{"title":"A photocathodic corrosion protection performance of aluminium frames in solar panels using TiO2/C3N4 heterostructure","authors":"Abinaya Radhakrishnan, Manoja Tharmaraj, Nagarajan Srinivasan","doi":"10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.180707","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>AA6061 T6 alloy is widely used in solar panel frames due to its lightweight and high strength. The photovoltaic sector suffers from the annual damages of around 10 % caused by the corrosion of solar panels. The photocathodic corrosion protection is the most promising photoelectrochemical technology to mitigate this issue. Herein, TiO<sub>2</sub> with various weight percentages of C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> was successfully prepared using the sol-gel method and coated over AA6061 T6. The structure properties of the TiO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> heterostructure were extensively scrutinized through the X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, & Raman analysis confirms that synergic interaction of the TiO<sub>2</sub> and C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4.</sub> The optical and electronic properties of the TiO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> heterostructure were studied using UV–Vis, photoluminescence (PL), and Mott–Schottky (MS) analyses. A red shift in UV-DRS spectra of the heterostructure indicated reduced band gap energy, while suppressed PL intensity suggested improved charge separation. Mott–Schottky analysis revealed a negative shift in the flat-band potential for the TiO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> heterostructure (–0.4 V vs SCE), confirming improved electron transfer, effective interface carrier transport ability and a favorable band alignment is highly responsible for enhanced photocathodic protection. The AA6061 T6 alloy coated with TiO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> (0.01 g) through two consecutive depositions exhibited a corrosion current density (I<sub>corr</sub>) of 2.03 × 10⁻⁶ mA/cm² under light illumination, achieving a 78 % reduction in corrosion compared to uncoated AA6061 T6 due to their interfacial band alignment of the TiO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> heterostructure which provides pathway for the enhanced electron transfer. These results highlight that TiO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> heterostructure coating improves the photo-generated charge carrier separation, conducive to the practical application of the solar panel frames by photocathodic corrosion protection. This research provides valuable insights for developing the heterojunction film intending to provide photocathodic protection for metal materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":344,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Alloys and Compounds","volume":"1028 ","pages":"Article 180707"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Alloys and Compounds","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925838825022686","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
AA6061 T6 alloy is widely used in solar panel frames due to its lightweight and high strength. The photovoltaic sector suffers from the annual damages of around 10 % caused by the corrosion of solar panels. The photocathodic corrosion protection is the most promising photoelectrochemical technology to mitigate this issue. Herein, TiO2 with various weight percentages of C3N4 was successfully prepared using the sol-gel method and coated over AA6061 T6. The structure properties of the TiO2/C3N4 heterostructure were extensively scrutinized through the X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, & Raman analysis confirms that synergic interaction of the TiO2 and C3N4. The optical and electronic properties of the TiO2/C3N4 heterostructure were studied using UV–Vis, photoluminescence (PL), and Mott–Schottky (MS) analyses. A red shift in UV-DRS spectra of the heterostructure indicated reduced band gap energy, while suppressed PL intensity suggested improved charge separation. Mott–Schottky analysis revealed a negative shift in the flat-band potential for the TiO2/C3N4 heterostructure (–0.4 V vs SCE), confirming improved electron transfer, effective interface carrier transport ability and a favorable band alignment is highly responsible for enhanced photocathodic protection. The AA6061 T6 alloy coated with TiO2/C3N4 (0.01 g) through two consecutive depositions exhibited a corrosion current density (Icorr) of 2.03 × 10⁻⁶ mA/cm² under light illumination, achieving a 78 % reduction in corrosion compared to uncoated AA6061 T6 due to their interfacial band alignment of the TiO2/C3N4 heterostructure which provides pathway for the enhanced electron transfer. These results highlight that TiO2/C3N4 heterostructure coating improves the photo-generated charge carrier separation, conducive to the practical application of the solar panel frames by photocathodic corrosion protection. This research provides valuable insights for developing the heterojunction film intending to provide photocathodic protection for metal materials.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Alloys and Compounds is intended to serve as an international medium for the publication of work on solid materials comprising compounds as well as alloys. Its great strength lies in the diversity of discipline which it encompasses, drawing together results from materials science, solid-state chemistry and physics.