Issue 42, 2018

A facile, one-step electroless deposition of NiFeOOH nanosheets onto photoanodes for highly durable and efficient solar water oxidation

Abstract

A low-cost, highly efficient and durable photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting system can be realized through designing a hierarchical core/shell nanostructured photoanode entirely composed of Earth-abundant elements. Herein, we report the rational design of a core/shell nanostructured photoanode with a TiO2 nanorod (NR) array as the core and a highly active Earth-abundant NiFe oxyhydroxide ((Ni1−xFex)OOH, NiFeOOH) oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) as the shell for PEC water oxidation. Specifically, the NiFeOOH nanosheets were prepared via a facile, one-step electroless deposition method for a short reaction time of 10 min at room temperature. The TiO2/NiFeOOH core/shell nanostructured photoanode exhibits an unprecedented enhancement in photocurrent density (3.85 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode, (RHE)), no decay in photocurrent density over 24 h, and an obvious cathodic onset potential shift of 133 mV compared to the TiO2 NRs (0.73 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE). The electron transfer mechanism is discussed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies and calculated band alignments via ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy characterization. This work not only suggests a simple, room temperature electroless strategy for integrating Earth-abundant catalysts with photoanodes, but also accelerates the development of rationally designed core/shell photoanodes for efficient and durable solar water oxidation.

Graphical abstract: A facile, one-step electroless deposition of NiFeOOH nanosheets onto photoanodes for highly durable and efficient solar water oxidation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 Jul 2018
Accepted
30 Aug 2018
First published
03 Sep 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 20678-20685

A facile, one-step electroless deposition of NiFeOOH nanosheets onto photoanodes for highly durable and efficient solar water oxidation

M. P. Suryawanshi, S. W. Shin, U. V. Ghorpade, J. Kim, H. W. Jeong, S. H. Kang and J. H. Kim, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 20678 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA07343K

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