title: The role of cobalt phosphate in enhancing the photocatalytic activity of α-Fe2O3 toward water oxidation.
abstract: Transient absorption spectroscopy was used to probe the dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers in α-Fe(2)O(3)/CoO(x) nanocomposite photoelectrodes for water splitting. The addition of cobalt-based electrocatalysts was observed to increase the lifetime of photogenerated holes in the photoelectrode by more than 3 orders of magnitude without the application of electrical bias. We therefore propose that the enhanced photoelectrochemical activity of the composite electrode for water photooxidation results, at least in part, from reduced recombination losses because of the formation of a Schottky-type heterojunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom. m.barroso@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barroso
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.forename: Stephanie R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pendlebury
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grätzel
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Klug
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Durrant
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry*; D004566:Electrodes; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010316:Particle Size; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D010710:Phosphates; D014867:Water; C000499:ferric oxide; D003035:Cobalt