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Fe 2 O 3 Porous Film with Single Grain Layer for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation: Reducing of Grain Boundary Effect
Author(s) -
Jia Lichao,
Bogdanoff Peter,
Ramírez Alejandra,
Bloeck Ulrike,
Stellmach Diana,
Fiechter Sebastian
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201500434
Subject(s) - materials science , crystallinity , hematite , grain boundary , tin oxide , chemical engineering , annealing (glass) , oxide , grain size , porosity , chemical vapor deposition , nanotechnology , metallurgy , composite material , microstructure , engineering
In this study, a promising alternative method for addressing grain boundary issues in hematite (α‐Fe 2 O 3 )‐based photoanodes is presented. The porous α‐Fe 2 O 3 films are prepared by dip coating a polymerizable precursor onto fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of α‐Fe 2 O 3 photoanodes is characterized and optimized through controlling the annealing temperature and the number of deposition cycles. Samples of improved crystallinity consisting of a layer of hematite particles of 50 nm in diameter exhibit highest photoresponses of 1.04 mA cm −2 at 1.23 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), and 2.0 mA cm −2 before the dark current onset at 1.7 V RHE . This study indicates that the PEC performance of hematite can be enhanced greatly by an improved crystallinity, particle texture, and a better control of grain boundary effects.