COPPER OXIDE THIN FILM SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND APPLICATION AS CATHODE IN PHOTOELECTROCATALYTIC CELL FOR METHYL ORANGE DEGRADATION

A copper oxide thin film was synthesized through a copper sheet annealing process that was carried out using a gas stove, furnace and 1000 W tungsten . The product and its response were measured using a and then characterized by XRD, SEM and EDX. Furthermore, the copper oxide was applied as a photocathode in a cell with Platinum (Pt) as the anode for methyl orange degradation, and the thin film annealed at 60 sec produced the highest current density. According to XRD and EDX results, copper oxide structure was dominated by Cu2O, while SEM showed the presence of a Cu2O porous surface. Methyl orange solution degradation also showed the best result for the copper oxide annealed at 60 sec and in all pH variations, while the best degradation was obtained at pH 1.

Nanosized Pinning Centers in the Rare Earth-Barium-Copper-Oxide Thin-Film Superconductors

Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity, significant progress in the fabrication of REBCO-based (Rare Earth Barium Copper mixed Oxides) thin-films superconductors has been achieved. In our review, we described the approaches and possibilities of the improvement of superconducting properties by the introduction of nanosized pinning centers. We focused on the synthesis and viability of the material for artificial pinning centers and methods used for the introduction of the pinning centers into superconducting REBCO-based thin-films. This article summarizes available materials and procedures regardless of the financial cost of the individual method. According to available literature, the most significant superconducting REBCO tapes can be obtained when a combination of 1D and 0D nanoparticles are used for nanoscale pinning.