Narrow Results

In this work, nanocrystalline TiO₂/ITO electrodes were prepared by sol–gel method starting from tetrabutyl orthotitanate (Ti(OBuⁿ)₄) reacted with hydrogen peroxide in the ice-water bath. The sol–gel derived TiO₂ films were characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, and UV/Vis absorption spectroscopic techniques. The preparation conditions, including the number of coats and calcination temperature, were also investigated. Furthermore, PEC cells were constructed for testing the activities of prepared TiO₂/ITO photoelectrodes. The photo-currents for hydrogen production via the PEC reaction were measured under UV irradiation (λ_max = 253.7 nm). The experimental results showed that the sol–gel derived TiO₂ films calcined at 300°C–600°C were anatase structure and they showed a maximum UV/Vis absorption at about 380 nm. Moreover, from the result of PEC reactions, it was found that the TiO₂/ITO photoelectrode (calcined at 600°C, with the thickness of TiO₂ layer of about ~0.2 μm) demonstrated a large saturation current (0.326 mA/cm²) with a quite high photoelectrochemical conversion efficiency of 2.39%.

Photoelectrode of CdTe/Bi₂Te₃ nanorod arrays/nanolayer film is designed for light and heat synergy utilization, which is carried out by two-step synthesis route of magnetron sputtering. The composition and microstructure of CdTe/Bi₂Te₃ nanorod arrays/nanolayer are determined by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Under AM 1.5 G illumination, the power conversion efficiency of CdTe/Bi₂Te₃ nanorod arrays/nanolayer photoelectrode is 10 times larger than that of CdTe nanorod arrays. It was found that the power conversion efficiency is mainly affected by the thickness of the Bi₂Te₃ film. These results significantly improve the performance of low-dimension CdTe photoelectrochemical solar cells and also open new possibilities for solar light and heat synergy utilization.

A bilayered TiO₂/CuO photoelectrode was fabricated on a fluorine-doped tin oxide FTO substrate by spin-coating and pulsed laser deposition methods. The prepared bilayered system was assessed as a photoelectrode for solar water splitting. The fabricated TiO₂/CuO photoelectrode exhibited a higher photocurrent density (0.022mA/cm² at 1.23V vs. RHE) compared to bare TiO₂ photoelectrode (0.013mA/cm² at 1.23V vs. RHE). This photocurrent density enhancement was attributed to the improved charge separation combined with the improved sunlight harvesting efficiency of a bilayered structure.

The Ni-MOF as co-catalyst has been in-situ introduced on the surface of ZnO photoelectrode by chemical etching method for the first time, and the unique organic/inorganic heterostructure (Ni-MOF/ZnO) was applied for photoelectrochemical water splitting. The Ni-MOF could work as special co-catalyst to improve the kinetic and charges separation of ZnO electrode, and the photocurrent density of Ni-MOF/ZnO has increased to about 1.8 times than that of bare ZnO. The IPCE value of Ni-MOF/ZnO has been enhanced up to 11% (355nm, 0.5V vs Ag/AgCl). The proposed mechanism of charges transfer has been also discussed in-depth, according to the photoelectrochemical performance.