Photochemical Deposition Research Articles

A potential alternative deposition technology for CdS buffer layer in kesterite solar cells via intermittent photochemical deposition

In this work, we have developed a novel intermittent photochemical deposition (IPCD) method to prepare CdS buffer layer on Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) absorber. Results show that the optimized IPCD-CdS buffer layer is compact and uniform, ensuring a perfect contact with the CZTSSe absorber. Our experiments confirm that CdS can nucleate and grow on conducting substrates via IPCD method with controllable particle sizes. Based on the analyses, an electron assisted deposition mechanism is proposed to give a comprehensive insight into the IPCD process. Furthermore, the assembled CZTSSe solar cells with CdS layers deposited via IPCD deliver a highest photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.82%, which is improved by 22% compared to the ones with CdS layers via continuous PCD. Further analyses suggest that the efficiency improvement could be attributed to the improved band alignment at the heterojunction interface between CdS and CZTSSe layers. Our research provides a new way to improve the PCE for CZTSSe based solar cells via optimized deposition process.

Photochemically deposited Ir-doped NiCo oxyhydroxide nanosheets provide highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract To achieve practical production of fuel from water, it is essential to develop efficient and durable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We report here that doping NiCoOOH nanosheets with 8% Ir leads to a low overpotential of only 260 mV for 50 mA/cm2, far better than previous OER catalysts. We synthesized this catalyst using a novel photochemical deposition method that leads to a uniform distribution of dopant, large catalytic active area, high interfacial charge transfer efficiency, good adhesion between catalyst and matrix, and long lifetime. Moreover, these nanosheets show significant stable performance for 70 h in alkaline media. Our density functional theory calculations show that Ir and Co both play essential bifunctional roles in stabilizing the key O radical intermediate on Ir and promoting the O–O bond coupling on Co, which are optimum for the 8% Ir.

A photocatalytic transformation realized by Pd/TiO2 particle size modulation: from oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to direct dehydrogenation of ethane

Transformation from photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (PODHE) to photocatalytic dehydrogenation of ethane (PDHE) is an attractive process. A series of Pd/TiO2 photocatalysts with different Pd loading amount were synthesized by photochemical deposition. And the Pd particle sizes varied from 1 nm to 4 nm. PDHE happened instead of POHDE over Pd particles smaller than 3 nm. The best PDHE performance (H2, 799.4; C2H4, 614.9, in micromoles per gram of catalyst) was obtained over 0.5 wt.% Pd/TiO2 catalyst. And it was 3 times of it of PODHE over 1 wt.% Pd/TiO2. Reducing the Pd particle size of Pd/TiO2 would increase Pd0/Pd2+ and lower the valence band and conductive band of Pd/TiO2, which affect the catalytic behaviors. Detailed formation of products was investigated in this work.

Printing continuous metal structures via polymer-assisted photochemical deposition

Patterning complex metallic structures via additive manufacturing (AM) has broad applications in energy, medical and aerospace industries. Current AM methods are often limited by high processing temperature, discontinuous film deposition and/or low product conductivity and reflectivity. We present a versatile room-temperature metal printing technique based on polymer-assisted photochemical deposition (PPD). Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) printing of silver, gold and platinum structures with feature sizes as small as 5 µm are demonstrated on various substrates, including silicon, glass, polymers and biocompatible hydrogels. The PPD-printed metal films are continuous and smooth (roughness <3 nm) even at ultra-low thicknesses (<10 nm), and highly conductive (∼3×105 S cm−1) and reflective comparable to that of vacuum deposited counterparts. This breakthrough in advanced AM technique holds great promise for low-cost, fast and distributed manufacturing in optics, electronics and robotics.

