Surface functionalization of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids: from fabrication to light-triggered applications

Alberto Gasparotto; Chiara Maccato; Giorgio Carraro; Cinzia Sada; Urška Lavrenčič Štangar; Bruno Alessi; Conor Rocks; Davide Mariotti; Andrea La Porta; Thomas Altantzis; Davide Barreca

doi:10.1021/acsami.8b22744

Surface functionalization of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids: from fabrication to light-triggered applications

Alberto Gasparotto, Chiara Maccato, Giorgio Carraro, Cinzia Sada, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar, Bruno Alessi, Conor Rocks, Davide Mariotti, Andrea La Porta, Thomas Altantzis, Davide Barreca

Design, Manufacturing And Engineering Management

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Abstract

We report on a combined chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering synthetic strategy for the controlled surface modification of ZnO nanostructures by Ti-containing species. Specifically, the proposed approach consists in the CVD of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids, followed by titanium RF sputtering under mild conditions. The results obtained by a thorough characterization demonstrate the successful ZnO surface functionalization with dispersed Ti-containing species in low amounts. This phenomenon, in turn, yields a remarkable enhancement of photoactivated superhydrophilic behavior, self-cleaning ability, and photocatalytic performances in comparison to bare ZnO. The reasons accounting for such an improvement are unravelled by a multitechnique analysis, elucidating the interplay between material chemico-physical properties and the corresponding functional behavior. Overall, the proposed strategy stands as an amenable tool for the mastering of semiconductor-based functional nanoarchitectures through ad hoc engineering of the system surface.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	15881–15890
Journal	ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b22744
Publication status	Published - 1 May 2019

Funding

The research leading to these results has received ﬁnancial support from Padova University ACTION postdoc fellowship, DOR 2016-2018, P-DiSC #03BIRD2016-UNIPD projects, and HERALD COST Action MP1402-37831. The support from EPSRC (awards EP/R008841/1 and EP/M024938/1) as well as from the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding No. P1-0134) is also recognized. T.A. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders(FWO, Belgium).

Keywords

mass spectrometry
oxides
physical vapor deposition
scanning transmission electron microscopy
titanium

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10.1021/acsami.8b22744Licence: CC BY 4.0

gasparotto-et-al-2019-surface-functionalization-of-grown-on-tip-zno-nanopyramids-from-fabrication-to-light-triggeredFinal published version, 6.36 MBLicence: CC BY 4.0

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@article{e0ed092e06b94acc8c2649c816455ecd,

title = "Surface functionalization of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids: from fabrication to light-triggered applications",

abstract = "We report on a combined chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering synthetic strategy for the controlled surface modification of ZnO nanostructures by Ti-containing species. Specifically, the proposed approach consists in the CVD of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids, followed by titanium RF sputtering under mild conditions. The results obtained by a thorough characterization demonstrate the successful ZnO surface functionalization with dispersed Ti-containing species in low amounts. This phenomenon, in turn, yields a remarkable enhancement of photoactivated superhydrophilic behavior, self-cleaning ability, and photocatalytic performances in comparison to bare ZnO. The reasons accounting for such an improvement are unravelled by a multitechnique analysis, elucidating the interplay between material chemico-physical properties and the corresponding functional behavior. Overall, the proposed strategy stands as an amenable tool for the mastering of semiconductor-based functional nanoarchitectures through ad hoc engineering of the system surface.",

keywords = "mass spectrometry, oxides, physical vapor deposition, scanning transmission electron microscopy, titanium",

author = "Alberto Gasparotto and Chiara Maccato and Giorgio Carraro and Cinzia Sada and {\v S}tangar, {Ur{\v s}ka Lavren{\v c}i{\v c}} and Bruno Alessi and Conor Rocks and Davide Mariotti and Porta, {Andrea La} and Thomas Altantzis and Davide Barreca",

year = "2019",

month = may,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1021/acsami.8b22744",

language = "English",

pages = "15881–15890",

journal = "ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces",

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publisher = "American Chemical Society",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Surface functionalization of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids

T2 - from fabrication to light-triggered applications

AU - Gasparotto, Alberto

AU - Maccato, Chiara

AU - Carraro, Giorgio

AU - Sada, Cinzia

AU - Štangar, Urška Lavrenčič

AU - Alessi, Bruno

AU - Rocks, Conor

AU - Mariotti, Davide

AU - Porta, Andrea La

AU - Altantzis, Thomas

AU - Barreca, Davide

PY - 2019/5/1

Y1 - 2019/5/1

N2 - We report on a combined chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering synthetic strategy for the controlled surface modification of ZnO nanostructures by Ti-containing species. Specifically, the proposed approach consists in the CVD of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids, followed by titanium RF sputtering under mild conditions. The results obtained by a thorough characterization demonstrate the successful ZnO surface functionalization with dispersed Ti-containing species in low amounts. This phenomenon, in turn, yields a remarkable enhancement of photoactivated superhydrophilic behavior, self-cleaning ability, and photocatalytic performances in comparison to bare ZnO. The reasons accounting for such an improvement are unravelled by a multitechnique analysis, elucidating the interplay between material chemico-physical properties and the corresponding functional behavior. Overall, the proposed strategy stands as an amenable tool for the mastering of semiconductor-based functional nanoarchitectures through ad hoc engineering of the system surface.

AB - We report on a combined chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering synthetic strategy for the controlled surface modification of ZnO nanostructures by Ti-containing species. Specifically, the proposed approach consists in the CVD of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids, followed by titanium RF sputtering under mild conditions. The results obtained by a thorough characterization demonstrate the successful ZnO surface functionalization with dispersed Ti-containing species in low amounts. This phenomenon, in turn, yields a remarkable enhancement of photoactivated superhydrophilic behavior, self-cleaning ability, and photocatalytic performances in comparison to bare ZnO. The reasons accounting for such an improvement are unravelled by a multitechnique analysis, elucidating the interplay between material chemico-physical properties and the corresponding functional behavior. Overall, the proposed strategy stands as an amenable tool for the mastering of semiconductor-based functional nanoarchitectures through ad hoc engineering of the system surface.

KW - mass spectrometry

KW - oxides

KW - physical vapor deposition

KW - scanning transmission electron microscopy

KW - titanium

U2 - 10.1021/acsami.8b22744

DO - 10.1021/acsami.8b22744

M3 - Article

SN - 1944-8244

SP - 15881

EP - 15890

JO - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

JF - ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

ER -

Surface functionalization of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids: from fabrication to light-triggered applications

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

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