Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
38815 | Applied Catalysis A: General | 2016 | 7 Pages |
•WO3 films produced by polymer-assisted deposition method with addition of Triton X 114.•Highly transparent WO3 films become active photoanodes for water oxidation.•Triton X 114 addition produces (2 0 0) oriented WO3 with improved bulk charge separation.
A facile polymer-assisted direct deposition method is reported for fabrication of transparent WO3 films for photoelectrochemical water oxidation. Addition of Triton X 114 as a polymer additive brings a significant impact on morphology, optical property and crystallinity of WO3 film that leads to improved photoelectrochemical activity. An optimum amount of Triton X 114 added during the WO3 synthesis makes a photoanode with near glass-like transparency with activity improvement. Moreover, bulk charge separation efficiency as high as 80% at 1.23 VRHE is obtained by Triton X 114 addition by forming preferentially (200) oriented WO3 crystals of better bulk charge transfer property.
Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (180 K)Download as PowerPoint slide