From doping to composites: Zirconia (zro2) modified hematite photoanodes for water splitting

Qureshi, S., Gregory, D. H. , Tahir, A. A. and Ahmed, S. (2023) From doping to composites: Zirconia (zro2) modified hematite photoanodes for water splitting. RSC Advances, 13(49), pp. 34798-34807. (doi: 10.1039/D3RA05348B) (PMID:38035232) (PMCID:PMC10685335)

Abstract

Herein, a ZrO2 added α-Fe2O3 photoanode that can split water at low applied potential is reported. First, the pristine hematite α-Fe2O3 photoanode was synthesized using an aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) method followed by modification with various amounts of ZrO2 (2 to 40%) in the form of thin films on conducting glass substrate. The XRD, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses confirmed the presence of the monoclinic phase of ZrO2 in the composites with multifaceted particles of compact morphology. The optical analysis showed an increase in the absorbance and variation in band gap of the composites ascribed to the heterogeneity of the material. The photoelectrochemical studies gave a photocurrent density of 1.23 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE for the pristine hematite and remarkably higher value of 3.06 mA cm−2 for the optimized amount of ZrO2 in the modified α-Fe2O3 photoanode. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest photocurrent reported for a ZrO2 containing photoanode. The optimized composite electrode produced nine times more oxygen than that produced by pristine hematite.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: We are very grateful to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan for financial support through a 6-month scholarship to S.Qureshi to visit the University of Glasgow under the International Research Support Initiative Program (IRSIP; No. 1-8/HEC/HD/2017/8222).
• Keywords: Hematite, zirconia, photocurrent, oxygen evolution, electrochemical impedance.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gregory, Professor Duncan

Creator Roles

Gregory, D.: Resources, Supervision, Writing – review and editing

• Authors: Qureshi, S., Gregory, D. H., Tahir, A. A., and Ahmed, S.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Journal Name: RSC Advances
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
• ISSN: 2046-2069
• ISSN (Online): 2046-2069
• Published Online: 29 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in RSC Advances 13(49):34798-34807
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license