Cu2ZnSnS4−Au Heterostructures: Toward Greener Chalcogenide- Based Photocatalysts
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Ames National Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), operated by and located on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
For more than 70 years, the Ames National Laboratory has successfully partnered with Iowa State University, and is unique among the 17 DOE laboratories in that it is physically located on the campus of a major research university. Many of the scientists and administrators at the Laboratory also hold faculty positions at the University and the Laboratory has access to both undergraduate and graduate student talent.
The Department of Chemistry seeks to provide students with a foundation in the fundamentals and application of chemical theories and processes of the lab. Thus prepared they me pursue careers as teachers, industry supervisors, or research chemists in a variety of domains (governmental, academic, etc).
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The Department of Chemistry was founded in 1880.
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1880-present
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- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (parent college)
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Abstract
Chalcogenide-based semiconductor-metal heterostructures are interesting catalysts for solar-to-chemical energy conversion, but current compositions are impractical due to the relative toxicity and/or scarcity of their constituent elements. To address these concerns, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) emerged as an interesting alternative to other chalcogenide-based semiconductors; however, the fabrication of CZTS metal heterostructures remains unexplored. In this paper, we systematically explore four methods of synthesizing CZTS-Au heterostructures, specifically: reaction of CZTS nanorods with either a soluble molecular gold precursor (AuCl3) or preformed gold (Au) nanoparticles, each under thermal (heating in the dark) or photochemical reaction conditions (350 nm lamp illumination at room temperature). We find that using AuCl3 under thermal deposition conditions results in the most well-defined CZTS-Au heterostructures, containing >99% surface-bound 2.1 ± 0.5 nm Au islands along the whole length of the nanorod. These CZTS-Au heterostructures are photocatalytically active, reducing the model compound methylene blue upon irradiation much more effectively than bare CZTS nanorods. We also demonstrate the removal of Au from the CZTS-Au heterostructures by amalgamation. These results open up a new area of greener, CZTS-based photocatalysts for solar-to-chemical energy conversion.
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Reprinted (adapted) with permission from Journal of Physical Chemistry C 118 (2014): 21226, doi: 10.1021/jp5062336. Copyright 2014 American Chemical Society.