Work

Heterogeneous doping of metastable β-Fe2O3 thin film photoanodes for enhanced solar water splitting

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: β-Fe 2 O 3 , a metastable polymorph of iron oxide with a cubic bixbyite structure, has been introduced as a promising photoanode material for solar water splitting. However, its metastable nature makes it difficult to grow as a single-phase material and poses challenges for effective doping. Here, we report the heteroepitaxial growth of β-Fe 2 O 3 thin film photoanodes on indium tin oxide (ITO) films deposited on YSZ single-crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Epitaxial film growth enables the study of dopant behaviour without interference from microstructural factors often encountered in polycrystalline materials. The incorporation of Ti 4+ and Zn 2+ was examined to assess the effects of donor (n-type) and acceptor (p-type) doping on β-Fe 2 O 3 compared to undoped, nominally intrinsic (i) films. Photoanodes with heterogeneous p-i-n doping profiles were subsequently fabricated, resulting in substantial improvements in the charge separation and charge transfer efficiency as compared to uniformly doped films.

Source: Applied Surface Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.163883

Authors: Kumaraswamy Miriyala, Alexander Rashkovskiy, Alexander Upcher, Vladimir Ezersky, Daniel A. Grave

Institution: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Language: English

Topic: Iron oxide chemistry and applications

Subfield: Materials Chemistry

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,930