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Akira Fujishima

Publications and source records attributed to Akira Fujishima.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Double-layered TiO2-SiO2 nanostructured films with self-cleaning and antireflective properties.

Dual function of self-cleaning and antireflection can be created in double-layered TiO2-SiO2 nanostructured films. The film were prepared by (1) layer-by-layer deposition of multilayered SiO2 nanoparticles with polydiallyldimethylammonium (PDDA) cations, (2) layer-by-layer deposition of multilayered titanate nanosheets with polications on PDDA/SiO2 multilayer films, and (3) burning out the polymer and converting titanate nanosheets into TiO2 by hearing at 500 degrees C. The as-prepared films, consisting of a porous SiO2 bottom layer and a dense TiO2 top layer, improved the transmittance of glass or quartz substrates, as demonstrated by transmission spectra collected at normal incidence. The photocatalytic properties of the films were studied by the change of the water contact angle together with the decay of the IR absorption of the hydrocarbon chain of octadecylphosphonic-acid-modified films under 2.6 mW cm-2 UV illumination. Both the antireflective and the photocatalytic properties of the films were dependent on the number of PDDA/nanosheet bilayers deposited. however, excellent surface wettability of the films for water was obtained, independent of the preparation conditions. The experimental findings are discussed in terms of the special structure of the double-layered nanostructured film.

Catalysis↗
PubMed2006

Selective detection method derived from a controlled diffusion process at metal-modified diamond electrodes.

A novel, selective methodology is derived based on the difference between the diffusion processes at microelectrodes (i.e., hemispherical diffusion) and the macroelectrode (i.e., linear diffusion) in a metal-implanted boron-doped diamond electrode (metal-BDDs). As an example, the selective detection of glucose in a solution containing interference species such as ascorbic acid and uric acid is demonstrated. The electrochemical properties of BDD, which are low background current, extremely high stability, and (especially) inactivity toward glucose, play an important role in realizing these differences in the diffusion characteristics. The present methodology can be applied not only to selective glucose detection by the metal-BDD system but also to other selective detection systems.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed2006

Preparation and photocatalytic wettability conversion of TiO2-based superhydrophobic surfaces.

We present here a facile method for the preparation of TiO2-based superhydrophobic surfaces. It consists of two steps: (1) roughening of the TiO2 surface with a rf (radio frequency) plasma with CF4 as an etchant and (2) modification of the roughened TiO2 surface with an octadodecylphosphonic acid (ODP) monolayer. Plasma etching caused the thinning of the TiO2 film but at the same time enhanced its surface roughness. A discontinuous wedgelike surface microtexture was formed after etching for 30 s, which, after modification with a monolayer of ODP, showed Cassie-type water super-repellency with a contact angle (CA) hysteresis smaller than 2 degrees . The state of water super-repellency (water CA >165 degrees) could be converted to the state of superhydrophilicity (water CA approximately 0 degrees) by means of ultraviolet (UV) illumination as a result of the photocatalytic decomposition of the ODP monolayer by TiO2. Readsorption of ODP molecules leads directly to the recovery of water super-repellency.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Electrochemical detection of arsenic(III) using iridium-implanted boron-doped diamond electrodes.

Iridium-modified, boron-doped diamond electrodes fabricated by an ion implantation method have been developed for electrochemical detection of arsenite (As(III)). Ir+ ions were implanted with an energy of 800 keV and a dose of 10(15) ion cm(-2). An annealing treatment at 850 degrees C for 45 min in H2 plasma (80 Torr) was required to rearrange metastable diamond produced by an implantation process. Characterization was investigated by SEM, AFM, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry and flow injection analysis with amperometric detection were used to study the electrochemical reaction. The electrodes exhibited high catalytic activity toward As(III) oxidation with the detection limit (S/N = 3), sensitivity, and linearity of 20 nM (1.5 ppb), 93 nA microM(-1) cm(-2), and 0.999, respectively. The precision for 10 replicate determinations of 50 microM As(III) was 4.56% relative standard deviation. The advantageous properties of the electrodes were its inherent stability with a very low background current. The electrode was applicable for analysis of spiked arsenic in tap water containing a significant amount of various ion elements. The results indicate that the metal-implanted method could be promising for controlling the electrochemical properties of diamond electrodes.

