Titania (TiO2) nanotubular photoelectrodes are a competitive component of titania-based photoelectrochemical water splitting systems. However, TiO2 actively absorbs light in the UV region, which limits its usefulness in solar water splitting, a fast-growing clean energy alternative. In this study, the structural, morphological and optical properties of CuO/TiO2 nanostructures on conductive transparent F-doped SnO2 (FTO) coated glass substrates are engineered for potential application in solar water splitting. The efficacy of a three-step anodization synthesis process to develop free-standing high-fidelity nanotubular TiO2 thin films is demonstrated. CuO nanoblades were deposited on TiO2/FTO by a successive ionic layer adsorption reaction (SILAR). An increase in the precursor concentration and number of immersion cycles influenced the adsorption of CuO and the resultant red shift in the absorption range. SEM and TEM analyses confirm the formation of a heterostructure, with evidence of CuO nanostructures within the TiO2 nanotubular arrays and on the top of the tubes.
Understanding the structure–property relationship in complex magnetic oxides is crucial for developing new magnetic materials. In this study, we synthesized LaSrFeO Ruddlesden–Popper oxide using spray-pyrolysis method. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra revealed two Fe-associated lines: a broad line indicating short-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) order, disappearing at 375 K, and a narrow line due to the presence of superparamagnetic phase. The magnetic moment from the linewidth’s temperature dependence was A m2. EPR intensity analysis estimated the superparamagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase ratio at 0.014 0.004.
Using density-functional theory with Agapito–Curtarolo–Buongiorno–Nardelli (ACBN0) pseudo-hybrid functional including self-consistent Hubbard correction, we calculated the density of states for two La/Sr atomic distributions. The calculations show that a uniform La/Sr distribution perturbs 2D symmetry of Fe 3 states, which can contribute to the observed lowering of the critical exponent for the magnetically ordered phase. These results highlight the impact of La/Sr distribution on LaSrFeO’s properties.
Utilization of micromagnetic simulation is a very attractive subject to understand the magnetic behavior of nanowire arrays that tune their geometrical features and magnetic properties. Here, the micromagnetic simulations utilize to investigation of the single, and a 3 × 3 array of iron nanowires with diameters from 30 to 60 nm. The diameter size and the distance between the wires are selected according to the fabrication of iron nanowires grown in alumina templates. The simulation indicated that an increase in diameter led to a decrease in the coercive field and squareness ratio in both single nanowires and nanowire arrays. Besides, the simulation discloses that the magnetization reversal process of the nanowires with diameters more than 42 nm occurs through the nucleation and propagation of vortex domain walls. In the nanowires array, an increase in wire diameter increases the number of jumps in the hysteresis loop, indicating a more magnetic interaction between the nanowires.