• Lemmetyinen, H.
• Mathur, S.
• Kaunisto, K.
• Bontempi, E.
• Warwick, M. E. A.
• Carraro, G.
• Sada, C.
• Goenuellue, Y.
• Barreca, D.
• Maccato, C.
• Gasparotto, A.

Abstract

<p>Pt/alpha-Fe2O3 nanocomposites were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates by a sequential plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering approach, tailoring the overall Pt content as a function of sputtering time. The chemico-physical properties of the as-prepared systems were extensively investigated by means of complementary techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and optical absorption spectroscopy, and compared to those of the homologous Pt/alpha-Fe2O3 systems annealed in air prior and/or after sputtering. The obtained results evidenced that the material compositional, structural and morphological features, with particular regard to the Pt oxidation state and hematite nano-organization, could be finely tailored as a function of the adopted processing conditions. Pt/alpha-Fe2O3 systems were finally tested as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting experiments, evidencing a remarkable interplay between functional performances and the above-mentioned material properties, as also testified by transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) results.</p>

Topics

• nanocomposite
• x-ray diffraction
• experiment
• x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
• tin
• spectrometry
• chemical vapor deposition
• selective ion monitoring
• secondary ion mass spectrometry
• field-emission scanning electron microscopy