Graphene-Sb2Se3 thin films photoelectrode synthesized by in situ electrodeposition

In order to enhance the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of Sb2Se3, the three-dimensional (3D) sandwich-type graphene-Sb2Se3 thin films (TFs) were synthesized by in situ electrodeposition. The results showed that the graphene-Sb2Se3 TFs, in which reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets were sandwiched and tightly bounded to dense Sb2Se3 particles, had an optical band gap of 1.20 eV. The PEC measurements showed the rGO in the TFs greatly enhanced the charge carrier transfer and reduced the charge transfer resistance, and the corresponding rGO-Sb2Se3 TFs possessed a photocurrent density of −0.65 mA/cm2 at 0 VRHE, which was the highest value in the bare Sb2Se3 photoelectrodes. This work indicates the graphene-Sb2Se3 TFs are the potential candidate for photoelectrochemical water splitting as photocathode.