Fig 3 - uploaded by Fang Fang
Content may be subject to copyright.
AFM top view of thin film samples (a) as-deposited, (b) post annealed at 250 °C and (c) post annealed at 350 °C on silicon substrate. (d) Shows the as-deposited thin film on a glass substrate.
Source publication
Ion beam sputtering is a versatile technique to create nanostructured thin films with precise control over process parameters. We report the properties of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) thin films deposited by ion beam sputtering. Ion beam analysis methods including Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) an...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... measurements were performed to study the microstructural evolution of the surface morphology in as-deposited and annealed films. Fig. 3 shows the AFM top view of the asdeposited g-C 3 N 4 film (a) together with the thin films annealed at 250 °C (b) and 350 °C (c). The surface of the as-deposited thin film ( Fig. 1(a)) consists of clusters with an average surface roughness of 1.34 nm. After heat treatment at 250 °C, the thin film started to re-crystallize with an ...
Similar publications
African locus beans (Parkia biglobosa) tree is a perennial legume tree that grows naturally in Africa and one of the trees the Forest Rangers enforced that farmers must preserve in their farmland because of its usefulness. Parkia biglobosa when fermented can be used to produce Iru and other useful products. This work employed the Particle Induced X...
Citations
... Many promising catalytic materials have been developed, for example, non-metallic graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) offers catalytic performance together with thermodynamic stability and engineerability (Wang et al. 2009). We have explored and reported our early investigations on the deposition of g-C 3 N 4 thin films via ion beam sputtering technology (Sharath et al. 2021). By directly using compressed g-C 3 N 4 powders as the sputter target material and tuning the sputtering parameters, we successfully synthesised g-C 3 N 4 thin films with a well-controlled deposition rate at ambient conditions using the ion beam sputtering technique at a sputter angle of 45°and substrate angle of 60°. ...
This manuscript outlines current research activities based on ion beam science at GNS Science in New Zealand. Ion beam analysis methods include Rutherford backscattering and nuclear reaction analysis which trace back to Rutherford's famous ‘gold foil’ and ‘splitting the atom’ experiments. These ion beam-based methods generally offer the ability to analyse materials for every element of the periodic table, to ppm concentrations, and with depth profiles ranging from a few nm to several microns. Ion beam methods are now also used to modify and create new materials precisely. Rutherford’s early research now has a legacy at GNS Science’s Materials team to discover, design, and develop materials for energy efficient modern applications for a low carbon future. These include magnetic sensors for security products, nanostructured magnetic materials for energy conversion, thermoelectric devices for energy harvesting, and catalytic development for clean energy carriers and energy efficient communication devices.
Catalysis is at the heart of modern-day chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and there is an urgent demand to develop metal-free, high surface area, and efficient catalysts in a scalable, reproducible and economic manner. Amongst the ever-expanding two-dimensional materials family, carbon nitride (CN) has emerged as the most researched material for catalytic applications due to its unique molecular structure with tunable visible range band gap, surface defects, basic sites, and nitrogen functionalities. These properties also endow it with anchoring capability with a large number of catalytically active sites and provide opportunities for doping, hybridization, sensitization, etc. To make considerable progress in the use of CN as a highly effective catalyst for various applications, it is critical to have an in-depth understanding of its synthesis, structure and surface sites. The present review provides an overview of the recent advances in synthetic approaches of CN, its physicochemical properties, and band gap engineering, with a focus on its exclusive usage in a variety of catalytic reactions, including hydrogen evolution reactions, overall water splitting, water oxidation, CO2 reduction, nitrogen reduction reactions, pollutant degradation, and organocatalysis. While the structural design and band gap engineering of catalysts are elaborated, the surface chemistry is dealt with in detail to demonstrate efficient catalytic performances. Burning challenges in catalytic design and future outlook are elucidated.
Cubic phase ZnAl2O4 (ZA) and CeO2 nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method using ammonia as the precipitating agent. ZnAl2O4–CeO2 composites with two different ratios such as 50:50 and 70:30 respectively were synthesised by following hydrothermal method. All the synthesised materials were characterized by Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transformed Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectrum, Ultraviolet–visible diffuse Reflectance Spectrum (UV–vis DRS), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (SEM-EDAX) techniques. Band gap of ZA, CeO2 and composites of ratio 50:50 and 70:30 were found to be 3.8 eV, 2.8 eV, 2.8 eV and 2.6 eV respectively. Photo catalytic efficiency of synthesised nanoparticles and the tailor made composites were investigated towards three organic pollutants Methylene blue (MB), Methyl Orange (MO) and Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV light irradiation. Percentage of dye degradation by ZA, CeO2, ZA-CeO2 (50:50), ZA-CeO2 (70:30) towards MB was found to be 93%, 95%, 95%, 99% respectively. Degradation of methyl orange using ZA, CeO2, ZA-CeO2 (50:50), ZA-CeO2 (70:30) was recorded as 93%, 94%, 95%, 98% respectively. ZA-CeO2 (70:30) composite showed 99% degradation of Rhodamine B.
