Structural and enhanced photoelectrochemical cell properties of α-hematite -molybdenum disulfide and polyhexylthiophene nanodiamond based nanocomposite prepared by sol-gel method

Abstract

The α-Fe2O3-MoS2 nanocomposite materials were synthesized using sol-gel technique and investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, X-ray diffraction, UV–vis and Raman analyses. In this study, we used the conducting polymer electrode named polyhexylthiophene (RRPHTh) with nanodiamond (ND) nanomaterials abbreviated as “RRPHTh + ND”. The photocurrent, “electrode” & the “electrolyte” interface of “α-Fe2O3-MoS2″ and ”RRPHTh + ND“ nanocomposite films were studied using the electrochemical method. The developed MoS2-α-Fe2O-RRPHTh + ND nanocomposite films showed ∼ 3 times higher current–density and energy conversion efficiency as compared to the parent “electrode” in an electrolyte of 1 M of NaOH in “photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell”. Furthermore, improved hydrogen release was observed for the Fe2O3-MoS2 and ”RRPHTh + ND“ nanomaterials-based electrodes when compared to aluminum doped Fe2O3, Fe2O3, and MoS2 doped-Fe2O3 films.

Keywords

• Nanocomposite
• Water splitting
• α-Fe2O3
• Photoelectrochemical