Hydrothermal synthesis of Fe2O3/ZnO heterojunction photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Abstract

We report a photoanode based on Fe 2 O 3/zinc oxide ( ZnO ) heterojunction synthesized by hydrothermal method for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The forming heterojunction is systemically characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results from the I–V characteristic curve and conversation efficiency of Fe 2 O 3/ ZnO heterojunction reveal that the forming heterojunction would be a benefit for electron transferring from conduction band of ZnO to that of Fe 2 O 3. However, the quantity of ZnO film has an effect on the photocurrent density, the suitable of which has shown enhanced PEC performance.