Preparation And Photoelectrochemical Applications Of Cuprous Oxide/Metal-Organic Frameworks Hybrid Structure-Based Materials

Cuprous oxide (Cu20) is a unique p-type semiconductor with a relatively narrow bandgap (approximately 2.1 eV) which allows an effective absorption of visible light. Along with other benefits such as its low toxicity, eco-friendliness and readiness to obtain at a low cost, Cu2O has been considered as a promising material for solar energy conversion. For example, it has long been studied as a photoelectrode material for photovoltaic (PV) cell. Besides its ability to absorb sunlight, Cu2O also has a great potential in photocatalysis as its ideal band levels alignment meets the potential requirements for water splitting and CO2 reduction and it also has the ability to catalyze a broad range of organic reactions. As such, scientists are investing a great passion in exploring its photocatalytic (PC), electrocatalytic(EC) or photoelectrochemical (PEC) applications in water splitting and CO2 reduction. However, despite all those advantages listed, there are also significant drawbacks for this material including relatively poor stability and limited photoelectric conversion efficiency. In order to overcome these shortcomings, lots of efforts have been invested and plenty of strategies have been put forward (e. g., by mindfully designing hybrid composites or by placing protective layers over the surface of Cu2O). In this dissertation, our goal is aimed at providing a synthetic strategy for semiconductor/metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)composite, which in this case is a Cu20/ copper (II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate metal-organic framework (Cu-BTC) hybrid structure. Our experiments have been conducted to investigate its photoelectro-chemical properties and potential applications in related fields. The dissertation is mainly divided into four chapters:First, the advantages and shortcomings of Cu2O material are concluded. Then the commonly used strategies for improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of semiconductors are demonstrated by a few examples. In addition, the current progresses concerning PEC applications of Cu2O are summarized.Second, a synthetic method for Cu2O/Cu-BTC composite structure is provided, which is applied to prepare materials in the form of powder and thin-film electrodes. After that, their morphologies and optical/electrical properties have been studied, along with their application in PEC water splitting.Third, a creative concept is put forward to explore the possibility of utilizing these thin-film materials as glucose PEC detective electrodes. We have performed measurements to optimize the glucose detection parameters and compare the performance of different samples.The possible mechanism for glucose PEC detection by Cu2O-based materials has also been proposed.Last, the dissertation is summarized with the outcome of our research and its value for the future study of Cu2O-based materials in the field of PEC applications.