Schottky Heterojunction Research Articles

Fabrication of magnetic field sensor based on a Co-based Schottky heterojunction

We have prepared a reliable magnetic field sensor based on a Co-based Schottky heterojunction with the possibility of finding practical application when the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the heterojunctions were modified by the external magnetic fields. For this purpose, the heterojunctions based on ferromagnetic thin films Co were deposited on Si (100) substrate via ultra-thin Pt films. The structural and magnetic properties of the heterojunctions were demonstrated, the crystal structure and the saturation magnetization of heterojunctions significantly increased with the increase of annealing temperatures. The electrical properties of the Co/Pt/Si heterojunction were investigated using temperature-dependent I–V characteristics, the rectifying properties were observed in the whole temperature ranging from 233 K to 283 K. Based on a simplified energy band structure, the magnetic field transport properties of Co/Pt/Si heterojunctions were investigated by taking into account the effects of spin and magnetic field on the potential barrier height of Co/Pt/Si heterojunctions. The results showed that the experimental ratio of current measured in a magnetic field B and in zero magnetic field (I(B)/I(0)) is linearly with the magnetic field B and almost independent of the applied voltage. The sensitivity and linearity of the magnetic field sensor were measured. The sensitivity of the sensor can reach 72.09 μA/T at an applied voltage frequency of 2000 Hz, which indicates that the linearity and sensitivity of the sensor are improved with the increase of the applied voltage frequency. The proposed sensors would be easy to integrate with current semiconductor processes with simple structure and they could be suitable for geological applications such as energy exploration.

A self-powered Ag/β-Ga2O3 photodetector with broadband response from 200 to 980 nm based on the photovoltaic and pyro-phototronic effects

β-Ga2O3, as one of the important 4th generation semiconductors, is widely used in solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) detectors with a short detection range of 200–280 nm benefiting from its ultra-wide bandgap, strong radiation resistance, and excellent chemical and thermal stabilities. Here, a self-powered photodetector (PD) based on an Ag/β-Ga2O3 Schottky heterojunction was designed and fabricated. Through a subtle design of electrodes, the pyro-phototronic effect was discovered, which can be coupled to the common photovoltaic effect and further enhance the performance of the PD. Compared to traditional Ga2O3-based PD, the as-used PD exhibited a self-driving property and a broadband response beyond the bandgap limitations, ranging from 200 nm (deep UV) to 980 nm (infrared). Moreover, the photoresponse time was greatly shrunk owing to the coupling effect. Under laser irradiation, with a wavelength of 450 nm and a power density of 8 mW cm‒2, the photocurrent could be improved by around 41 times compared with the sole photovoltaic effect. Besides, the performances of the Schottky PD were enhanced at both high and low temperatures. The device also possessed long-term working stability. This paper not only reveals basic physics lying in the 4th generation semiconductor Ga2O3 but also sheds light on the multi-encryption transmission of light information using this PD.

Optimized synthesis of Fe-doped Ohmic Schottky heterojunctions for efficient NO3− photocatalytic reduction to generate N2

Capacitive Fe-doped Ni2P(Fe2xNi2(1-x)P) is synthesized via the modified solvothermal method to form Ohmic Schottky heterojunctions with monolayer Ti3C2 (MLTC). The composite (10 % 0.1FNP/CdS-2 % MLTC) achieved a high hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 19.18 mmol h−1 with a 50 mg sample. In a mere span of 3 h, an impressive NO3− reduction of 0.42 mg/L was achieved, accompanied by an exceptional 92 % N2 selectivity. Quantum efficiency (QE) can reach 56.22 % (λ = 475 nm) by adding 0.1FNP and MLTC. In contrast to previous catalysts, the QE of visible light after 500 nm has been improved to 45.2 % (λ = 500 nm) or 36.4 % (λ = 550 nm). The significant enhancement of HER and NO3− reduction is attributed to the enhanced adsorption of oxygen-containing reactants, the lowering of the reduction overpotential, further enhanced separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers through the ohmic Schottky heterojunction after iron doping. Additionally, the observed capacitor-like nature of 0.1FNP is also an essential factor for the enhanced reduction ability of the composites.

