title: Thin-Layer Fe2TiO5 on Hematite for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation.
abstract: A thin Fe2TiO5 layer was produced on hematite either by evaporating a TiCl4 solution on FeOOH or by a simple HF-assisted Ti treatment of FeOOH, both followed by annealing. The prepared Fe2TiO5-hematite heterostructure showed a significant enhancement in photocurrent density compared to that of the pristine hematite. For example, the sample after HF-assisted Ti treatment exhibited a significantly enhanced photocurrent of 2.0 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V vs RHE. Moreover, the performance of the Fe2TiO5-hematite heterostructure can be further improved by coupling with Co-Pi catalysts, achieving a higher photocurrent of 2.6 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V vs RHE. Synchrotron-based soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy analyses clearly revealed the existence of an Fe2TiO5 structure on hematite forming a heterojunction, which reduced the photogenerated hole accumulation and then improved the performance.
authors.forename: Jiujun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Xiaoxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Jinyin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Kaiqi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.affiliation: ‡Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Caihao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: ‡Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jiaou
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xuhui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Shuit-Tong
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Ti treatment; hematite nanostructures; solar water oxidation