Current-less photoreactivity catalyzed by functionalized AFM tips

摘要

A spatially confined photocatalytic oxidation of a thin film of synthetic textile azo dye (Procion Red MX-5B) using TiO_2-functionalized AFM probes is described.The ability to conduct controlled photochemical reactions in a highly localized region is critical to the field of semiconductor technology.Scanning probe microscopy(SPM)techniques,especially atomic force microscopy(AFM),offer a good prospect towards fulfilment of this goal.Many photochemical reactions utilize titania(TiO_2),which has been considered as components of batteries,photovoltaic cells,pigments,photonics,optoelectronic devices,and gas sensors,partly due to their low cost,chemical stability,and robustness under UV illumination.