Title
Fabrication and characterization of α-Fe2O3/CuO heterostructure thin films via dip-coating technique for improved photoelectrochemical performance
Date Issued
05 September 2019
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
IOP Publishing Ltd
Abstract
In this work, a heterostructure-based thin film combining n-type α-Fe2O3 with p-type CuO was fabricated by a dip-coating technique, the heterostructure was fabricated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrate. The synthesised sample was characterised by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). XRD, FTIR, Raman, and XPS reveal the successful synthesis of α-Fe2O3/CuO composite and confirm the existence of hematite (α-Fe2O3) and tenorite (CuO) phases in the heterostructure. AFM reveals the growth of CuO crystals in the heterostructure with superficial intermingled pointy shape, different than its pristine topography. The SEM images show that the α-Fe2O3/CuO heterostructure thickness was ∼880 nm. The optical band gap energies estimated from the optical transmittance spectra were 2.15, 2.00 and 1.77 eV for α-Fe2O3, CuO and α-Fe2O3/CuO heterostructure, respectively. The photoelectrochemical photocurrent effects (J-V curves) for the heterostructure were measured in a three-electrode cell in the dark and under illumination. The photocurrent density for heterostructure was improved mainly attributed to the enhanced visible light absorption, efficient charge carriers separation and transfer between α-Fe2O3 and CuO.
Volume
10
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Nano-tecnología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85074088369
Source
Advances in Natural Sciences: Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
ISSN of the container
20436262
Source funding
Sponsor(s)
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work provided by the National Fund for the Scientific and Technological Development (FONDECYT), Grant No. 237–2015-FONDECYT. The authors are grateful to MSc. Clemente Luyo Caycho and PhD candidate Pierre Ramos Apestegui for their excellent technical assistance in scanning electron microscopy observation.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus