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Title
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Vapor phase processing of photoelectrodes for water splitting : an insight into the structure/property interplay
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Author
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Abstract
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| Harvesting radiant energy to trigger water photoelectrolysis and produce clean hydrogen is receiving increasing attention in the search of alternative energy resources. In this regard, hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) nanostructures with controlled nano-organization have been fabricated and investigated for use as anodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. The target systems have been grown on conductive substrates by plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) and subjected to eventual ex situ annealing in air to further tailor their structure and properties. A detailed multitechnique approach has enabled to elucidate between system characteristics and the generated photocurrent. The present alpha-Fe2O3 systems are characterized by a high purity and hierarchical morphologies consisting of nanopyramids/organized dendrites, offering a high contact area with the electrolyte. PEC data reveal a dramatic response enhancement upon thermal treatment, related to a more efficient electron transfer. The reasons underlying such a phenomenon are elucidated and discussed by transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) studies of photogenerated charge carrier kinetics, investigated on different time scales for the first time on PE-CVD Fe2O3 nanostructures. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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ACS applied materials and interfaces. - -
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Publication
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2015
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ISSN
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1944-8244
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DOI
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10.1021/ACSAMI.5B00919
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Volume/pages
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7
:16
(2015)
, p. 8667-8676
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ISI
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000353931300037
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Pubmed ID
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25853179
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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