Mott–Schottky Barrier Enabling High‐Performance Hydrazine‐Assisted Hydrogen Generation at Ampere‐Level Current Densities

AbstractLocal electron density manipulation can optimize the adsorption and desorption nature of catalysts leading to enhanced catalytic activity for water oxidation. Construction a Mott–Schottky barrier allows the electron transition in catalysts because of their different Fermi levels. Herein, a Pt@NiFc‐MOF Mott–Schottky heterojunction is constructed, in which electrons are transferred from NiFc‐MOF to Pt as triggered by the formed built‐in electric field at the interface. The as‐prepared Pt@NiFc‐MOF reveals exceptional performance toward the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and overall hydrazine splitting (OHzS) at ampere‐level current densities. The advanced nature of the configured Mott–Schottky heterojunction can also be further evidenced from a concept direct liquid N2H4/H2O2 fuel cell (Pt@NiFc‐MOF//Pt Net), yielding a maximum power density of 415.2 mW cm‒2 at 80°C and can work stably for 190 h at 500 mA cm‒2 (at 25°C). One more function of Pt@NiFc‐MOF is clarified as well, that is it can purify hydrazine‐rich wastewater from 718 to 6 ppb (less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of 10 ppb) in 120 min at 500 mA cm‒2. This work represents a breakthrough in interface engineering of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) toward industry‐level hydrogen generation and its beyond.

Narrow Bandgap Schottky Heterojunction Sonosensitizer with High Electron-Hole Separation Boosted Sonodynamic Therapy in Bladder Cancer.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is applied to bladder cancer (BC) given its advantages of high depth of tissue penetration and nontoxicity due to the unique anatomical location of the bladder near the abdominal surface. However, low electron-hole separation efficiency and wide bandgap of sonosensitizers limit the effectiveness of SDT. This study aims to develop a TiO2-Ru-PEG Schottky heterojunction sonosensitizer with high electron-hole separation and narrow bandgap for SDT in BC. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experiments collectively demonstrate that the bandgap of TiO2-Ru-PEG is reduced due to the Schottky heterojunction with the characteristic of crystalline-amorphous interface formed by the deposition of ruthenium (Ru) within the shell layer of TiO2. Thanks to the enhancement of oxygen adsorption and the efficient separation of electron-hole pairs, TiO2-Ru-PEG promotes the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultrasound (US) irradiation, resulting in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of bladder tumor cells. The in vivo results prove that TiO2-Ru-PEG boosted the subcutaneous and orthotopic bladder tumor models while exhibiting good safety. This study adopts the ruthenium complex for optimizing sonosensitizers, contributing to the progress of SDT improvement strategies and presenting a paradigm for BC therapy.

N doped carbon supported cobalt/tungsten nitride Mott−Schottky heterojunction as an efficient electrocatalyst to enhance adsorption and conversion of lithium polysulfides for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) suffer from the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) which leading to capacity degradation and poor cycling stability. Hence, weʼve developed the Co/W3N4@NC Mott–Schottky heterostructures with built in electric field (BIF) are prepared as catalyst model to generate a built-in electric field to enhance the electrocatalytic effect on sulfur electrochemistry. Theoretical and experimental results have jointly demonstrated that the redistribution of charge and the presence of a built-in electric field at the Co/W3N4@NC heterointerface can promote the redox reaction within lithium sulfur battery during the discharge and charge processes, respectively. Experimental tests have confirmed its outstanding reversibility, achieving a capacity of 793.2 mAh·g−1 over 500 cycles at 1 C. It also shows excellent cycling performance with only 0.05 % attenuation per cycle over 800 cycles at 2 C for LSBs. Furthermore, even with a high sulfur loading of 5.5 mg·cm−2, the S@ Co/W3N4@NC cathode maintains favorable sulfur-related electrochemistry and delivers a high areal capacity of 3.61 mAh·cm−2 as well as maintaining considerable stability. This synthetic Mott–Schottky heterostructure not only amplifies the electrocatalytic effect in LSBs, but also advances the design of catalysts for advanced high-energy-density batteries.

Understanding the Electronic Transport of Al-Si and Al-Ge Nanojunctions by Exploiting Temperature-Dependent Bias Spectroscopy.

