CVD Growth of Hematite Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: Effect of Precursor-Substrate Distance on Their Final Properties

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-02, Vol.28 (4), p.1954
• Main Authors: Fernandez-Izquierdo, Leunam, Spera, Enzo Luigi, Durán, Boris, Marotti, Ricardo Enrique, Dalchiele, Enrique Ariel, Del Rio, Rodrigo, Hevia, Samuel A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition; Dielectric films; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Fluorine; Green hydrogen; Hematite; Hydrogen production; Irradiation; Morphology; Nanocrystals; Photoelectric effect; Precursors; Radiation; Scanning electron microscopy; Solar energy; Solar radiation; Spectrum analysis; Splitting; Structural analysis; Substrates; Thickness; thin film; Thin films; Tin oxides; Water splitting
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041954

The development of photoelectrode materials for efficient water splitting using solar energy is a crucial research topic for green hydrogen production. These materials need to be abundant, fabricated on a large scale, and at low cost. In this context, hematite is a promising material that has been widely studied. However, it is a huge challenge to achieve high-efficiency performance as a photoelectrode in water splitting. This paper reports a study of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of hematite nanocrystalline thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide as a photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting, with a particular focus on the effect of the precursor-substrate distance in the CVD system. A full morphological, structural, and optical characterization of hematite nanocrystalline thin films was performed, revealing that no change occurred in the structure of the films as a function of the previously mentioned distance. However, it was found that the thickness of the hematite film, which is a critical parameter in the photoelectrochemical performance, linearly depends on the precursor-substrate distance; however, the electrochemical response exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior. A maximum photocurrent value close to 2.5 mA/cm was obtained for a film with a thickness of around 220 nm under solar irradiation.