Vapor phase processing of α-Fe2O3 photoelectrodes for water splitting: An insight into the structure/property interplay
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Yksityiskohdat
| Alkuperäiskieli | Englanti |
|---|---|
| Sivut | 8667-8676 |
| Sivumäärä | 10 |
| Julkaisu | ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces |
| Vuosikerta | 7 |
| Numero | 16 |
| Varhainen verkossa julkaisun päivämäärä | 15 huhtikuuta 2015 |
| DOI - pysyväislinkit | |
| Tila | Julkaistu - 2015 |
| OKM-julkaisutyyppi | A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli |
Tiivistelmä
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.