TY - JOUR
T1 - MWCNTs and Cu2O sensitized Ti–Fe2O3 photoanode for improved water splitting performance
AU - Verma, Anuradha
AU - Srivastav, Anupam
AU - Sharma, Shailja
AU - Badami, Pavan
AU - Satsangi, Vibha Rani
AU - Shrivastav, Rohit
AU - Mada Kannan, Arunachala
AU - Avasthi, Devesh Kumar
AU - Dass, Sahab
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial support from University Grants Commission , Government of India, through Indo-US 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Project F. No. 194-I/2009 (IC) operational between Arizona State University, USA and Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, India, is gratefully acknowledged. AV thanks UGC further for Research Fellowship. Authors thank Dr. Saif Ahmad Khan (IUAC, New Delhi) for SEM and EDX facilities.
PY - 2018/3/22
Y1 - 2018/3/22
N2 - Fe2O3 and Cu2O, both earth abundant materials are used in functionalizing Ti doped Fe2O3 photoanodes with Cu2O and MWCNTs for improving photoelectrochemical performance for hydrogen generation. Pristine Ti doped Fe2O3 are fabricated by spray pyrolysis deposition method on the conducting ITO coated glass substrate. Two different modifications are adopted to improve the photoelectrochemical performance of pristine sample by subsequent deposition of multi walled carbon nano tubes (MWCNTs) alone and also in combination with Cu2O. Better photoresponse in modified samples is attributed to increase in conductivity and promotion of electron transport to Fe2O3 layer due to presence of MWCNTs while formation of heterojunction also promotes charge transfer kinetics by effective separation of charge carriers. Offering high photocurrent density of 5.17 mA cm−2 at 1 V vs SCE, high open circuit voltage (Voc), least resistance, higher negative flat band potential (Vfb), Ti–Fe2O3/(MWCNTs + Cu2O), emerges as the most photoactive sample. High applied bias photon to current conversion efficiency (ABPE) value of 4.6% is obtained for the modified sample against 0.07% ABPE for Ti–Fe2O3 photoanodes.
AB - Fe2O3 and Cu2O, both earth abundant materials are used in functionalizing Ti doped Fe2O3 photoanodes with Cu2O and MWCNTs for improving photoelectrochemical performance for hydrogen generation. Pristine Ti doped Fe2O3 are fabricated by spray pyrolysis deposition method on the conducting ITO coated glass substrate. Two different modifications are adopted to improve the photoelectrochemical performance of pristine sample by subsequent deposition of multi walled carbon nano tubes (MWCNTs) alone and also in combination with Cu2O. Better photoresponse in modified samples is attributed to increase in conductivity and promotion of electron transport to Fe2O3 layer due to presence of MWCNTs while formation of heterojunction also promotes charge transfer kinetics by effective separation of charge carriers. Offering high photocurrent density of 5.17 mA cm−2 at 1 V vs SCE, high open circuit voltage (Voc), least resistance, higher negative flat band potential (Vfb), Ti–Fe2O3/(MWCNTs + Cu2O), emerges as the most photoactive sample. High applied bias photon to current conversion efficiency (ABPE) value of 4.6% is obtained for the modified sample against 0.07% ABPE for Ti–Fe2O3 photoanodes.
KW - Copper oxide
KW - Heterojunction
KW - Hydrogen generation
KW - Multi-walled carbon nano tubes
KW - Photoelectrochemical activity
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.204
DO - 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.01.204
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85042628914
SN - 0360-3199
VL - 43
SP - 6049
EP - 6059
JO - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
JF - International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
IS - 12
ER -