Orientation modulated charge transport in hematite for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Abstract

Hematite is currently considered one of the most promising photoanode materials for light-driven water splitting. The photoelectrochemical performance of hematite is limited by its low conductivity. In this work, we demonstrate that the conductivity of hematite films can be tuned by controlling the orientation of hematite crystals. By applying a high magnetic field (up to 10 T) during the drop-casting preparation, hematite films composed of single crystal particles show featured texture by promoting those particles alignment with (001) normal to the substrate. By enhancing the photocurrent densities with tuned hematite orientation, the current method provides an effective way for increasing the number of carriers that can reach the surface.