Nanostructured Zn-Fe2O3 thin film modified by Fe-TiO2 for photoelectrochemical generation of hydrogen

Nanostructured semiconductor thin films of Zn-Fe2O3 modified with underlying layer of Fe-TiO2 have been synthesized and studied as photoelectrode in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell for generation of hydrogen through water splitting. The Zn-Fe2O3 thin film photoelectrodes were designed for best performance by tailoring thickness of the Fe-TiO2 film. A maximum photocurrent density of 748 μA/cm2 at 0.95 V/SCE and solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.47% was observed for 0.89 μm thick modified photoelectrode in 1 M NaOH as electrolyte and under 1.5 AM solar simulator. To analyse the PEC results the films were characterized for various physical and semiconducting properties using XRD, SEM, EDX and UV–Visible spectrophotometer. Zn-Fe2O3 thin films modified with Fe-TiO2 exhibited improved visible light absorption. A noticeable change in surface morphology of the modified Zn-Fe2O3 film was observed as compared to the pristine Zn-Fe2O3 film. Flatband potential values calculated from Mott–Schottky curves also supported the PEC response.