes were prepared by depositing Cu 2 O nanoparticles on the surface of TiO 2 nanotubes via anodic oxidation and constant current deposition.Field emission scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)analyses showed that Cu 2 O nanoparticles not only deposited on the surface of TiO 2 nanotube array,but also on the wall of TiO 2 nanotubes.The Cu 2 O deposition amount could be adjusted by changing the deposition time.The photoelectrochemical cathodic protection(PECCP)performance of the prepared photoelectrodes for 316L stainless steel(SS)was tested under visible light.The constant current deposition time had a signifi cant eff ect on the PECCP performance of Cu 2 O/TiO 2-X photoelectrodes and Cu 2 O/TiO 2-20 had the best PECCP performance for the coupled 316L SS.This was attributed to the appropriate amount and thickness of Cu 2 O to form p-n heterojunctions with TiO 2,in which separation of the photogenerated carriers was accelerated and transfer of the photogenerated electrons to 316L SS for PECCP was facilitated.

Enhanced photoelectrochemical cathodic protection performance of MoS_(2)/TiO_(2)nanocomposites for 304 stainless steel under visible light

In this work,TiO_(2)nanotube arrays(NTAs)sensitized with MoS_(2)microspheres(MoS_(2)/TiO_(2)nanocomposites)were prepared on a flat Ti substrate via two-step anodization and hydrothermal method sequentially.TiO_(2)NTAs were composed of many orderly nanotubes,whose large specific surface area was favorable for light absorption and MoS_(2)microsphere adhesion.The MoS_(2)microsphere as a narrow band gap semiconductor extended the TiO_(2)NTAs’absorption band edge to the visible region.The 2D structure of MoS_(2)microspheres and the construction of heterojunction electronic field at the interface of MoS_(2)microspheres and TiO_(2)NTAs promoted the separation of photoinduced carriers.The MoS_(2)/TiO_(2)nanocomposites could provide higher photoelectrochemical cathodic protection for 304 stainless steel(304 SS)under visible light than pristine TiO_(2)NTAs.

Coupling a titanium dioxide based heterostructure photoanode with electroless-deposited nickel-phosphorus alloy coating on magnesium alloy for enhanced corrosion protection

The utilization of photoelectrochemical cathodic protection(PECCP)enables an indirect corrosion pro-tection of metals with low self-corrosion potential by introducing a metallic nickel interlayer.However,the ability to enhance the PECCP efficiency remains challenging because of the inherent property of the semiconductor.Herein,this ability is demonstrated by coupling a covalent organic framework(TpBD)dec-orated TiO 2 photoanode(TiO 2/TpBD)with nickel coating on magnesium alloy for an effective corrosion protection.The composite photoanode showed direct PECCP for the nickel interlayer and indirect corro-sion protection of the magnesium alloy.The composite structure of the nanotube array and the covalent organic framework for the photoanode were confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The en-hanced photoelectrochemical conversion capability and PECCP performance of the nickel-coated Mg alloy were evidenced by the results from electrochemical and photoelectrochemical measurements including Mott-Schottky curves,photoinduced potential variations,and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).Lastly,a corrosion protection mechanism is proposed,where the enhanced PECCP efficiency is at-tributed to the formation of a direct Z-scheme heterojunction,which is substantiated by the results from valence band(VB)XPS and electron spin resonance characterizations.