For conventional dye or quantum dot sensitized solar cells, which are fabricated using mesoporous films, the inefficient electron transport due to defects such as grain boundaries and surface traps is a major drawback. To simultaneously increase the carrier transport efficiency as well as the surface area, optimal-assembling of hierarchical nanostructures is an attractive approach. Here, a thre...

Oxide-supported single-atom Pt materials are prepared by combining surface organometallic chemisorption with atomic layer deposition (ALD). Here Pt is supported as a discrete monatomic “pincer” complex, stabilized by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) derived oxide overcoat, and then calcined at 400 °C under O2. ALD-derived Al2O3, TiO2, and ZnO overlayers are effective in suppressing Pt sintering...

The recent advances in nanotechnology and the corresponding popular usage of nanomaterials have resulted in uncertainties regarding their environmental impacts. In this study, we used a systematic approach to study and compare the in vitro cytotoxicity of selected engineered metal oxide nanoparticles to the test organisms--E. coli. Among the seven test nano-sized metal oxides, ZnO, CuO, Al2O3, ...

ZnO is an alternative to TiO2-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Adsorption of cis-rutheniumbis[2,20-bipyridine]-bis[4-thiopyridine] onto ZnO nanorods has been studied using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS and UPS). XPS indicates chemisorption with a surface density of ca. 1 10 molecules/cm, confirming the possibility of using thiol-terminated dyes for ZnO-based D...

We performed a comprehensive investigation of the toxicity of ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles using Escherichia coli as a model organism. Both materials are wide band gap n-type semiconductors and they can interact with lipopolysaccharide molecules present in the outer membrane of E. coli, as well as produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under UV illumination. Despite the similarities in their prope...

An innovative nanoscale ZnO/polybutadiene rubber composite (ZBRC) was developed as a valid alternative to TiO2 particles or immobilized TiO2 for the mineralization of chlorinated hydrocarbons without difficulties in the recovery of nanoscale photocatalyst particles. A synergistic increase in the removal of 1,1,2-trichloroethylene (TCE) through the coupled reaction processes (i.e., sorption, pho...

TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles are probably the first ones that have gained entrance to the market for their photocatalytic and UV-absorbent properties. As large volumes of these nanoparticles are required by the industry, the search for environmentally gentle processes for the synthesis of the same is also growing strong. Continuing our quest with the microorganism based synthesis of nanomaterials...

Ultrafast interfacial electron transfer in sensitized solar cells has mostly been probed by visible-to-terahertz radiation, which is sensitive to the free carriers in the conduction band of the semiconductor substrate. Here, we demonstrate the use of deep-ultraviolet continuum pulses to probe the interfacial electron transfer, by detecting a specific excitonic transition in both N719-sensitized...