Publication detail

Light-Driven Sandwich ZnO/TiO2/Pt Janus Micromotors: Schottky Barrier Suppression by Addition of TiO2 Atomic Interface Layers into ZnO/Pt Micromachines Leading to Enhanced Fuel-Free Propulsion

POURRAHIMI, A. VILLA, K. SOFER, Z. PUMERA, M.

Original Title

Light-Driven Sandwich ZnO/TiO2/Pt Janus Micromotors: Schottky Barrier Suppression by Addition of TiO2 Atomic Interface Layers into ZnO/Pt Micromachines Leading to Enhanced Fuel-Free Propulsion

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

Conventional binary light-driven micromotors, based on semiconducting photocatalysts and metal junctions, have mostly shown limited speed and charge separation/transport due to their not well-designed interfaces. Here ZnO/Pt Janus micromotors with atomically smooth interfaces are introduced, which show fast light-driven and fuel-free propulsion (15 body-length s−1). Furthermore, the speed of ZnO/Pt micromotors is increased by ≈60% with a few atomic amorphous TiO2 photocatalyst interlayers. The new photocatalysts’ interfaces, i.e., ZnO/TiO2, provide type II heterojunctions, leading to an increase in the number of electron/hole pairs and then improving the electron transfer to Pt metal. This effective charge separation/transfer results in a faster electrophoretic motion of the novel ternary ZnO/TiO2/Pt micromotors. The concept of the type II heterojunction, which is well known in photocatalysis communities, is used in light-driven micromotors as a new approach and paves the way for the next-generation of faster fuel-free “green” micromotors.

Keywords

charge transport, interfaces, Janus micromotors, light-driven, type II heterojunctions

Authors

POURRAHIMI, A.; VILLA, K.; SOFER, Z.; PUMERA, M.

Released

1. 11. 2019

ISBN

2366-9608

Periodical

Small Methods

Year of study

3

Number

11

State

Federal Republic of Germany

Pages from

1900258

Pages to

1900258

Pages count

8

URL

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smtd.201900258

BibTex

@article{BUT158504,
  author="Amir Masoud {Pourrahimi} and Katherine {Villa} and Zdeněk {Sofer} and Martin {Pumera}",
  title="Light-Driven Sandwich ZnO/TiO2/Pt Janus Micromotors: Schottky Barrier Suppression by Addition of TiO2 Atomic Interface Layers into ZnO/Pt Micromachines Leading to Enhanced Fuel-Free Propulsion",
  journal="Small Methods",
  year="2019",
  volume="3",
  number="11",
  pages="1900258--1900258",
  doi="10.1002/smtd.201900258",
  issn="2366-9608",
  url="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/smtd.201900258"
}