Effects of cathodic electrodeposition conditions on morphology and photoelectrochemical response of α-Fe2O3 photoanode

α-Fe2O3 photoanodes were prepared on Fluorine-doped tin oxide glass by annealing of electrodeposited Fe films. By controlling the synthesis parameters, the α-Fe2O3 film prepared from the Fe film electrodeposited in 0.05 M ferrous sulfate solution (pH = 2.1) for 50 s and then annealed at 600 °C for 3 h has the optimal photocurrent density around 257.08 μA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE (Reversible Hydrogen Electrode). In this paper, the effects of different synthesis parameters on α-Fe2O3 photoanodes were studied systematically. The morphology and properties of the sample were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectra, X-ray diffractometry and photoelectrical measurements.