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Characterization of Sputtered HfO2−x –TiO2−x Nanocolumn Arrays and Their Application in Photocatalysis

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Abstract

The physical and chemical properties of sputtered HfO2−x –TiO2−x nanocolumn arrays and the photocatalytic action of high-\(\varepsilon\) (HfO2) nanocolumns for decomposition of methylene blue have been studied. Fabrication of HfO2−x –TiO2−x nanocolumn array composites by reactive sputtering without further treatment was comprehensively investigated. Well-isolated HfO2−x nanocolumns with maximum separation of approximately 500 nm and excellent orientation normal to the substrate were obtained. The coupling between HfO2−x and TiO2−x was found to be crucial for enhanced photocatalytic action; the optimal coupling was identified for HfO2−x –TiO2−x nanocolumn composites with four pairs of alternating layers, which showed better performance (by approximately 25%) under 30 W of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, compared with TiO2−x thin films. The synergistic photocatalytic effect was predominantly attributed to defect-induced electron migration along the HfO2−x nanocolumn structure. In addition, the corresponding photoluminescence spectra and energy band diagram for the HfO2−x –TiO2−x system were used to complement the photocatalytic results.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partly supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, under Grants MOST 102-2221-E-006-073 and MOST 102-2633-E-006-001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City, 70101, Taiwan

    Hao-Che Feng & Kao-Shuo Chang

  2. Promotion Center for Global Materials Research (PCGMR), National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City, 70101, Taiwan

    Kao-Shuo Chang

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  1. Hao-Che Feng
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Correspondence to Kao-Shuo Chang.

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Feng, HC., Chang, KS. Characterization of Sputtered HfO2−x –TiO2−x Nanocolumn Arrays and Their Application in Photocatalysis. J. Electron. Mater. 46, 4532–4538 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-017-5434-8

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