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

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Abstract

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/cm2 was obtained for a film with a thickness of around 220 nm under solar irradiation.

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Fernandez-Izquierdo, L., Spera, E. L., Durán, B., Marotti, R. E., Dalchiele, E. A., del Rio, R., & Hevia, S. A. (2023). CVD Growth of Hematite Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: Effect of Precursor-Substrate Distance on Their Final Properties. Molecules, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041954

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