Citation: Wang Miao, Wang Meng, Fu Yanming, Shen Shaohua. Cobalt oxide and carbon modified hematite nanorod arrays for improved photoelectrochemical water splitting[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2017, 28(12): 2207-2211. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2017.11.037 shu

Cobalt oxide and carbon modified hematite nanorod arrays for improved photoelectrochemical water splitting

International Research Center for Renewable Energy, State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China

Corresponding author: Shen Shaohua, shshen_xjtu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Received Date: 7 November 2017
Revised Date: 23 November 2017
Accepted Date: 27 November 2017
Available Online: 28 December 2017

Figures(3)

Given the proper band gap, low cost and good stability, hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) has been considered as a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, however suffers from the sluggish surface water oxidation reaction kinetics. In this study, a simple dip-coating process was used to modify the surface of α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod arrays with cobalt oxide (CoO_x) and carbon (C) for the improved PEC performance, with a photocurrent density at 1.6 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE) increased from 0.10 mA/cm² for the pristine α-Fe₂O₃ to 0.37 mA/cm² for the CoO_x/C modified α-Fe₂O₃ nanorods. As revealed by electrochemical analysis, thanks to the synergistic effect of CoO_x and C, the PEC enhancement could be attributed to the enhanced charge transfer ability, decreased surface charge recombination, and accelerated water oxidation reaction kinetics. This study serves as a good example for improving PEC water splitting performance via a simple method.
- Hematite nanorods,
- Surface modification,
- Photoelectrochemical water splitting,
- Water oxidation,
- Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy
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