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Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties
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Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 11568

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Martin Motola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department in Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: photocatalysis; photoelectrochemistry; nanomaterials; energy storage; fuel cells; surfaces and interfaces

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue deals with the current trends including theoretical calculations, synthesis techniques, and advanced applications of surfaces. As known, surface science studies physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of different phases including solid–solid, solid–liquid, solid–gas, solid–vacuum, and liquid–gas interfaces. Surface science encompasses concepts including catalysis, (photo)electrochemistry, geochemistry, device fabrication, fuel cells, self-assembled layers, protective layers, and adhesives. Nowadays, it is crucial to vary the properties of materials using controlled surface engineering for advanced applications of surfaces. Indeed, optimization of thermal, magnetic, electronic, mechanical, chemical, and optical materials’ properties can be obtained via the interface control.

The theme of this Special Issue broadly includes (but is not limited to):

  • Physical, chemical, and biological phenomena at surface and interface
  • Nanostructured surfaces and interfaces
  • Surface science of electro- and photo-catalysis
  • Deposition and growth
  • Functional surfaces and interfaces
  • Surface modification of materials for advanced applications
  • Novel experimental techniques for preparation of surfaces and interfaces
  • Theoretical contributions in surfaces and interfaces

We look forward to original research and review articles as well as short communications, both theoretical and experimental, for this Special Issue entitled “Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties”.

