Premium
A Hierarchical 3D TiO 2 /Ni Nanostructure as an Efficient Hole‐Extraction and Protection Layer for GaAs Photoanodes
Author(s) -
Alqahtani Mahdi,
Kafizas Andreas,
Sathasivam Sanjayan,
Ebaid Mohamed,
Cui Fan,
Alyamani Ahmed,
Jeong HyeonHo,
Chun Lee Tung,
Fischer Peer,
Parkin Ivan,
Grätzel Michael,
Wu Jiang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.202002004
Subject(s) - nanorod , water splitting , materials science , passivation , nanostructure , amorphous solid , catalysis , semiconductor , layer (electronics) , nanotechnology , nickel , oxygen evolution , photoelectrochemistry , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , photocatalysis , metallurgy , chemistry , electrochemistry , electrode , biochemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising clean route to hydrogen fuel. The best‐performing materials (III/V semiconductors) require surface passivation, as they are liable to corrosion, and a surface co‐catalyst to facilitate water splitting. At present, optimal design combining photoelectrodes with oxygen evolution catalysts remains a significant materials challenge. Here, we demonstrate that nickel‐coated amorphous three‐dimensional (3D) TiO 2 core‐shell nanorods on a TiO 2 thin film function as an efficient hole‐extraction layer and serve as a protection layer for the GaAs photoanode. Transient‐absorption spectroscopy (TAS) demonstrated the role of nickel‐coated (3D) TiO 2 core‐shell nanorods in prolonging photogenerated charge lifetimes in GaAs, resulting in a higher catalytic activity. This strategy may open the potential of utilizing this low‐cost (3D) nanostructured catalyst for decorating narrow‐band‐gap semiconductor photoanodes for PEC water splitting devices.