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Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation via atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle films

Publication ,  Journal Article
Cordova, IA; Peng, Q; Ferrall, IL; Rieth, AJ; Hoertz, PG; Glass, JT
Published in: Nanoscale
May 14, 2015

TiO2 is an exemplary semiconductor anode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting electrodes due to its functionality, long-term stability in corrosive environments, nontoxicity, and low cost. In this study, TiO2 photoanodes with enhanced photocurrent density were synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO2 onto a porous, transparent, and conductive fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle (nanoFTO) scaffold fabricated by solution processing. The simplicity and disordered nature of the nanoFTO nanostructure combined with the ultrathin conformal ALD TiO2 coatings offers advantages including decoupling charge carrier diffusion length from optical penetration depth, increased photon absorption probability through scattering, complimentary photon absorption, and favorable interfaces for charge separation and transfer across the various junctions. We examine the effects of porosity of the nanoFTO scaffold and thickness of the TiO2 coating on PEC performance and achieve an optimal photocurrent of 0.7 mA cm-2 at 0 V vs. Ag/AgCl under 100 mW cm-2 AM 1.5 G irradiation in a 1 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. Furthermore, the fundamental mechanisms behind the improvements are characterized via cyclic voltammetry, incident photon-to-current efficiency, transient photocurrent spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and are contrasted with those of single crystal rutile TiO2 nanowires. The strategies employed in this work highlight the opportunities inherent to these types of heteronanostructures, where the lessons may be applied to improve the PEC conversion efficiencies of other promising semiconductors, such as hematite (α-Fe2O3) and other materials more sensitive to visible light. This journal is

Duke Scholars

Published In

Nanoscale

DOI

EISSN

2040-3372

ISSN

2040-3364

Publication Date

May 14, 2015

Volume

7

Issue

18

Start / End Page

8584 / 8592

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 10 Technology
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
  • 02 Physical Sciences
 

Citation

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Cordova, I. A., Peng, Q., Ferrall, I. L., Rieth, A. J., Hoertz, P. G., & Glass, J. T. (2015). Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation via atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle films. Nanoscale, 7(18), 8584–8592. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4nr07377k
Cordova, I. A., Q. Peng, I. L. Ferrall, A. J. Rieth, P. G. Hoertz, and J. T. Glass. “Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation via atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle films.” Nanoscale 7, no. 18 (May 14, 2015): 8584–92. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4nr07377k.
Cordova IA, Peng Q, Ferrall IL, Rieth AJ, Hoertz PG, Glass JT. Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation via atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle films. Nanoscale. 2015 May 14;7(18):8584–92.
Cordova, I. A., et al. “Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation via atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle films.” Nanoscale, vol. 7, no. 18, May 2015, pp. 8584–92. Scopus, doi:10.1039/c4nr07377k.
Cordova IA, Peng Q, Ferrall IL, Rieth AJ, Hoertz PG, Glass JT. Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation via atomic layer deposition of TiO2 on fluorine-doped tin oxide nanoparticle films. Nanoscale. 2015 May 14;7(18):8584–8592.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nanoscale

DOI

EISSN

2040-3372

ISSN

2040-3364

Publication Date

May 14, 2015

Volume

7

Issue

18

Start / End Page

8584 / 8592

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 40 Engineering
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 10 Technology
  • 03 Chemical Sciences
  • 02 Physical Sciences