Understanding the electronic transport of metal-semiconductor heterojunctions is of utmost importance for a wide range of emerging nanoelectronic devices like adaptive transistors, biosensors, and quantum devices. Here, we provide a comparison and in-depth discussion of the investigated Schottky heterojunction devices based on Si and Ge nanowires contacted with pure single-crystal Al. Key for the fabrication of these devices is the selective solid-state metal-semiconductor exchange of Si and Ge nanowires into Al, delivering void-free, single-crystal Al contacts with flat Schottky junctions, distinct from the bulk counterparts. Thereof, a systematic comparison of the temperature-dependent charge carrier injection and transport in Si and Ge by means of current-bias spectroscopy is visualized by 2D colormaps. Thus, it reveals important insights into the operation mechanisms and regimes that cannot be exploited by conventional single-sweep output and transfer characteristics. Importantly, it was found that the Al-Si system shows symmetric effective Schottky barrier (SB) heights for holes and electrons, whereas the Al-Ge system reveals a highly transparent contact for holes due to Fermi level pinning close to the valence band with charge carrier injection saturation due to a thinned effective SB. Moreover, thermionic field emission limits the overall electron conduction, indicating a distinct SB for electrons.

Three-step field-plated β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes and heterojunction diodes with sub-1 V turn-on and kilovolt-class breakdown

A unique field termination structure combining a three-step field plate with nitrogen ion implantation to enhance the reverse breakdown performance of Pt/β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction diodes (HJDs) is reported. The fabricated devices showed a low R on,sp of 6.2 mΩ cm2 for SBDs and 6.8 mΩ cm2 for HJDs. HJDs showed a 0.8 V turn-on voltage along with an ideality factor of 1.1 leading to a low effective on-resistance of 18 mΩ cm2. The devices also showed low reverse leakage current (<1 mA cm−2) and a breakdown voltage of ∼1.4 kV. These results offer an alternative, simpler route for fabricating high-performance kilovolt-class β-Ga2O3 diodes.

Dynamic Ag-mediated electron transfer confined ZnO nanorods for boosted photocatalytic bacterial disinfection

Infectious diseases, particularly bacterial infections, pose a global crisis with significant impacts on public health and economic stability due to the emergence of multi-drug resistance and limitations in existing therapeutic options. The present study focused on the development of photocatalytic disinfectant and silver-decorated hexagonal zinc oxide nanorods (Ag/ZnO NRs) were fabricated through an ultrasonic-assisted solvothermal method, and investigated for the photocatalytic inactivation on E. coli. The morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of the fabricated Ag/ZnO NRs were systematically studied through various analytical techniques. Here, 3%Ag/ZnO NRs showed 96.9% inactivation of E. coli within 120 min of visible light irradiation. The excellent inactivation efficiency of the photocatalyst could be attributed to the higher charge carrier mobility, efficient electron-hole pair separation, and highvisible light harvesting ability. The Schottky heterojunction was proposed as a possible mechanism for the photoinactivation of E. coli. Further, the impacts of different dosages of nanocomposites (NCs) and varying pH on bacterial inactivation were studied under visible light exposure. The reusability and stability of the NCs were investigatedfor 6 consecutive cycles of photoinactivation and it showed excellent efficiency (91.16%) of the photocatalyst for prolonged usage. The real-time application was assessed using reclaimed wastewaterand the influence on the organic matter was determined using COD analysis. The proposed study offers a significant point reference for the practical application of photocatalysis forthe inactivation of antibiotic-resistant microbes present in water bodies and environmental wastewater.

Constructing built-in electric field to accelerate the asymmetric local charge distribution for efficient alkaline overall water/seawater splitting

Developing efficient and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts for large-scale alkaline water/seawater electrolysis is essential but remains a challenge. Here, we have ingeniously constructed Mott-Schottky heterogeneous nanowire arrays consisting of Ru and Fe co-doped CoP with Ru nanoparticles (Ru/Ru,Fe-CoP). The incorporation of guest Ru and Fe atoms effectively increases the work function difference between the CoP region and the Ru region, leading to the enhancement of the built-in electric field, which accelerates the induction of electron transfer at the Mott-Schottky interface and promotes the formation of local electrophilic/nucleophilic region. Theoretical calculations revealed that the asymmetric charge distribution effectively modulated the free energy of hydrogen adsorption as well as the formation energy of oxygen intermediates. Benefiting from the regulation of local charge distribution, the constructed Ru/Ru,Fe-CoP exhibits a remarkable catalytic activity for HER and OER in 1 M KOH with overpotentials of only 146 and 345 mV at 1000 mA cm−2, respectively. This innovative manipulation of charge asymmetric distribution by modulating Schottky heterojunctions provides an avenue for rational design of efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts.