Consciously Constructing the Robust NiS/g-C3N4 Hybrids for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Selective growth of cocatalyst on the surface of photocatalyst has been attracted considerable attention due to their efficient charges transfer property. In this study, the robust NiS modified graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) hybrids were successfully synthesized by a facile surface photochemical deposition process. The structure and composition characterization results revealed that the NiS is highly dispersed loading on the surface of g-C3N4 nanosheets, and the NiS/g-C3N4 hybrids possess large surface areas and excellent optical properties. Under the visible light illumination, the NiS/g-C3N4 hybrids with 1.0% weight content of NiS cocatalyst exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 1346.1 μmol h−1 g−1 with an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 7.67%. On the basis of photoluminescence (PL) spectra and photoelectrochemical methodology, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution mechanism was proposed. The results demonstrated that the excellent activity arises from the strong electronic coupling, highly efficient charges separation and migration. This work demonstrates a facile photochemical deposition method to consciously construct the robust two-dimensional (2D) hybrids, so as to realize accurate deposition of cocatalyst and efficient migration of photo-generated carriers.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light by the synergistic effects of plasmonics and Ti3+-doping at the Ag/TiO2-x heterojunction

A heterojunction of plasmonic Ag particles on Ti3+-doped macro-/meso-porous TiO2 framework consisting of parallel microchannels, denoted as Ag/TiO2-x, has been fabricated by a simple microwave-assisted process employing vitamin C as the reducing agent for forming TiO2-x framework followed by photochemical deposition of Ag particles. Charge transport and recombination processes were detected through transient photocurrent responses. The visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production rate and the apparent reaction rate constant of RhB photodegradation with 3%-Ag/TiO2-x catalyst are about 5.3 and 14.0 fold higher than those with the pristine macro-/meso-porous TiO2 framework, respectively. A mechanism based on the synergistic effects of Ag plasmonics and Ti3+-doping at the Ag/TiO2-x heterojunction is proposed, which consistently explains the high photocatalytic performance in hydrogen evolution and the improved photocatalytic decomposition of RhB under visible light. This study demonstrates the effective route to synthesize new heterojunction photocatalytic materials with multifunctional properties using low-cost and rapid microwave processes.

Tantalum(v) 1,3-propanediolate β-diketonate solution as a precursor to sol-gel derived, metal oxide thin films.

Tantalum oxide is ubiquitous in everyday life, from capacitors in electronics to ion conductors for electrochromic windows and electrochemical storage devices. Investigations into sol–gel deposition of tantalum oxide, and its sister niobium oxide, has accelerated since the 1980s and continues to this day. The aim of this study is to synthesize a near UV sensitive, air stable, and low toxicity tantalum sol–gel precursor solution for metal oxide thin films – these attributes promise to reduce manufacturing costs and allow for facile mass production. By utilizing 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance, this study shows that by removing ethanol from the precursor solution at a relatively low temperature and pressure, decomposition of the photosensitive complex can be minimized while obtaining a precursor solution with sufficient stability for storage and processing in the atmosphere. The solution described herein is further modified for inkjet printing, where multiple material characterization techniques demonstrate that the solution can be utilized in low temperature, photochemical solution deposition of tantalum oxide, which is likely amorphous. Tested substrates include amorphous silica, crystalline silicon wafer, and gold/titanium/PET foil. The hope is that these results may spark future investigations into electronic, optical, and biomedical device fabrication with tantalum oxide, and potentially niobium oxide, based films using the proposed synthesis method.

Photochemical deposition of amorphous MoSx on one-dimensional NaNbO3-CdS heterojunction photocatalysts for highly efficient visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution.

A novel ternary MoSx-CdS-NaNbO3 (MoSx-CN) photocatalyst was successfully fabricated through a two-step method (hydrothermal synthesis and photo-deposition step). The results demonstrated that CdS nanoparticles and amorphous MoSx uniformly dispersed on one-dimensional (1D) NaNbO3 nanowires, thus forming multi-junctions (CdS-NaNbO3, CdS-MoSx and NaNbO3-MoSx) that could increase the migration efficiency of photo-excited charge carriers. In addition, an abundance of unsaturated sulfur atoms in MoSx led to a strong attraction to H+, thus providing active sites for water splitting. Consequently, the optimized composite sample (MoSx-CN-100) exhibited a hydrogen (H2) evolution efficiency of 2.386 mmol g-1 h-1, which was about 125.58 and 11.93 times that of NaNbO3 and CdS, respectively. Moreover, the ternary photocatalyst also exhibited excellent stability in the long-term hydrogen production process compared with the binary and single samples. Our work provided new insight into the rational design of multi-heterojunction photocatalysts with high efficiency for H2 evolution under visible light irradiation.

