Aminosilanized Interface Promotes Electrochemically Stable Carbon Nitride Films with Fewer Trap States on FTO for (Photo)electrochemical Systems.

We have demonstrated the direct growth of a CN layer on a plasma-cleaned and aminosilanized F-doped SnO (FTO) electrode to study the CN|FTO interface that is critical for (photo)electrocatalytic systems. The (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) was chosen as a bifunctional organosilane, with the amino end incorporating into CN and the silane end connecting to the hydroxylated FTO surface. Plasma cleaning and aminosilanization resulted in a highly hydrophilic surface, which leads to better contact of melted thiourea to the aminosilanized FTO (p-FTO) during CN polymer condensation, thus generating a thinner and more compact CN layer.