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One-Step Dry Coating of Hybrid ZnO–WO3 Nanosheet Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting with Composition-Dependent Performance

مؤلف البحث
MuhammadShehrozeMalik; Deepto Roy; Doo-ManChun; and A.G.Abd-Elrahim
ملخص البحث

In this study, the potential of zinc oxide (ZnO), tungsten oxide (WO3), and their composites (ZnO–WO3) as photoanodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting was investigated. ZnO–WO3 nanocomposites (NCs) were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates at room temperature using a one-step dry coating process, the nanoparticle deposition system, with no post-processes. Different compositions of ZnO–WO3 NCs were optimized to enhance the kinetics of the PEC water-splitting reaction. Surface morphology analysis revealed the transformation of microsized particle nanosheets (NS) powder into nanosized particle nanosheets (NS) across all photoanodes. The optical characteristics of ZnO–WO3 photoanodes were scrutinized using diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence emission spectroscopy. Of all the hybrid photoanodes tested, the photoanode containing 10 wt.% WO3 exhibited the lowest bandgap of 3.20 eV and the lowest emission intensity, indicating an enhanced separation of photogenerated carriers and solar energy capture. The photoelectrochemical results showed a 10% increase in the photocurrent with increasing WO3 content in ZnO–WO3 NCs, which is attributed to improved charge transfer kinetics and carrier segregation. The maximum photocurrent for a NC, i.e., 10 wt.% WO3, was recorded at 0.133 mA·cm−2 at 1.23V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The observed improvement in photocurrent was nearly 22 times higher than pure WO3 nanosheets and 7.3 times more than that of pure ZnO nanosheets, indicating the composition-dependence of PEC performance, where the synergy requirement strongly relies on utilizing the optimal ZnO–WO3 ratio in the hybrid NCs

تاريخ البحث
قسم البحث
مجلة البحث
Micromachines
المشارك في البحث
الناشر
MDPI
تصنيف البحث
International Journal
عدد البحث
14
موقع البحث
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/12/2189
سنة البحث
2023
صفحات البحث
2189