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Abstract  The photocatalytic activity of thin, nanostructured films of titanium dioxide, synthesized by supersonic cluster beam deposition (SCBD) from the gas phase, has been investigated employing the photodegradation of salicylic acid as test reaction. Because of the low deposition energy, the so-deposited highly porous TiO2 films are composed of nanoparticles maintaining their original properties in the film, which can be fully controlled by tuning the deposition and post-deposition treatment conditions. A systematic investigation on the evolution of light absorption properties and photoactivity of the films in relation to their morphology, determined by AFM analysis, and phase composition, determined by Raman spectroscopy, has been performed. The absorption and photocatalytic activity of the nanostructured films in the visible region could be enhanced either through post-deposition annealing treatment in ammonia containing atmosphere or employing mild oxidation conditions, followed by annealing in N2 at 600 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured carbon sp2 (ns-C) thin films with up to 30% of sp-coordinated atoms (carbynes) were produced in a high vacuum by the low kinetic energy deposition of carbon clusters produced in the gas phase and accelerated by a supersonic expansion. Immediately after deposition the ns-C films were immersed in situ in an ionic liquid electrolyte. The interfacial properties of ns-C films in the ionic liquid electrolyte were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The so-prepared carbyne-rich electrodes showed superior electric double layer (EDL) capacitance and electric conductivity compared to ns-C electrodes containing only sp2 carbon, showing the substantial influence of carbynes on the electrochemical properties of nanostructured carbon electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]