Effect of aqueous media on photoelectrochemical water splitting performance of α-Fe2O3/LaFeO3:Cr tandem cell

• Published in: Journal of Materials Research
• Main Author: Aadenan A.; Arzaee N.A.; Rahman N.A.A.; Noh M.F.M.; Daud M.N.M.; Mohamed N.A.; Mustapha M.; Ibrahim M.A.; Ludin N.A.; Teridi M.A.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85180254459&doi=10.1557%2fs43578-023-01262-9&partnerID=40&md5=4c647a9a85de558d2e74ebf3615213fe

A tandem cell that consists of an n-type (α-Fe2O3/hematite) photoanode and a p-type (LFO:Cr/chromium-doped lanthanum iron oxide) photocathode for solar water splitting has been demonstrated and studied for its photoelectrochemically. Under two-electrode system configurations, the PEC performance of α-Fe2O3 exhibited a good photoanodic response with the highest photocurrent density achieved was 0.0047 mA and 0.066 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V (vs. LFO and LFO:Cr), respectively, as operated in 0.1 M KOH (pH 13) electrolyte. Furthermore, the tandem of (LFO and LFO:Cr) vs. α-Fe2O3 also presented a similar increase of photocurrent responses as operated in different aqueous media. At zero bias condition, the highest photocurrent constructed in a two-electrode system was 0.0022 mA cm−2 for α-Fe2O3 vs. LFO:Cr, which increased by 0.0006 mA cm−2 from α-Fe2O3 vs. LFO tandem cell in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. As a result, the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 0.0026% was achieved under AM 1.5 G illumination. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.) © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Materials Research Society 2023.