Arsenites↗
PubMed2006

Electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid at highly boron-doped diamond electrodes.

Electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid has been investigated at bare, highly boron-doped diamond electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry and flow injection analysis with amperometric detection were used to study the electrochemical reaction. Hydrogen-terminated diamonds exhibited well-defined peaks of oxalic acid oxidation in a wide pH range. A good linear response was observed for a concentration range from 50 nM to 10 microM, with an estimated detection limit of approximately 0.5 nM (S/N = 3). In contrast, oxygen-terminated diamonds showed no response for oxalic acid oxidation inside the potential window, indicating that surface termination contributed highly to the control of the oxidation reaction. An investigation with glassy carbon electrodes was conducted to confirm the surface termination effect on oxalic acid oxidation. Although a hydrogen-terminated glassy carbon electrode showed an enhancement of signal-to-background ratio in comparison with untreated glassy carbon, less stability of the current responses was observed than that at hydrogen-terminated diamond.

Boron↗
PubMed2006

Inverse Mopho butterfly: a new approach to photonic crystal.

In this paper we showed a new approach for the fabrication of a photonic crystal with a three-dimensional structure. By replicating biomaterials such as the wing of Mopho butterfly with TiO2 nanoparticles using the nanoparticles infiltration method, we can derive photonic crystals with unique structures, which is difficult to fabricate by other approaches. New optical properties are anticipated.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Photoelectrochemical behavior of Nb-doped TiO2 electrodes.

The photoelectrochemical behavior of degenerate Nb-doped TiO2 (Ti(1-x)Nb(x)O2: x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.1) electrodes prepared by pulsed laser deposition on LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) was examined, revealing that an increase in Nb concentration causes a significant decay of titania photoactivity. One reason for such behavior may be a Burstein-Moss effect, which leads to a blue shift of the spectral limit of photoactivity. Another reason typical for metal-doped photocatalysts is the increase of the efficiency of charge carrier recombination.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Tunable photonic band gap crystals based on a liquid crystal-infiltrated inverse opal structure.

Composite materials comprised of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and SiO(2) inverse opal films were fabricated. Their optical properties were quite different from those of inverse opal films without the LCs. The optical properties could be controlled by changing the refractive indices of the LCs, which vary with orientation, phase, and temperature. In particular, the optical properties were drastically changed by thermal or photoinduced isothermal phase transitions of the LCs. This means that the photonic band structure could be controlled, and tunable photonic crystals have been achieved, based on the inverse opal structure. The mechanism of this change was investigated by the evaluation of the effective refractive indices. As a result, it was found that the change in optical properties was derived from the orientation of the LC molecules in the voids in the inverse opal film. Furthermore, once the mechanism was understood, it was also possible to control the position of the reflection peak by changing the alignment of the LCs. Such materials have the possibility for practical use in optical devices and fundamental research systems.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Microchip capillary electrophoresis with a boron-doped diamond electrode for rapid separation and detection of purines.

Microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode has been employed for the separation and detection of several purines and purine-containing compounds. The BDD end-channel amperometric detector offers favorable signal-to-noise (S/N) characteristics at the high detection potential (+ 1.3 V) essential for detecting purine-related compounds. Factors influencing the separation and detection processes were examined and optimized. Five purines (guanine, hypoxanthine, guanosine, xanthine, and uric acid) have been separated within 6 min at a separation voltage of 1000V using a borate/phosphate run buffer (pH 8.2). Linear calibration plots are observed for micromolar concentrations of the purine compounds. Good stability and reproducibility (R.S.D. < 5%) are obtained reflecting the minimal adsorption of purines at the BDD surface. Applicability for the detection of nucleosides, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides is illustrated. The new microchip protocol offers great promise for a wide range of bioanalytical applications involving assays of purines and purine-containing compounds.

Diamond↗
PubMed2004

Microchip capillary electrophoresis with a boron-doped diamond electrochemical detector for analysis of aromatic amines.