Defect-decorated Cu2MoS4 as a new efficient hydrogen evolution cocatalyst: Rich active sites, rapid charge transfer and optimized hydrogen adsorption

Herein, a new defect-decorated Cu2MoS4 cocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a sacrificial-template method. Detailed characterizations confirmed the presence of multivalent metal ions (Cu2+/Cu+, Mo6+/Mo4+) and abundant sulfur vacancies. To assess its cocatalytic performance, Cu2MoS4/Cd0.5Zn0.5S Schottky heterojunction was constructed and achieved a hydrogen production rate of 11.83 mmol∙g−1∙h−1, which is 6.33 and 2.03 times higher than pristine Cd0.5Zn0.5S and MoS2/Cd0.5Zn0.5S, respectively. The superior photocatalytic activity is attributed to multiple factors. Sulfur vacancies regulate the charge density of neighboring atoms and induce production of more coordination-unsaturated atoms as active sites to accelerate hydrogen generation. Meanwhile, the high conductivity of Cu2MoS4, Schottky heterojunction, and redox couples could synergistically boost charge transfer and separation efficiency. Theoretical calculations further illustrated the key role of sulfur vacancies in optimizing H2-evolution kinetics, which reduced the hydrogen adsorption free energy of in-plane S atoms. This work demonstrates that Cu2MoS4 has significant potential as an efficient cocatalyst material, enhancing the photocatalytic performance of metal sulfides.

Highly efficient electrolytic reduction of nitrate to produce ammonia using Cu@Ni2P-NF Schottky heterojunction

Electrolytic reduction of nitrate to produce ammonia (NO3-RR) is one of the very promising alternatives to the energy-consuming Haber-Bosch process. The catalytic activity of nitrate reduction can be effectively improved by tuning the electronic structure and interfacial electron transfer. In this work, Cu@Ni2P-NF metal- semiconductor heterostructure is designed to adjust the adsorption of H* while enhance the adsorption of NO3- through schottky contacts. It is shown that the synergistic effects realized by the built-in electric field could effectively improve the NO3-RR catalytic performance. In the electrolytic cell with 1 M KOH and 20 mM KNO3, the ammonia yield at –0.2 V (vs. RHE) reaches 0.374 mmol∙h−1∙cm−2, and the nitrate removal efficiency is up to 94.63% with a selectivity of 90.25%. The energy conversion is realized by applying a Zn-NO3- battery with power density of 5.09 mW∙cm−2. This work demonstrates that the design of metal-semiconductor schottky heterojunction is an effective way to obtain novel electrocatalysts for NO3-RR.

Amorphous CoB Modified ZnxCd1‐xS to Construct Schottky Junction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

AbstractIn this paper, nanosized ZnxCd1‐xS is synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and modified by amorphous CoB. ZnxCd1‐xS/CoB Schottky heterojunction composite photocatalyst is reasonably designed. The adhesion of tiny ZnxCd1‐xS nanoparticles to irregular block CoB is more conducive to the dispersion of ZnxCd1‐xS and better interface connection between catalysts, thus further promoting the migration of photogenerated carriers, protecting the photocorrosion of ZnxCd1‐xS, and finally improving the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production. The composite catalyst ZnxCd1‐xS/CoB‐20 means that the loading content of CoB is 20 wt%, and the photocatalyst has the highest catalytic efficiency under visible light, reaching 1494.09 µmol within 5 h. Through the characterization of XRD, XPS, electrochemical and optical properties of the catalyst, it is proved that the introduction of CoB can significantly inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electron holes and enhance the response to visible light. This study provides a feasible scheme for co‐catalysts to replace precious metal catalysts and effectively reduce ZnxCd1‐xS photocorrosion.

