| Abstrakt: |
In this work, we prepared two sets of TiO2 photoanode with the hydrothermal method at the sintering temperatures of 550 °C and 750 °C, respectively. Both photoanodes showed different photoelectrochemical reactivity towards the water-splitting reaction. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis for 550 °C sample showed a nanoflower-like structure, while 750 °C sample showed a nanorod-like structure. The nanorod structure supports the 1-dimensional flow of electrons and can enhance the electron-hole separation. Further, the electrochemical analysis showed that the 750 °C sample shows high reactivity compared to 550 °C sample. The open circuit potential (OCP) analysis showed high potential generation in 750 °C sample, which can enhance the reactivity as well as the electron-hole separation. The impedance analysis of both samples showed the presence and absence of the surface state in 750 °C and 550 °C samples. In 750 °C sample, the presence of the surface state increases the electron-hole separation and reactivity of the catalyst. On the other hand, in 550 °C sample, the excess electron-hole recombination reduces the reactivity of the photoanode. Thus, from the present analysis, we conclude that the sintering temperature plays a major role in determining the reactivity of the photoanode toward photoelectrochemical water-splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
