Plasmon Au modified 3D-nanostructrue CoOx decorated hematite for highly efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting

Surface modification and interface engineering are efficient strategies to address the serious charge recombination and the sluggish water oxidation kinetics in photoelectrochemical water splitting. In this work, CoOx decorated hematite nanosheets (Fe2O3/CoOx) are deposited on Nickel foam by the in-situ hydrothermal process. Au nanoparticles are incorporated on Fe2O3/CoOx semiconductors (Fe2O3/CoOx/Au) by electrochemical deposition. In photo electrochemical test, Fe2O3/CoOx attains a photocurrent density of 1.87 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V-RHE, which is 4.45 times that for alpha-Fe2O3. The onset potential of Fe2O3/CoOx decreases by 266 mV compared with alpha-Fe2O3. The 3D-nanostructrue Fe2O3/CoOx/Au attains a photocurrent density of 3.88 mA.cm(2) at 1.23 V-RHE, which is 9.24 times that of alpha-Fe2O3. The applied bias photon-to-current efficiency, charge separation and charge injection efficiency of Fe2O3/CoOx/Au are improved. EIS studies show the co-modification of CoOx and Au reduces charge transfer resistance. This strategy would provide a potential approach to promote light absorption and charge separation for photoelectrochemical catalyst. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Surface modification and interface engineering are efficient strategies to enhance the efficiency of photoelectrochemical water splitting. By depositing CoOx decorated hematite nanosheets and incorporating Au nanoparticles, the photocurrent density of Fe2O3 semiconductors has been significantly increased. The co-modification of CoOx and Au has been shown to reduce charge transfer resistance, improving charge separation and injection efficiency.