Quantum Dots Mediated Heterojunction Coupling MoSe2 Photoanode for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) possess the photosensitive absorption for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution owing to special band structures, whereas they usually confront with photo-corrosion or undesired charge recombination during photoelectrochemical reactions. Hence, we establish the heterojunction between GQDs and MoSe2 sheets via a hydrothermal process for improved stability and performance. Photoanodic water splitting with hydrogen evolution boosted by the heteroatom doped N,S-GQDs/MoSe2 heterojunction has been attained due to the abundant active sites, promoted charge separation and transfer kinetics with reduced energy barriers. Diphasic 1T and 2H MoSe2 sheet-hybridized quantum dots contribute to the Schottky heterojunction, which can play a key role in expedited carrier transport to inhibit accumulative photo-corrosion and increase photocurrent. Heteroatom dopants lead to favored energy band matching, bandgap narrowing, stronger light absorption and high photocurrent density. The external quantum efficiency of the doped heterojunction has been elevated twofold over that of the non-doped pristine heterojunction. Modification of the graphene quantum dots and MoSe2 heterojunction demonstrate a viable and adaptable platform toward photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution processes.

In Situ Piezoelectric-Catalytic Anti-Inflammation Promotes the Rehabilitation of Acute Spinal Cord Injury in Synergy.

Relieving inflammation via scavenging toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the acute phase of spinal cord injury (SCI) proves to be an effective strategy to mitigate secondary spinal cord injury and improve recovery of motor function. However, commonly used corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs show adverse side effects which may induce increased risk of wound infection. Fortunately, hydrogen (H2), featuring selective antioxidant performance, easy penetrability, and excellent biosafety, is being extensively investigated as a potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic gas for the treatment of SCI. In this work, by a facile in situ growth approach of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the piezoelectric BaTiO3, a particulate nanocomposite with Schottky heterojunction (Au@BT) is synthesized, which can generate H2 continuously by catalyzing H+ reduction through piezoelectric catalysis. Further, theoretical calculations are employed to reveal the piezoelectric catalytic mechanism of Au@BT. Transcriptomics analysis and nontargeted large-scale metabolomic analysis reveal the deeper mechanism of the neuroprotective effect of H2 therapy. The as-prepared Au@BT nanoparticle is first explored as a flexible hydrogen gas generator for efficient SCI therapy. This study highlights a promising prospect of nanocatalytic medicine for disease treatments by catalyzing H2 generation; thus, offering a significant alternative to conventional approaches against refractory spinal cord injury.

Zn–N bonds boost interfacial charge transfer in ZnO/Nitrogen-Doped porous carbon Schottky heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic sterilization

Although heterogeneous photocatalytic sterilization can avoid secondary pollution and achieve broad spectrum antibacterial effects, its low disinfection efficiency seriously hinders its development. Exploring and achieving precise electron-transfer channels in the interface of heterogeneous systems are an effective method to enhance photocatalytic sterilization. Herein, we designed a chemical Zn–N bonded nitrogen-doped porous carbon-loaded zinc oxide (ZnO/NC) Schottky heterojunction photocatalyst through oxidizing and carbonizing ZIF-8 in-situ at suitable temperatures. The Zn–N accurately facilitated the photogenerated electrons transfer from the conduction band (CB) site of ZnO to the NC surface as active site. Furthermore, the NC as carrier enhanced the light-absorption capacity (746 nm) of Schottky heterojunction and functioned as active site to promote the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, the slow-release effect of zinc ions (Zn2+) from ZnO contributed to the accelerated death of bacteria. As a result, under simulated sunlight conditions, the ZnO/NC-400(1 h) Schottky heterojunction demonstrated an impressive antibacterial efficiency of 99.33 % against Escherichia coli, consistently exceeding 95 % in repeated experiments. This work presents a controllable and encouraging approach for constructing heterojunction with effective antibacterial properties.

BaTiO3/p-GaN/Au self-driven UV photodetector with bipolar photocurrent controlled by ferroelectric polarization

Ferroelectric materials are promising candidates for ultraviolet photodetectors due to their ferroelectric effect. In this work, a BaTiO3/p-GaN/Au hybrid heterojunction–Schottky self-driven ultraviolet photodetector was fabricated with excellent bipolar photoresponse property. At 0 V bias, the direction of the photocurrent can be switched by flipping the depolarization field of BaTiO3, which allows the performance of photodetectors to be controlled by the ferroelectric effect. Meanwhile, a relatively large responsivity and a fast response speed can be also observed. In particular, when the depolarization field of BaTiO3 is in the same direction of the built-in electric field of the Au/p-GaN Schottky junction (up polarized state), the photodetector exhibits a high responsivity of 18 mA/W at 360 nm, and a fast response speed of < 40 ms at 0 V. These findings pave a new way for the preparation of high-performance photodetectors with bipolar photocurrents.

