Influence of MoO3(110) crystalline plane on its self-charging photoelectrochemical properties

Nanocrystalline molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3) thin films with iso-oriented crystalline layers were synthesised by the anodisation of Mo foils. Upon band-gap excitation using light illumination, α-MoO3 generates excited electrons for reductive reactions and stores some of the excited electrons in its layered crystalline structure via alkali cation intercalation. These stored electrons can be subsequently discharged from α-MoO3 to allow reductive reactions to continue to occur under non-illuminated conditions. The modulation of water concentrations in the organic/aqueous anodisation electrolytes readily produces α-MoO3 crystals with high degree of (kk0) crystallographic orientation. Moreover, these (kk0)-oriented MoO3 crystals exhibit well-developed {hk0} and {0k0} crystal facets. In this paper, we show the benefits of producing α-MoO3 thin films with defined crystal facets and an iso-oriented layered structure for in situ storing of excited charges. α-MoO3 crystals with dominant (kk0) planes can achieve fast charging and a strong balance between charge release for immediate exploitation under illuminated conditions and charge storage for subsequent utilisation in dark. In comparison, α-MoO3 crystals with dominant (0k0) planes show a preference for excited charge storage.