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Hematite Photoanodes Modified with an Fe III Water Oxidation Catalyst
Author(s) -
Dalle Carbonare Nicola,
Cristino Vito,
Berardi Serena,
Carli Stefano,
Argazzi Roberto,
Caramori Stefano,
Meda Laura,
Tacca Alessandra,
Bignozzi Carlo Alberto
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.201301143
Subject(s) - catalysis , hematite , inorganic chemistry , electrolyte , electrochemistry , oxide , aqueous solution , flash photolysis , adsorption , chemical engineering , ionic bonding , amorphous solid , dielectric spectroscopy , chemistry , materials science , water splitting , electrode , photocatalysis , mineralogy , kinetics , ion , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , reaction rate constant , engineering
Hematite photoelectrodes prepared via a hydrothermal route are functionalized with a water oxidation catalyst consisting of amorphous Fe III oxide, obtained by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction. The performances of the catalyst‐modified photoanodes are considerably higher than those of the parent electrodes, resulting in a nearly doubled photoanodic current in all the basic aqueous electrolytes explored in this study. The combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and laser flash photolysis indicates that the presence of the catalyst results in enhanced hole trapping in surface reactive states exposed to the electrolyte, allowing for a more successful competition between charge transfer and recombination.