Resistive switching characteristic of Ce0.9Y0.1O2/TiO2 bi-layer structure by photochemical metal-organic deposition

Sneak current is one of the main bottlenecks for dense crossbar array resistive random access memory. This study reports highly non-linear resistive switching characteristic from Ce0.9Y0.1O2/TiO2 bi-layer (1S/1R device) structure, fabricated by photochemical metal-organic deposition, as a solution for sneak current issue. Ce0.9Y0.1O2 material, possessing oxygen vacancies, was used as a potential barrier as well as oxygen reservoir which rectified the current of low resistance state without an electrical breakdown in 1S/1R device. TiO2 was adopted for resistive switching property, and TiO2 layer having mixed phase (anatase and brookite) showed typical diode switching behavior. The photochemical reaction of photochemical metal-organic deposition process and phase formation were monitored and established using by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The 1S/1R device showed highly non-linear resistive switching characteristic, large on/off ratio of above three orders of magnitude with low operating current.

Study of the influence of Er/Ln co-doping in La2O3 thin films on their up-conversion properties (where Ln = Ho or Nd)

In this study we report significant enhancement of up-conversion emissions of La2O3:Er thin films when they are co-doped with Er/Ln (where Ln = Nd or Ho). The proposed mechanisms by which the Ln ions contribute to these emissions are based on different mechanistic routes. While the La2O3 samples co-doped with Er/Nd involves energy transfer NdIII→ErIII processes, in the La2O3 samples co-doped with Er/Ho involves energy transfer ErIII→HoIII processes.All samples were synthesized by a solid state photochemical deposition method followed by a subsequent calcination process. The luminescent properties reveal that samples under 980 nm irradiation exhibit characteristic up-conversion emissions that are focused in the green region of the spectrum and that the nature of second activator (Ln) determines the degree of efficiency of these emissions.

ZnO Colloid Crystal Facet-Type Determines both Au Photodeposition and Photocatalytic Activity

This study investigated the crystal facet-dependence of the photochemical deposition of Au onto four differently shaped ZnO colloids; hexagonal-based nanocones, nanorods, nanobullets, and nanoplates. The different ZnO nanoparticle (NP) shapes were approximately the same size and synthesized without the use of strong-binding capping agents. Direct photoreduction of AuCl2 - onto the ZnO NPs by UV illumination at 370 nm proved to be an effective approach to produce Au-ZnO NP hybrids, where the active Au(I) precursor was photogenerated from AuCl4 - using the same UV light source. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry confirmed that preirradiation of ethanolic HAuCl4 solutions with a 370 nm UV-diode transforms the AuCl4 - to AuCl2 -, a metastable species that is stable in a range of solvents. The solvent system used, the irradiation exposure time, and the dissolved oxygen content in the solvent were modified to generate changes in the pattern of Au NP photodeposition onto the different ZnO shapes. The relative surface area of exposed high-energy facets of the ZnO NPs were observed to have a dramatic effect on the energy barrier to Au NP nucleation on different ZnO surfaces, where the facet-dependent activity was established to be (0001) > (101 1) ≈ (0001) > (101 0). For ZnO nanoplates, typically 4-6 Au NPs deposited where approximately 50% attached to the {0001} ZnO facets and 50% to the {1010} ZnO facets. For ZnO nanocone hybrids, 1 Au NP deposited per particle, with approximately 30% depositing on the {0001} and 70% on the {1010} facet. On ZnO nanobullets, 8 Au NPs deposited, with a distribution of 8% on the {0001} facet, 75% on {1010}, and 17% on the {1011} facets. For the ZnO nanorod samples, 4 Au NPs were deposited per rod, with 20% attached to {0001} facets in the sample and 80% fixed to the {1010} facets. The different Au NP deposition distributions on different ZnO shapes caused major changes to their photocatalytic activity, as tested by degrading an organic dye, toluidine blue, in aqueous conditions. The Au-ZnO hybrid NP photoactivities were greater than pure, ZnO NP photoactivities, attributed to better separation of charge and a reduced electron-hole recombination rate. Small molecule, free-radical scavengers were added to control samples to confirm the mechanism of dye degradation, which was found to be by hydroxyl radicals generated through oxidative reaction pathways.