The attractive features of a boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin-film detector for microchip capillary electrophoretic (CE) separations of dye-related amino-substituted aromatic compounds are described. The diamond electrode was employed in the end-column amperometric detection of 4-aminophenol (4-AP), 1,2-phenylenediamine (1,2-PDA), 2-aminonaphthalene (2-AN), 2-chloroaniline (2-CA), and o-aminobenzoic acid (o-ABA), and its attractive behavior was compared to commonly used screen-printed carbon and glassy-carbon electrodes. These conventional electrode materials exhibit a significant degree of passivation and low sensitivity to the above-mentioned environmental pollutants. The diamond-based electrochemical detection system displayed a favorable analytical performance, including lower noise levels, higher peak resolution with enhanced sensitivity, and improved resistance against electrode passivation. Factors influencing the on-chip analysis were assessed and optimized. The diamond detector displayed detection limits of 2.0 and 1.3 microM for 4-AP and 2-AN, respectively, and a wide linear response for these compounds over the 2-50 microM range. The enhanced stability was demonstrated by relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 1.4% and 4.7% for 100 microM 1,2-PDA and 200 microM 2-CA, respectively, for repetitive detections (n = 7). Besides, the simultaneously observed current decrease was 2.4 and 9.1% for 1,2-PDA and 2-CA, respectively (compared to 21.8 and 41.0% at the screen-printed carbon electrode and 28.3 and 34.1% at the glassy carbon electrode, respectively). The favorable properties of the diamond electrode indicate great promise for environmental applications in CE and other microchip devices.

Amines↗
PubMed2003

Microchip capillary electrophoresis coupled with a boron-doped diamond electrode-based electrochemical detector.

The attractive behavior and advantages of a diamond electrode detector for a micromachined capillary electrophoresis (CE) system are discussed. A chemically vapor-deposited boron-doped diamond (BDD) film band (0.3 x 6.0 mm) electrode is used for end-column amperomettic detection. The favorable performance of the diamond electrode microchip detector is indicated from comparison to a commonly used thick-film carbon detector. The diamond electrode offers enhanced sensitivity, lower noise levels, and sharper peaks for several groups of important anaytes (nitroaromatic explosives, organophosphate nerve agents, phenols). The favorable signal-to-background characteristics of the BDD-based CE detector are coupled with a greatly improved resistance to surface fouling and greater isolation from high separation voltages. The enhanced stability is indicated from a RSD of 0.8% for 60 repetitive measurements of 5 ppm 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (vs RSD of 10.8% at the thick-film carbon electrode). A highly linear response is obtained for the explosives 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene over the 200-1,400 ppb range, with detection limits of 70 and 110 ppb, respectively. Factors influencing the performance of the BDD detector are assessed and optimized. The attractive properties of BDD make it very promising material for electrochemical detection in CE microchip systems and other micromachined flow analyzers.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed2003

Application of diamond microelectrodes for end-column electrochemical detection in capillary electrophoresis.

Highly boron-doped diamond microelectrodes were employed in an end-column electrochemical detector for capillary electrophoresis (CE). The diamond microline electrodes were fabricated from conducting diamond thin films (exposed surface area, 300 x 50 microm), and their analytical performance as CE detectors was evaluated in a laboratory-made CE installation. The CE-ED system exhibited high separation efficiency for the detection of several catecholamines, including dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (E), with excellent analytical performance, for example, 155,000 theoretical plates for DA. The diamond-based electrochemical detection system also displayed low detection limits (approximately 20 nM for E at S/N = 3) and a highly reproducible current response with 10 repetitive injections of mixed analytes containing DA, NE, and E (each 50 microM), with relative standard deviations (RSD) of approximately 5%. The performance of the diamond detector in CE was also evaluated in the detection of chlorinated phenols (CP). When compared to the carbon fiber microelectrode, the diamond electrode exhibited lower detection limits in an end-column CE detection resulting from very low noise levels and highly reproducible analyses without electrode polishing due to analyte fouling, which makes it possible to perform easier and more stable CE analysis.

Journal Article↗