Plasmonic enhanced Cu₂O-Au-BFO photocathodes for solar hydrogen production.

ABSTRACT: A novel Cu₂O-Au-BFO heterostructure photocathode was constructed which significantly improved the efficiency of photo-generated carrier transfer for solar hydrogen production. A BiFeO₃ (BFO) ferroelectric film was synthesized on top of a Cu₂O layer by a sputtering process. The BFO layer acted to protect the Cu₂O layer from photochemical corrosion, increasing photoelectrochemical (PEC) stability. The p-n heterojunction between Cu₂O and BFO layers enhanced the PEC properties by suppressing charge recombination and improved interfacial charge transfer efficiency. When Cu₂O and BFO are interfaced by Au Nanoparticles (NPs) the PEC performance was further enhanced, due to hot-electron transfer at the plasmonic resonance. After positive poling, the depolarization field across the whole volume of BFO film drove electrons into the electrolyte solution, inducing a significant anodic shift, V_op of 1.01?V vs. RHE, together with a significantly enhanced photocurrent density of -91 ?A/cm² at 0?V vs. RHE under 100?mW/cm² illumination. The mechanism was investigated through experimental and theoretivcal calculations.

SUBMITTER: Cheng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6435794 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature