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Published on: February 11, 2016
Dual Modification Strategy: Passivation Layer and Cocatalyst on Hematite for Improved Photoelectrochemical Water
Yin Zhi1, Xueyang Leng1, Dutong Wang1
1Key Laboratory of Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
Abstract:
α-Fe2O3 is a very attractive photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water decomposition. However, its short diffusion length, poor conductivity, and fast charge-carrier recombination severely limit device efficiency. Here, coloading an Al2O3 passivation layer and a CoO cocatalyst onto Ti-doped α-Fe2O3 was carried out to promote PEC water oxidation by improving charge separation and transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface and inhibiting photocarrier recombination. The optimized Ti:Fe2O3/Al2O3/CoO photoanode shows a large photocurrent density of 1.41 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, which is 47 times greater than that of a pristine Ti:Fe2O3 photoanode. The dual modifications with a combined passivation layer and cocatalyst on the photoanode verify a valuable way for solar energy conversion in PEC water oxidation.
