title: Selective modulation of charge-carrier transport of a photoanode in a photoelectrochemical cell by a graphitized fullerene interfacial layer.
abstract: We show that a graphitic carbon interfacial layer, derived from C70 by annealing at 500 °C, results in a significant increase in the attainable photocurrent of a photoelectrochemical cell that contains a WO3 -functionalized fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) photoanode. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy, photoconductive atomic force microscopy, Hall measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy show that the increase in photocurrent is the result of fast and selective electron transport from optically excited WO3 through the graphitic carbon interfacial layer to the FTO-coated glass electrode. Thus the energy efficiency of perspective solar-to-fuel devices can be improved by modification of the interface of semiconductors and conducting substrate electrodes by using graphitized fullerene derivatives.
authors.affiliation: Photocatalytic Synthesis Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede (Netherlands).
authors.forename: Sun-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Dong Chan
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Eun Mi
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Joo-Yeoul
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jinhee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Jae Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Chang-Lyoul
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Dok
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mul
mesh_terms: D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D004579:Electron Transport; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry*; D054879:Halogenation; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D012993:Solar Energy; D017971:Tin Compounds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D037741:Fullerenes; D017971:Tin Compounds; D006108:Graphite; D006859:Hydrogen; C045358:stannic oxide
keywords: carbon; charge transfer; photochemistry; tungsten; water splitting