Browsing by Author "Ganesan, R."

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All that Glitters Is Not Gold: A Probe into Photocatalytic Nitrate Reduction Mechanism over Noble Metal Doped and Undoped TiO2
(2017) Challagulla, S.; Tarafder, K.; Ganesan, R.; Roy, S.
Photocatalytic reduction of aqueous nitrate has been thoroughly studied over noble metals doped and pristine TiO2 synthesized by a customized single step microwave assisted hydrothermal method. The synthesized catalysts are systematically characterized using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and PL measurements. The characterization reveals the successful synthesis of highly crystalline doped and undoped nano-TiO2. The photocatalytic rate of aqueous nitrate reduction over undoped TiO2 is found to be higher than that of noble metal doped TiO2. Mechanistic studies of the photocatalytic reduction are carried out with the help of different hole (oxalic acid, and methanol) and electron (sodium persulfate) scavengers, which reveal that the photogenerated electrons are the primary agents toward efficient nitrate photoreduction. Detailed studies have revealed that the noble metal doping in TiO2 helps in efficient photogeneration of H2 compared to the undoped analogue, however, the in situ produced H2 is found to be inefficient in reducing NO3-. The conduction band position from first principle calculations with respect to the nitrate and hydrogen reduction potentials derived from cyclic voltammetry provide insights to the electron transfer process in determining the reaction pathway. 2017 American Chemical Society.
All that Glitters Is Not Gold: A Probe into Photocatalytic Nitrate Reduction Mechanism over Noble Metal Doped and Undoped TiO2
(American Chemical Society service@acs.org, 2017) Challagulla, S.; Tarafder, K.; Ganesan, R.; Roy, S.
Photocatalytic reduction of aqueous nitrate has been thoroughly studied over noble metals doped and pristine TiO2 synthesized by a customized single step microwave assisted hydrothermal method. The synthesized catalysts are systematically characterized using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and PL measurements. The characterization reveals the successful synthesis of highly crystalline doped and undoped nano-TiO2. The photocatalytic rate of aqueous nitrate reduction over undoped TiO2 is found to be higher than that of noble metal doped TiO2. Mechanistic studies of the photocatalytic reduction are carried out with the help of different hole (oxalic acid, and methanol) and electron (sodium persulfate) scavengers, which reveal that the photogenerated electrons are the primary agents toward efficient nitrate photoreduction. Detailed studies have revealed that the noble metal doping in TiO2 helps in efficient photogeneration of H2 compared to the undoped analogue, however, the in situ produced H2 is found to be inefficient in reducing NO3-. The conduction band position from first principle calculations with respect to the nitrate and hydrogen reduction potentials derived from cyclic voltammetry provide insights to the electron transfer process in determining the reaction pathway. © 2017 American Chemical Society.
Controlled growth of 1D-ZnO nanotubes using one-step hot plate technique for CZTS heterojunction solar cells
(2020) Varadharajaperumal, S.; Alagarasan, D.; Ganesan, R.; Satyanarayan, M.N.; Hegde, G.
Present work reports a simple, rapid, one-step hot plate technique for systematic growth transformation of highly oriented ZnO nanorods (ZNRs) into ZnO nanotubes (ZNTs). The controlled growth of ZnO nanostructures (nanorods and nanotubes) was achieved at low temperature (90 C) in a short time (1hr) in a sealed weighing bottle (100 ml). It is observed that as the Zinc precursor concentration increases, a vertically grown ZnR morphology evolves into ZNT. The crystal structure of as-grown ZnO nanostructures, surface morphology, phase, and optical energy gap were respectively characterized by XRD, FESEM, Raman, XPS, CL and UV Vis spectroscopy. Grown nanostructures are further explored for their application in CZTS based heterojunction photovoltaics. 2019
Controlled growth of 1D-ZnO nanotubes using one-step hot plate technique for CZTS heterojunction solar cells
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Varadharajaperumal, S.; Alagarasan, D.; Ganesan, R.; Satyanarayan, M.N.; Hegde, G.
Present work reports a simple, rapid, one-step hot plate technique for systematic growth transformation of highly oriented ZnO nanorods (ZNRs) into ZnO nanotubes (ZNTs). The controlled growth of ZnO nanostructures (nanorods and nanotubes) was achieved at low temperature (90 °C) in a short time (1hr) in a sealed weighing bottle (100 ml). It is observed that as the Zinc precursor concentration increases, a vertically grown ZnR morphology evolves into ZNT. The crystal structure of as-grown ZnO nanostructures, surface morphology, phase, and optical energy gap were respectively characterized by XRD, FESEM, Raman, XPS, CL and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Grown nanostructures are further explored for their application in CZTS based heterojunction photovoltaics. © 2019
Morphology controlled n-type TiO2 and stoichiometry adjusted p-type Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films for photovoltaic applications
(2017) Varadharajaperumal, S.; Sripan, C.; Ganesan, R.; Hegde, G.; Satyanarayan, M.N.