Diurnal variability, photochemical production and loss processes of hydrogen peroxide in the boundary layer over Europe

Abstract. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays a significant role in the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. It is an efficient oxidant in the liquid phase and serves as a temporary reservoir for the hydroxyl radical (OH), the most important oxidizing agent in the gas phase. Due to its high solubility, removal of H2O2 due to wet and dry deposition is efficient, being a sink of HOx (OH+HO2) radicals. In the continental boundary layer, the H2O2 budget is controlled by photochemistry, transport and deposition processes. Here we use in situ observations of H2O2 and account for chemical source and removal mechanisms to study the interplay between these processes. The data were obtained during five ground-based field campaigns across Europe from 2008 to 2014 and bring together observations in a boreal forest, two mountainous sites in Germany, and coastal sites in Spain and Cyprus. Most campaigns took place in the summer, while the measurements in the south-west of Spain took place in early winter. Diel variations in H2O2 are strongly site-dependent and indicate a significant altitude dependence. While boundary-layer mixing ratios of H2O2 at low-level sites show classical diel cycles with the lowest values in the early morning and maxima around local noon, diel profiles are reversed on mountainous sites due to transport from the nocturnal residual layer and the free troposphere. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide is largely governed by its main precursor, the hydroperoxy radical (HO2), and shows significant anti-correlation with nitrogen oxides (NOx) that remove HO2. A budget calculation indicates that in all campaigns, the noontime photochemical production rate through the self-reaction of HO2 radicals was much larger than photochemical loss due to reaction with OH and photolysis, and that dry deposition is the dominant loss mechanism. Estimated dry deposition velocities varied between approximately 1 and 6 cm s−1, with relatively high values observed during the day in forested regions, indicating enhanced uptake of H2O2 by vegetation. In order to reproduce the change in H2O2 mixing ratios between sunrise and midday, a variable contribution from transport (10 %–100 %) is required to balance net photochemical production and deposition loss. Transport is most likely related to entrainment from the residual layer above the nocturnal boundary layer during the growth of the boundary layer in the morning.

Efficient photoelectrochemical water-splitting over carbon membrane linked Au and TiO2 nanotube arrays film based on multiple carriers transport paths

Herein, a carbon membrane and Au nanoparticles were combined to improve the efficiency of photoelectrocatalytic water splitting over a TiO2 nanotube arrays film (TiO2 NTAF). Two different ternary nanostructures were constructed by hydrothermal and photochemical deposition processes. One was carbon membrane bridged Au nanoparticles and TiO2 nanotube arrays (Au/C/TiO2 NTAF), while the other was Au nanoparticles sandwiched between carbon membrane and TiO2 nanotube arrays (C/Au/TiO2 NTAF). The two structures exhibited enhanced visible light harvesting ability, but they showed distinctly different photoelectric properties. The unique microstructure of C/Au/TiO2 NTAF resulted in a much higher reduction of the electron cloud density of Au nanoparticles as carrier recombination centers, which were responsible for its poor photoelectrochemical performance. However, a champion photocurrent of Au/C/TiO2 NTAF was observed (0.984 mA cm−2), indicating superior ability of the photoelectrocatalytic water splitting. The great enhancement was attributed to multiple carriers transport paths, which can efficiently utilize the sensitization of the carbon membrane and the surface plasmon resonance effect of the Au nanoparticles.

Spatial separation of photogenerated carriers and enhanced photocatalytic performance on Ag3PO4 catalysts via coupling with PPy and MWCNTs

Visible-light-driven photocatalysis is a promising technology in the environmental pollutant remediation, and charge separation is crucial for increasing the activity of photocatalysts. In this study, novel photocatalysts Ag3PO4@MWCNTs@PPy with excellent photocatalytic activity and photostability were successfully synthesized. The results of density functional theory (DFT) calculation and photochemical deposition experiments demonstrated that a spatial separation system of photogenerated carriers in Ag3PO4@MWCNTs@PPy composite was successfully constructed. The photogenerated electrons of Ag3PO4 were readily transferred to MWCNTs and the photogenerated holes tended to migrate to the surface of PPy, resulting in superior separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers and great enhancement of photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of phenol and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) over optimal ternary catalyst could reach 100% with visible light irradiation for 20 min and 5 min, respectively. Simultaneously, 80.12% of TOC removal efficiency was also achieved within 20 min on the mineralization of phenol. The LC–MS and 3D EEMs (three-dimensional excitation-emission-matrix spectra) analyses showed that TC was mainly degraded into small molecule acids, fulvic acids- and humic acids-like matters. In addition, a new method of preparing Ag3PO4 with uniform small-sized particles was proposed, by which the large Ag3PO4 polyhedron crystals with a diameter of 10–25 μm were transformed into particles in a range of 0.2–1.4 μm in diameter, and the apparent rate constant of phenol degradation by this small-sized Ag3PO4 was 3.8 times of that by the large-sized. In this work a new photocatalyst with great application potential has been fabricated, and the strategy for constructing the carrier spatial separation system is promising and intriguing for designing high efficient photocatalysts.

