Solution-processed electrochemical synthesis of ZnFe2O4 photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Herein, we report the synthesis of ZnO nanorod films onto FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide) substrates using the solution-processed electrodeposition method. As-synthesized ZnO nanorod films obtained from electrodeposition were modified to form zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) thin films by Fe incorporation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of solid state electrochemistry 2021-06, Vol.25 (6), p.1835-1846
Main Authors: Doiphode, Vidya, Vairale, Priti, Sharma, Vidhika, Waghmare, Ashish, Punde, Ashvini, Shinde, Pratibha, Shah, Shruti, Pandharkar, Subhash, Hase, Yogesh, Aher, Rahul, Nair, Shruthi, Jadkar, Vijaya, Bade, Bharat, Prasad, Mohit, Rondiya, Sachin, Jadkar, Sandesh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical Chemistry
Carrier density
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Charge transfer
Chemical synthesis
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Conduction bands
Current carriers
Depletion
Electrochemistry
Electrodeposition
Energy Storage
Fluorine
Morphology
Nanorods
Original Paper
Photoanodes
Photoelectric effect
Photoelectric emission
Physical Chemistry
Raman spectroscopy
Spectroscopic analysis
Spectrum analysis
Substrates
Thin films
Tin oxides
Water splitting
Zinc ferrites
Zinc oxide
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Summary:Herein, we report the synthesis of ZnO nanorod films onto FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide) substrates using the solution-processed electrodeposition method. As-synthesized ZnO nanorod films obtained from electrodeposition were modified to form zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) thin films by Fe incorporation through varying molar concentrations. The formation of ZnFe 2 O 4 films was confirmed by XRD and Raman spectroscopy. FE-SEM analysis shows a significant change in the growth morphology with an increase in Fe molar concentration. UV-Visible spectroscopy analysis showed that with an increase in Fe molar concentration, the absorption edge in ZnFe 2 O 4 films shifts towards a higher wavelength with a reduction in the direct band gap. Finally, the PEC properties of ZnFe 2 O 4 photoanodes were investigated for water splitting. The highest photocurrent density of ~ 353 μA/cm 2 has been observed for ZnFe 2 O 4 photoanode prepared at 2.0 M. Shift of flat band potential shift from −0.25 to −0.61 V with an increase in Fe molar concentration indicates a shift in the Fermi level towards the conduction band, which leads to an efficient charge transfer process across the electrolyte. Furthermore, increased carrier density and decreased depletion width with increased Fe molar concentration suggest easier diffusion of photo-generated charge carriers. The obtained results demonstrate that ZnFe 2 O 4 can be a promising candidate for efficient PEC water splitting over the traditional ZnO photoanode.
ISSN:1432-8488
1433-0768
DOI:10.1007/s10008-021-04953-7