Understanding the light induced hydrophilicity of metal-oxide thin films

Rucha Anil Deshpande, Jesper Navne, Mathias Vadmand Adelmark, Evgeniy Shkondin, Andrea Crovetto, Ole Hansen, Julien Bachmann and Rafael Taboryski ()
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Rucha Anil Deshpande: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Jesper Navne: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Mathias Vadmand Adelmark: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Evgeniy Shkondin: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Andrea Crovetto: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Ole Hansen: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Julien Bachmann: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization
Rafael Taboryski: National Centre for Nano Fabrication and Characterization

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Photocatalytic effects resulting in water splitting, reduction of carbon dioxide to fuels using solar energy, decomposition of organic compounds, and light-induced hydrophilicity observed on surfaces of various metal oxides (MOx), all rely on the same basic physical mechanisms, and have attracted considerable interest over the past decades. TiO2 and ZnO, two natively n-type doped wide bandgap semiconductors exhibit the effects mentioned above. In this study we propose a model for the photo-induced hydrophilicity in MOx films, and we test the model for TiO2/Si and ZnO/Si heterojunctions. Experimentally, we employ a wet exposure technique whereby the MOx surface is exposed to UV light while a water droplet is sitting on the surface, which allows for a continuous recording of contact angles during illumination. The proposed model and the experimental techniques allow a determination of minority carrier diffusion lengths by contact angle measurements and suggest design rules for materials exhibiting photocatalytic hydrophilicity. We expect that this methodology can be extended to improve our physical understanding of other photocatalytic surface effects.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44603-2

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