Combining Bulk/Surface Engineering of Hematite To Synergistically Improve Its Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Performance.
One of the most promising candidates for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting photoanode is hematite (α-Fe2O3) due to its narrow bandgap and chemical stability. However, the poor bulk/surface kinetics of hematite limits its PEC performance. Herein, a facile two-step approach is reported to synergistically improve the PEC performance of Fe2O3. First, through bulk engineering of Ti doping, the photocurrent density of Ti-Fe2O3 photoanode (1.68 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 VRHE) shows a 3-fold increase compared with that of pure Fe2O3 photoanode (0.50 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 VRHE). Second, the photocurrent density of Ti-Fe2O3 photoanode could be further enhanced to 2.31 mA cm(-2) by surface engineering of FeOOH. The enhanced PEC water splitting performance is proposed to be the synergistic effect of bulk and surface engineering, which can be mainly attributed to the great increase of charge separation efficiency and surface transfer efficiency.
Siyuan Laboratory, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Yufei
Y
Yuan
Siyuan Laboratory, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Jiuwang
J
Gu
Department of Chemistry, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Kai-Hang
KH
Ye
Siyuan Laboratory, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Zhisheng
Z
Chai
Department of Chemistry, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Xiang
X
Yu
Siyuan Laboratory, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Xiaobo
X
Chen
Siyuan Laboratory, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Chuanxi
C
Zhao
Department of Chemistry, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Yuanming
Y
Zhang
Siyuan Laboratory, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, Jinan University , Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, China.
Wenjie
W
Mai
Ti dopant; hematite; photoelectrochemical water splitting; surface engineering; synergistic effect