Boosting charge transfer for α-Fe2O3 semiconductor with the coupling of chiral monolayer

alpha-Fe2O3 is an attractive semiconductor for solar energy conversion because of its narrow band gap, robustness and low cost, while its solar energy conversion efficiency is restricted due to poor electrical conductivity and high charge transfer resistance. In this work, we show an easy-to-handle way to deal with the drawback by coupling alpha-Fe2O3 rods with chiral monolayer to facilitate charge transportation. It is found that with the coupling of chiral monolayer, charge migration resistance of alpha-Fe2O3 was remarkably reduced, visible-light-driven photocurrent density was amplified up to 4 folds, and the free charge carrier density was enhanced by 61%. These enhancement could be related to the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity effect of chiral monolayer on spin alignment of charge carriers.

Automated summary

The combination of alpha-Fe2O3 rods with a chiral monolayer significantly reduces charge migration resistance, increases visible-light-driven photocurrent density by 4 times, and enhances free charge carrier density by 61%. These improvements are possibly attributed to the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity effect of the chiral monolayer on the spin alignment of charge carriers.