Materials for electrocatalysis and photoelectrochemical solar fuels applications are often constructed with a rationally-chosen hierarchical organization of functional components. The synthesis of these materials in research-scale systems regularly rely on techniques borrowed from semiconductor fabrication, such as photolithography, electron-beam lithography, reactive ion etching, and metal evaporation. While useful in scientific research, these approaches are generally cost prohibitive for scaling up efficient structural motifs. There is a need to develop new methods that translate high-performance mesoscale structuring derived from research prototypes to scalable hierarchical structures. Here, we describe recent efforts to fabricate hierarchically structured noble metal interfaces via the direct photolithography of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin films using photoelectrodeposition. Galvanic replacement reactions (GRR) can be used to modify the surface with other metals like Au or Ag. In this talk, we will describe experiments that address the chemical mechanism for GRR on Cu2O. We will also outline efforts to explore the ability to direct GRR on the micro- and nanoscale through photopatterning of sacrificial Cu2O thin films. This provides a facile, benchtop approach to the fabrication of structured electrochemical interfaces.

Control of galvanic replacement reactions on electrodeposited cuprous oxide thin-films for rationally structured electrocatalytic interfaces

2019 Fall National Meeting

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