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Thermal Emissivity-Based Chemical Spectroscopy through Evanescent Tunneling
Zsolt L Poole1, Paul R Ohodnicki1
1National Energy Technology Laboratory, 626 Cochrans Mill Rd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15236, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|February 23, 2016
Summary
A novel spectroscopic method precisely measures environmental chemistry effects on thin film thermal emissivity. This technique characterizes hydrogen interactions with titanium dioxide (TiO2) films, revealing insights into their conductivity and plasmonic properties.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Spectroscopy
- Environmental Chemistry
Background:
- Environmental chemistry can alter material properties.
- Thermal emissivity is a critical parameter for thin films.
- Understanding these changes is vital for sensor development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new spectroscopic technique for measuring thermal emissivity changes.
- To analyze hydrogen-induced emissivity variations in specific thin films.
- To explore the relationship between film properties and environmental responses.
Main Methods:
- Developed a spectroscopic technique utilizing evanescent tunneling.
- Isolated and extracted thermal emissivity changes.
- Characterized TiO2, Pd-TiO2, and Au-TiO2 thin films.
- Conducted measurements in UV-vis and NIR ranges at 1073 K.
Main Results:
- Successfully extracted environmental chemistry-induced thermal emissivity changes.
- Quantified hydrogen-induced emissivity variations in TiO2, Pd-TiO2, and Au-TiO2 films.
- Demonstrated the technique's effectiveness for films with high conductivity, chemisorption, and plasmonic activity.
Conclusions:
- The new spectroscopic method offers high isolation for detecting emissivity changes.
- The study provides valuable data on hydrogen interactions with functionalized TiO2 films.
- This technique has potential applications in environmental monitoring and materials characterization.
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