Dr. Martin Motola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 5066 KiB  
Article
Kinetic Analysis of Oxygen Evolution on Spin-Coated Thin-Film Electrodes via Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
by Yu-Wei Lin, Yi-Syuan Li, Chun-Wei Chang, Li-Cheng Huang, Tai-Hsin Yin, Yu-Ting Liu, Dong Kyoo Park, Changsik Choi and YongMan Choi
Coatings 2023, 13(11), 1957; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13111957 - 16 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1248
Abstract
Sustainable and renewable energy technologies have attracted significant attention for reducing greenhouse emissions in the shift from fossil fuels. The production of green hydrogen from water electrolysis is considered an environmentally friendly strategy for a decarbonized economy. We examine the activities of the [...] Read more.
Sustainable and renewable energy technologies have attracted significant attention for reducing greenhouse emissions in the shift from fossil fuels. The production of green hydrogen from water electrolysis is considered an environmentally friendly strategy for a decarbonized economy. We examine the activities of the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) using spin-coated thin-film electrodes with Pt/C and IrO2 nano-electrocatalysts under acidic conditions. The nano-electrocatalysts are characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The electrocatalytic activities of nanoscale Pt/C and IrO2 are close to those of commercial Pt/C and superior to commercial IrO2, resulting in improved overall water splitting performance. Furthermore, the OER kinetics analysis using the IrO2 electrode is conducted using EIS measurements with distribution of relaxation time (DRT) analysis, resulting in a comparable exchange current density to that from the Tafel slope method (6.7 × 10−2 mA/cm2 versus 5.1 × 10−2 mA/cm2), demonstrating the validity of the kinetics analysis. This work provides a general strategy for preparing novel and highly active OER electrode materials for water electrolysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties)
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15 pages, 3036 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Sputtered and Evaporated Vanadium Pentoxide Thin Films for Resistive Microbolometer Application
by Nimra Saeed, Saad Akhtar, Muhammad Bilal Hanif, Sajid Hussain, Salahuddin Dogar, Zia-ur-Rehman, Farrukh Aziz Bhatti, Michał Mosiałek, Bogna Daria Napruszewska, Martin Motola and Abdul Faheem Khan
Coatings 2022, 12(12), 1942; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12121942 - 9 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1556
Abstract
V2O5 thin films have made impressive progress in the development of resistive microbolometers. The challenging parameters for microbolometers are the active material selection and the deposition methods. It might be a more promising way to achieve a good performance of [...] Read more.
V2O5 thin films have made impressive progress in the development of resistive microbolometers. The challenging parameters for microbolometers are the active material selection and the deposition methods. It might be a more promising way to achieve a good performance of the devices. The present work deals with the V2O5 thin films fabricated on soda lime glass substrates by using e-beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering techniques at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. Afterward, samples were annealed at 300 and 400 °C for 1 h to obtain uniform and stoichiometric thin films. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) showed that the thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering were amorphous in nature, even after annealing at elevated temperatures; however, the thin films fabricated by the electron beam evaporation technique show crystalline nature, which was improved by annealing. XRD also revealed various mixed phases of VOx in electron beam-deposited films. Optical properties were determined using UV-Visible spectroscopy, which showed a decrease in transmittance from 81% down to 57% by increasing the annealing temperature. Similarly, the band gap calculated for electron beam evaporated and magnetron sputtered V2O5 thin films was observed in the range of 1.41 to 2.25 eV. Rutherford backscattering (RBS) was performed to determine the thickness and composition of the films. Slight variations have been observed in intended and deposited thicknesses of films fabricated by e-beam and sputtering techniques. Structural properties revealed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) were found to be the uniform, compact and dense surface of the as-deposited and 300 °C annealed samples. However, annealing at 400 °C changed the surface morphology into nanorods in e-beam and plate-like structures in the sputtered film. EDS proved the elemental concentration of vanadium and oxygen in these V2O5 thin films. Electrical properties were investigated using the Hall measurement technique which showed better conductivity of sputtered films than e-beam deposited films. It can be concluded that the cost-effective and reliable microbolometers infrared (IR) sensors can be fabricated using annealed sputtered films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties)
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12 pages, 2490 KiB  
Article
Electrodeposition of Copper Oxides as Cost-Effective Heterojunction Photoelectrode Materials for Solar Water Splitting
by Tai-Hsin Yin, Bu-Jine Liu, Yu-Wei Lin, Yi-Syuan Li, Chih-Wei Lai, Yu-Pin Lan, Changsik Choi, Han-Chen Chang and YongMan Choi
Coatings 2022, 12(12), 1839; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12121839 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3094
Abstract
Photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen production is crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions for carbon neutrality and meeting energy demands. Pivotal advances in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting have been achieved by increasing solar light absorption. P-type Cu-based metal oxide materials have a wide range of energy [...] Read more.
Photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen production is crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions for carbon neutrality and meeting energy demands. Pivotal advances in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting have been achieved by increasing solar light absorption. P-type Cu-based metal oxide materials have a wide range of energy band gaps and outstanding band edges for PEC water splitting. In this study, we first prepared Cu2O thin films using electrodeposition and fabricated a heterojunction structure of CuO/Cu2O by controlling annealing temperatures. The surface morphological, optical, and electrochemical properties were characterized using various analytical tools. X-ray and Raman spectroscopic approaches were used to verify the heterojunction of CuO/Cu2O, while surface analyses revealed surface roughness changes in thin films as the annealing temperatures increased. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic measurements in conjunction with the Mott–Schottky analysis confirm that the CuO/Cu2O heterojunction thin film can boost photocurrent generation (1.03 mA/cm2 at 0 V vs. RHE) via enhanced light absorption, a higher carrier density, and a higher flat band potential than CuO and Cu2O thin films (0.92 and 0.08 mA/cm2, respectively). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties)
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12 pages, 3580 KiB  
Article
Porous vs. Nanotubular Anodic TiO2: Does the Morphology Really Matters for the Photodegradation of Caffeine?
by Muhammad Bilal Hanif, Marcel Sihor, Viktoriia Liapun, Hryhorii Makarov, Olivier Monfort and Martin Motola
Coatings 2022, 12(7), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12071002 - 16 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2621
Abstract
Herein, the preparation of nanotubular and porous TiO2 structures (TNS) is presented for photocatalytic applications. Different TNS were prepared in three different types of glycerol- and ethylene glycol-based electrolytes on a large area (approx. 20 cm2) via anodization using different [...] Read more.
Herein, the preparation of nanotubular and porous TiO2 structures (TNS) is presented for photocatalytic applications. Different TNS were prepared in three different types of glycerol- and ethylene glycol-based electrolytes on a large area (approx. 20 cm2) via anodization using different conditions (applied potential, fluoride concentration). Morphology, structure, and optical properties of TNS were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), respectively. All TNS possess optical band-gap energy (EBG) in the range from 3.1 eV to 3.2 eV. Photocatalytic degradation of caffeine was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of TNS. Overall, nanotubular TiO2 possessed enhanced degradation efficiencies (up to 50% degradation) compared to those of porous TiO2 (up to 30% degradation). This is due to the unique properties of nanotubular TiO2, e.g., improved incident light utilization. As the anodization of large areas is, nowadays, becoming a trend, we show that both nanotubular and porous TiO2 are promising for their use in photocatalysis and could be potentially applicable in photoreactors for wastewater treatment. We believe this present work can be the foundation for future development of efficient TiO2 nanostructures for industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties)
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11 pages, 3188 KiB  
Article
Intrinsic Properties and Future Perspective of HfO2/V2O5/HfO2 Multi-Layer Thin Films via E-Beam Evaporation as a Transparent Heat Mirror
by Daniyal Asif Cheema, Muhammad Osama Danial, Muhammad Bilal Hanif, Abdulaziz Salem Alghamdi, Mohamed Ramadan, Abdul Khaliq, Abdul Faheem Khan, Tayyab Subhani and Martin Motola
Coatings 2022, 12(4), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12040448 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2244
Abstract
HfO2 and V2O5 as multi-layer thin films are discussed for their potential use as transparent heat mirrors. Multi-layered HfO2/V2O5/HfO2 thin films with a thickness of 100/60/100 nm were prepared via e-beam evaporation [...] Read more.
HfO2 and V2O5 as multi-layer thin films are discussed for their potential use as transparent heat mirrors. Multi-layered HfO2/V2O5/HfO2 thin films with a thickness of 100/60/100 nm were prepared via e-beam evaporation on a soda–lime glass substrate. Rutherford backscattering confirmed the multi-layer structure with uniform surface. The as-deposited thin films were annealed at 300 °C and 400 °C, respectively, for 1 h in air. The transmittance of approximately 90% was obtained for all thin films. Due to the relatively low thickness and non-stoichiometry of HfO2, a band gap of approximately 3.25 eV was determined (instead of the theoretical 5.3–5.7 eV). The as-deposited thin films possessed conductivity of approximately 0.2 Ω−1cm−1 and increased to 1 Ω−1cm−1 and 2 Ω−1cm−1 for thin films annealed at 300 and 400 °C, respectively. Due to the unique intrinsic properties of HfO2/V2O5/HfO2 thin films, the results obtained are promising for application as a transparent heat mirror. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electrochemical Surface Properties)
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