Abstract
Silver-containing complex oxides present interesting light absorption and electronic properties pointing to their applicability for solar fuel generation and environmental remediation. In this vein, the syntheses, characterization, and photoelectrochemical properties of the Aurivillius oxide, AgBiW2O8, and a triphasic material, AgBiW2O8/Bi2WO6/Ag, are described herein. From UV-vis diffuse reflectance analysis, both oxides' nanoparticles exhibited intense absorption at wavelengths <455 nm, with an additional band centered at ∼500 nm for the triphasic material, attributed to surface plasmon resonance of the metallic Ag phase. The triphasic material was further characterized by a variety of structural and spectroscopic probes, indicating a defect-rich crystalline structure. Voltammetric measurements were performed in the dark and under simulated solar irradiation with polarization at potentials more negative than the rest potential. Thin film electrodes of both materials showed p-type semiconductor behavior, with enhanced cathodic photocurrent in the presence of electron acceptors in aqueous media.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 13473-13480 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal Of Physical Chemistry C |
Volume | 122 |
Issue number | 25 |
Early online date | 8 Feb 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 28 Jun 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported, in part, by CNPq, FAPESP, the National Institute of Science, Technology, and Innovation on Advanced Complex Materials (INOMAT), and The University of Texas at Arlington. C.L. and M.T.G. gratefully acknowledge the CAPES−PDSE program for financial support (88881.131530/2016-01) and the Fulbright and Royal Society of Chemistry for scholarships. C.H. and R.T. gratefully acknowledge funding from the EPSRC (EP/N009533/1). Dr. Teresa Atvars (UNICAMP) provided the photoluminescence spectroscopy instrument setup. Finally, we thank the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and constructive criticisms.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Chemical Society.