Correlation of electron transport and photocatalysis of nanocrystalline clusters studied by Monte-Carlo continuity random walking

Abstract

In this research, Monte-Carlo Continuity Random Walking (MC-RW) model was used to study the relation between electron transport and photocatalysis of nano-crystalline (nc) clusters. The effects of defect energy disorder, spatial disorder of material structure, electron density, and interfacial transfer/recombination on the electron transport and the photocatalysis were studied. Photocatalytic activity is defined as 1/τ from a statistical viewpoint with τ being the electron average lifetime. Based on the MC-RW simulation, a clear physical and chemical “picture” was given for the photocatalytic kinetic analysis of nc-clusters. It is shown that the increase of defect energy disorder and material spatial structural disorder, such as the decrease of defect trap number, the increase of crystallinity, the increase of particle size, and the increase of inter-particle connection, can enhance photocatalytic activity through increasing electron transport ability. The increase of electron density increases the electron Fermi level, which decreases the activation energy for electron de-trapping from traps to extending states, and correspondingly increases electron transport ability and photocatalytic activity. Reducing recombination of electrons and holes can increase electron transport through the increase of electron density and then increases the photocatalytic activity. In addition to the electron transport, the increase of probability for electrons to undergo photocatalysis can increase photocatalytic activity through the increase of the electron interfacial transfer speed.