Facet-Dependent Kinetics and Energetics of Hematite for Solar Water Oxidation Reactions

Journal Article · Thu May 24 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b05190· OSTI ID:1543691

Li, Wei ^[1]; Yang, Ke R. ^[2]; Yao, Xiahui  ^[1]; He, Yumin ^[1]; Dong, Qi  ^[3]; Brudvig, Gary W.  ^[2]; Batista, Victor S.  ^[2]; Wang, Dunwei  ^[1]

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1. Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA (United States)
2. Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
3. Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA (United States); Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

Currently, the performance of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) system is highly dependent on the charge separation, transport and transfer characteristics at the photoelectrode|electrolyte interface. Of the factors that influence the charge behaviors, the crystalline facets of the semiconductor in contact with the electrolyte play an important role but has been poorly studied previously. Here, we present a study aimed at understanding how the different facets of hematite affect the charge separation and transfer behaviors in a solar water oxidation reaction. Specifically, hematite crystallites with predominantly {012} and {001} facets exposed were synthesized. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that hematite {012} surfaces feature higher OH coverage, which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These surface OH groups act as active sites to mediate water oxidation reactions, which plays a positive role for the PEC system. These surface OH groups also facilitate charge recombination, which compromises the charge separation capabilities of hematite. Moreover, intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) confirmed that hematite {012} surfaces exhibit higher rate constants for both charge transfer and recombination. Open circuit potential (OCP) measurements revealed that the hematite {012} surface reflects a greater degree of Fermi level pinning effect. Our results shed light on how different surface crystal structures may change surface kinetics and energetics. The information is anticipated to contribute to efforts on optimizing PEC performance for practical solar fuel synthesis.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC); Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division
• Grant/Contract Number: FG02-07ER15909
• OSTI ID: 1543691
• Journal Information: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Vol. 11, Issue 6; ISSN 1944-8244
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
hematite
photoelectrochemistry
water splitting
kinetics
energetics
facet