Photoelectrochemical Characterization of Sprayed α-Fe2O3 Thin Films: Influence of Si Doping and SnO2 Interfacial Layer

Abstract

α-Fe2O3 thin film photoanodes for solar water splitting were prepared by spray pyrolysis of Fe(AcAc)3. The donor density in the Fe2O3 films could be tuned between 1017–1020 cm-3 by doping with silicon. By depositing a 5 nm SnO2 interfacial layer between the Fe2O3 films and the transparent conducting substrates, both the reproducibility and the photocurrent can be enhanced. The effects of Si doping and the presence of the SnO2 interfacial layer were systematically studied. The highest photoresponse is obtained for Fe2O3 doped with 0.2% Si, resulting in a photocurrent of 0.37 mA/cm2 at 1.23 VRHE in a 1.0 M KOH solution under 80 mW/cm2 AM1.5 illumination.