This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of stoichiometry adjusted Cu2Zn1.5Sn1.2S4.4 thin film (FTO/TiO2/CdS/CZTS/Au) photovoltaic (PV) devices. The PV devices were developed using the window layer of rutile TiO2 nanoarchitecture arrays, i.e., one-dimensional (1D) nanorods and three-dimensional (3D) combined/ hierarchical structures (nanorods with microspheres). Onedimensional (1D) nanorods and 3D combined structures of TiO2 window layers were synthesized by a hydrothermal method with different solvents without any assistance of surfactants and templates. We achieved two kinds of TiO2 nanostructures by tuning the precursor concentrations and volume by keeping a constant growth time and temperature. The detailed structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Phase formation and chemical state of the prepared samples were examined by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology and luminescence studies of TiO2 nanostructures were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence techniques. The current-voltage performance of fabricated devices were measured under an AM 1.5 solar simulator. It is observed that combined structure PV device shows better efficiency (1.45%) than the nanorods alone structure (0.55%). Present work is a first attempt made to construct the inverted CZTS based solar cells. This study establishes the window layer of hierarchical TiO2 nanostructures based morphology that offers a great potential for the development of high-efficiency nonstoichiometric CZTS based solar cells. 2017 American Chemical Society.
Morphology controlled n-type TiO2 and stoichiometry adjusted p-type Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films for photovoltaic applications
(American Chemical Society, 2017) Varadharajaperumal, S.; Sripan, C.; Ganesan, R.; Hegde, G.; Satyanarayana, M.N.
This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of stoichiometry adjusted Cu2Zn1.5Sn1.2S4.4 thin film (FTO/TiO2/CdS/CZTS/Au) photovoltaic (PV) devices. The PV devices were developed using the window layer of rutile TiO2 nanoarchitecture arrays, i.e., one-dimensional (1D) nanorods and three-dimensional (3D) combined/ hierarchical structures (nanorods with microspheres). Onedimensional (1D) nanorods and 3D combined structures of TiO2 window layers were synthesized by a hydrothermal method with different solvents without any assistance of surfactants and templates. We achieved two kinds of TiO2 nanostructures by tuning the precursor concentrations and volume by keeping a constant growth time and temperature. The detailed structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Phase formation and chemical state of the prepared samples were examined by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology and luminescence studies of TiO2 nanostructures were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence techniques. The current-voltage performance of fabricated devices were measured under an AM 1.5 solar simulator. It is observed that combined structure PV device shows better efficiency (1.45%) than the nanorods alone structure (0.55%). Present work is a first attempt made to construct the inverted CZTS based solar cells. This study establishes the window layer of hierarchical TiO2 nanostructures based morphology that offers a great potential for the development of high-efficiency nonstoichiometric CZTS based solar cells. © 2017 American Chemical Society.
Structure sensitive photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes over TiO2
(2017) Challagulla, S.; Tarafder, K.; Ganesan, R.; Roy, S.
It is a subject of exploration whether the phase pure anatase or rutile TiO2 or the band alignment due to the heterojunctions in the two polymorphs of TiO2 plays the determining role in efficacy of a photocatalytic reaction. In this work, the phase pure anatase and rutile TiO2 have been explored for photocatalytic nitroarenes reduction to understand the role of surface structures and band alignment towards the reduction mechanism. The conduction band of synthesized anatase TiO2 has been found to be more populated with electrons of higher energy than that of synthesized rutile. This has given the anatase an edge towards photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes over rutile TiO2. The other factors like adsorption of the reactants and the proton generation did not play any decisive role in catalytic efficacy. 2017 The Author(s).
Structure sensitive photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes over TiO2
(Nature Publishing Group Houndmills Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, 2017) Challagulla, S.; Tarafder, K.; Ganesan, R.; Roy, S.
It is a subject of exploration whether the phase pure anatase or rutile TiO2 or the band alignment due to the heterojunctions in the two polymorphs of TiO2 plays the determining role in efficacy of a photocatalytic reaction. In this work, the phase pure anatase and rutile TiO2 have been explored for photocatalytic nitroarenes reduction to understand the role of surface structures and band alignment towards the reduction mechanism. The conduction band of synthesized anatase TiO2 has been found to be more populated with electrons of higher energy than that of synthesized rutile. This has given the anatase an edge towards photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes over rutile TiO2. The other factors like adsorption of the reactants and the proton generation did not play any decisive role in catalytic efficacy. © 2017 The Author(s).
Toxic-free surface level sulphur doped 1D Ti-Ox-Sy nanorods for superstrate heterojunction CZTS thin-film solar cells
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Varadharajaperumal, S.; Alagarasan, D.; Sripan, C.; Ganesan, R.; Satyanarayan, M.N.; Hegde, G.
Surface level sulphur (S) doped TiO2 nanorods (S-TNRs) were fabricated via toxic-free novel three-step processes such as low-temperature hydrothermal method followed by thermal evaporation (S layer) and post-annealing (350 °C, 450 °C and 550 °C) techniques. Present work focuses on the comprehensive studies of surface level doping, structure, morphology and compositional properties of different temperature annealed S-TNRs for CZTS thin-film (Au/CZTS/S-TNRs/TNRs/FTO) solar cells. The oxidation states of incorporated S atoms in the TiO2 matrix were identified from X-ray photoelector spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. A reduction in bandgap for 350 °C annealed S-TNRs film was observed from UV-Vis spectroscopy. The electrical characteristics showed the fabricated solar cells strongly depend on the S-TNRs annealing temperature. Proposed technique would be useful in effective and controlled (surface level) doping of S atoms into any desired nanostructured metal oxides for optoelectronic applications and, further useful in fabricating cadmium (Cd) free buffer layer in chalcogenide solar cells. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd