Abstract
We characterize the time evolution (≤120 s) of atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ)-synthesized Pt-SnOx catalysts. A mixture precursor solution consisting of chloroplatinic acid and tin(II) chloride is spin-coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates, following which APPJ is used for converting the spin-coated precursors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates the conversion of a large portion of metallic Pt and a small portion of metallic Sn (most Sn is in oxidation states) from the precursors with 120 s APPJ processing. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) efficiency with APPJ-synthesized Pt-SnOx CEs is improved greatly with only 5 s of APPJ processing. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel experiments confirm the catalytic activities of Pt-SnOx catalysts. The DSSC performance can be improved with a short APPJ processing time, suggesting that a DC-pulse nitrogen APPJ can be an efficient tool for rapidly synthesizing catalytic Pt-SnOx counter electrodes (CEs) for DSSCs.
Highlights
Atmospheric-pressure plasma (APP) technology is operated without using a vacuum chamber and associated pumping system
We analyze the time evolution of Pt-SnOx nanoparticle catalysts that are converted from a mixture of chloroplatinic acid and tin(II) chloride using DC-pulse nitrogen atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ)
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicate the conversion of a large portion of the metallic Pt and tin oxide
Summary
Atmospheric-pressure plasma (APP) technology is operated without using a vacuum chamber and associated pumping system. It is considered a cost-effective manufacturing tool. Recent developments have resolved stability and arcing problems, making APP technology promising for industrial applications. Traditional APP sources include transferred arc, corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, and atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJs) [1,2]. The synergy between the reactive plasma species and heat can promote rapid chemical reactions during material processing [3,4,5,6]. APPs have been used for processing various types of materials, such as carbon nanotubes [3,7,8] and reduced graphene oxides [9,10,11]
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