Nanohybrids of Pt-Functionalized Al2O3/ZnO Core-Shell Nanorods for High-Performance MEMS-Based Acetylene Gas Sensor.

Metal oxide nanostructures are the most promising materials for the fabrication of advanced gas sensors. However, the main challenge of these gas sensors is humidity interference and issues related to the selectivity and high operating temperature, which limits their response in real-time applications. In this study, we proposed nanohybrids of Pt-functionalized Al2O3/ZnOcore-shell nanorods (NRs) for a real-time humidity-independent acetylene gas sensor. The core ZnO NRs have been fabricated on microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microheater, followed by a coating of a thin nanoscale moisture-blocking conformal Al2O3 shell by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and decoration of Pt NPs using photochemical deposition and e-beam evaporation. Prior to the fabrication, a COMSOL simulation was performed to optimize the microheater design and moisture-blocking layer thickness. A comparative study of the decoration of Pt NPs on the ZnO surface by photochemical (s-Pt/ZnO) and e-beam evaporation (e-Pt/ZnO) and a Al2O3 thin moisture-blocking shell layer (Pt/Al2O3/ZnO) in sensor response has been conducted. The fabricated sensors (s-Pt/ZnO) and (e-Pt/ZnO) showed a high response ΔR/R (%) of 96.46% and 68.15% to 200 ppm acetylene at 120 °C and detect trace concentrations of acetylene down to 1 ppm, but the response is influenced by humidity. Moreover, the sensor (Pt/Al2O3/ZnO) exhibited nearly the same sensing characteristics and high acetylene selectivity despite the wide range of humidity variation from 20% RH to 70% RH. The Pt-functionalized Al2O3/ZnOcore-shell NR-based sensor showed better sensing and stable performance than other sensors (s-Pt/ZnO and e-Pt/ZnO) under humidity conditions.

In situ photochemical fabrication of CdS/g-C3N4 nanocomposites with high performance for hydrogen evolution under visible light

Stable photo catalysts with high performance for hydrogen evolution under visible light are important in the field of renewable energy. Herein, a hybrid composite of CdS/g-C3N4 with a tunable density of CdS was made through in situ photochemical deposition of CdS nanodots onto g-C3N4 nanosheets. The resulting material was much more active under visible light than CdS and g-C3N4, not only for the photocatalytic evolution of H2 in the presence of lactic acid but also for the photo electrochemical oxidation of water. The maximum rate of H2 production was 2537 μmol g−1 h−1, which was 2–10 times higher than the reported values. Importantly, the present CdS/g-C3N4 material was very stable during continuous irradiation for 55 h. The enhanced activity and stability are attributed to precise regulation of the position of CdS on the g-C3N4 surface and the formation of a type II heterojunction, increasing visible light absorption, favoring band overlapping, and promoting charge separation for interfacial reactions. This study opens a new avenue for the in situ engineering of stable photo catalysts to produce rich and active heterointerfaces for H2 and O2 evolution.

CuO/ZnO Heterojunction Nanorod Arrays Prepared by Photochemical Method with Improved UV Detecting Performance.

CuO/ZnO heterojunction nanorod arrays were synthesized using a facile photochemical deposition strategy. The morphology of CuO was related to the concentration of Cu2+ in the Cu(NO3)2 solution, UV illumination time, and the air annealing temperature. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed. In the photochemical deposition process, the OH− was generated in the vicinity of the ZnO nanorod arrays and reacted with Cu2+ and NO3− in the solution to form Cu2(NO3)(OH)3/ZnO heterojunction nanorod arrays firstly, which were converted into CuO/ZnO heterojunction nanorod arrays completely after air annealing at a low temperature. The fabricated CuO/ZnO heterojunction nanorod arrays exhibits a well-defined rectifying characteristic and an improved photo-response performance compared with pure ZnO nanorod arrays.

