Home›Cell Biology›Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO2-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition
Cell BiologyJoVE (Open Access)Citable · DOI
Preparation and Use of Photocatalytically Active Segmented Ag|ZnO and Coaxial TiO2-Ag Nanowires Made by Templated Electrodeposition
DOI: 10.3791/51547-v
What you'll learn
✓Prepare PCTE membranes and perform templated electrodeposition of segmented nanowires
✓Synthesize coaxial TiO2-Ag nanowires via sequential electrochemical deposition
✓Extract and characterize photocatalytic nanowires for hydrogen generation applications
✓Evaluate photocatalytic activity of metal oxide-metal composite nanowires
Protocol
Procedures are outlined to prepare segmented and coaxial nanowires via templated electrodeposition in nanopores. As examples, segmented nanowires consisting of Ag and ZnO segments, and coaxial nanowires consisting of a TiO2 shell and a Ag core were made. The nanowires were used in photocatalytic hydrogen formation experiments.
Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~3–5 days (including membrane preparation, multi-step electrodeposition, and photocatalytic testing)
Steps
1
Prepare polycarbonate track-etched membrane for electrodeposition
Set up and condition a PCTE membrane with nanopores as a template for templated electrodeposition of segmented and coaxial nanowires.
▶ 02:02
2
Electrodeposit silver segment in nanopores
Apply electrochemical deposition to form the Ag segment within the PCTE membrane nanopores using appropriate voltage and electrolyte conditions.
▶ 03:48
3
Electrodeposit zinc oxide segment sequentially
Switch electrolyte and apply electrodeposition to grow the ZnO segment adjacent to the Ag segment, creating a segmented nanowire structure.
▶ 04:36
4
Extract nanowires and transfer to aqueous solution
Dissolve the polycarbonate membrane to release nanowires and transfer them into an aqueous medium for subsequent applications and testing.