Ni7S6 decorated g-C3N4/graphene oxide composites for enhanced visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Rationally designing high-efficient g-C3N4 based photocatalysts still remains a big challenge. Herein, Ni7S6 decorated K-doped g-C3N4/graphene oxide photocatalyst was synthesized. Interestingly, amorphous conductive carbon black and urea are simultaneously transferred to graphene oxide and K-doped g-C3N4, which achieves in-situ coupled K-g-C3N4/graphene oxide composite. The in-situ fabricated graphene oxide acts as a charge transfer substrate for the rapid photocarriers migration. Ni7S6 forms Schottky heterojunction with K-g-C3N4 photocatalyst, promoting photocarriers separation. The Ni7S6/K-g-C3N4/graphene oxide composite achieves a visible light hydrogen production rate of 487.59 μmol·g−1·h−1, which is about 7.5 times higher than that of K-g-C3N4 (65.4 μmol·g−1·h−1). This work provides a novel strategy for preparing high-efficient g-C3N4 based photocatalysts.

An Intelligent and Soluble Microneedle Composed of Bi/BiVO4 Schottky Heterojunction for Tumor Ct Imaging and Starvation/Gas Therapy-Promoted Synergistic Cancer Treatment.

Phototherapy and sonodynamic therapy (SDT) are widely used for the synergistic treatment of tumors and have received considerable attention. However, an inappropriate tumor microenvironment, including pH, H2O2, oxygen, and glutathione levels, can reduce the therapeutic effects of synergistic phototherapy and SDT. Here, a novel Bi-based soluble microneedle (MN) is designed for the CT imaging of breast tumors and starvation therapy/gas therapy-enhanced phototherapy/SDT. The optimized Bi/BiVO4 Schottky heterojunction serves as the tip of the MN, which not only has excellent photothermal conversion ability and CT contrast properties, but its heterojunction can also avoid the rapid combination of electrons and hole pairs, thereby enhancing the photodynamic/sonodynamic effects. A degradable MN with excellent mechanical properties is fabricated by optimizing the ratios of poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), and sodium hyaluronate. Glucose oxidase (GOx) and diallyl trisulfide are loaded into the MN to achieve tumor starvation and gas therapy, respectively; And the controlled release of GOx and H2S can be achieved under ultrasound or near-infrared laser irradiation. The in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that this multifunctional MN can achieve high therapeutic efficacy through starvation therapy/gas therapy-enhanced phototherapy/SDT. The designed multifunctional MN provides a prospective approach for synergistic phototherapy and SDT.

Modulating charge carrier transfer channel by 2D/2D Schottky heterojunction of Ti3C2/BiOIO3 for effective photocatalytic degradation of typical antibiotics

Constructing two-dimensional (2D)/2D Schottky heterojunction using Ti3C2 with n-type semiconductors has a great potential in photocatalysis field owing to the improved separation and transfer ability of photogenerated charges. However, an in-depth exploration of electron transfer behavior in the Schottky heterojunction using Ti3C2 with n-type semiconductor is still lacking, thus hindering the development of Ti3C2 based Schottky heterojunction. Herein, 2D/2D Schottky heterojunction of Ti3C2/BiOIO3 was successfully fabricated with improved photocatalyst efficiency. With the Schottky junction formation between Ti3C2 and BiOIO3, 3 wt% Ti3C2/BiOIO3 exhibited superior ciprofloxacin photodegradation performance (94.11 % within 60 min). In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy reveals that the enhanced performance could be ascribed to one-way carrier transfer channel for preventing the carrier recombination and remarkably prolonging the carrier lifetime through Schottky heterojunction. Meanwhile, in the Schottky heterojunction, the 2D ultrathin structures and plentiful interfaces not only offer abundant channels for photogenerated charges migration, but also promote mass transfer. In addition, the toxicity estimation software tool analysis demonstrates that the toxicity of most intermediates was lower than ciprofloxacin. The work provides an in-depth understanding of the photocatalytic mechanism of typical antibiotics degradation, and offers an idea for the exploitation of highly active Schottky heterojunction photocatalysts.