Effective disinfection of airborne microbial contamination in hospital wards using a zero-valent nano-silver/TiO2 -chitosan composite.

A novel antimicrobial composite of zero-valent silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), titania (TiO2 ), and chitosan (CS) was prepared via photochemical deposition of AgNPs on a CS-TiO2 matrix (AgNPs@CS-TiO2 ). Electron microscopy showed that the AgNPs were well dispersed on the CS-TiO2 , with diameters of 6.69-8.84nm. X-ray photoelectron spectra indicated that most of the AgNPs were reduced to metallic Ag. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that some AgNPs formed a chelate with CS through coordination of Ag+ with the CS amide II groups. The zones of inhibition of AgNPs@CS-TiO2 for bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis) and fungi (Aspergillus niger and Penicillium spinulosum) were 6.72-11.08 and 5.45-5.77mm, respectively, and the minimum (critical) concentrations of AgNPs required to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi were 7.57 and 16.51µg-Ag/mm2 , respectively. The removal efficiency of a AgNPs@TiO2 -CS bed filter for bioaerosols (η) increased with the packing depth, and the optimal filter quality (qF) occurred for packing depths of 2-4cm (qF=0.0285-0.103Pa-1 ; η=57.6%-98.2%). When AgNPs@TiO2 -CS bed filters were installed in the ventilation systems of hospital wards, up to 88% of bacteria and 97% of fungi were removed within 30minutes. Consequently, AgNPs@TiO2 -CS has promising potentials in bioaerosol purification.

Construction of precious metal-loaded BiOI semiconductor materials with improved photocatalytic activity for microcystin-LR degradation

The composite photocatalyst of precious metal loaded on BiOI (M/BiOI, M = Pt, Au, Ag) was prepared by photochemical deposition and used for the photocatalytic degradation of microcystins (MC-LR). The material was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence spectra (PL). The effect of photodegradation of MC-LR and the possible mechanism were investigated. It turned out that, among precious metals of Pt, Au, and Ag, Ag had the most significant improvement for photocatalytic activity of BiOI and Au was the least. The Ag/BiOI catalyst was illuminated 2h under the simulated visible-light condition with the optimal load ratio of Ag catalyst (1.0wt%) and the 2-h illumination under simulated visible-light condition, the degradation rate of MC-LR was 61.26% ± 0.12%. In addition, through the experiment of trapping agent and the analysis of electron spin resonance (ESR), we could conclude that the main active species is O2- in the process of the degradation of MC-LR by three precious metal-loaded BiOI semiconductor materials.

Updates to the Noah Land Surface Model in WRF-CMAQ to Improve Simulated Meteorology, Air Quality, and Deposition.

Regional, state, and local environmental regulatory agencies often use Eulerian models to investigate the potential impacts on pollutant deposition and air quality from changes in land use, anthropogenic and natural emissions, and climate. The Noah land surface model (LSM) in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is widely used with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model for such investigations, but there are many inconsistencies that need to be changed so that they are consistent with dry deposition and emission processes. In this work, the Noah LSM in WRFv3.8.1 is improved in its linkage to CMAQv5.2 by adding important parameters to the WRF/Noah output, updating the WRF soil and vegetation reference tables that influence CMAQ wet and dry photochemical deposition processes, and decreasing WRF/Noah's top soil layer depth to be consistent with CMAQ processes (e.g., windblown dust and bidirectional ammonia exchange). The modified WRF/Noah‐CMAQ system (both off‐line and coupled) impacts meteorological predictions of 2‐m temperature (T2; increases and decreases), 2‐m mixing ratio (Q2; decreases), and 10‐m wind speed (WSPD10; decreases) in the United States. These changes are mostly driven by leaf area index values and aerodynamic roughness lengths updated in the vegetation tables based on satellite data, with additional impacts from soil tables updated based on recent soil data. Improvements in the consistency in the treatment of land surface processes between CMAQ and WRF resulted in improvements in both estimated meteorological (e.g., T2, WSPD10, and latent heat fluxes) and chemical (e.g., ozone, sulfur dioxide, and windblown dust) model estimates.