Investigation of Fe2O3-CuO material synthesis and photoelectrochemical activity

In this study, p-type CuO nanoparticles with different thicknesses were synthesized on Fe2O3 semiconductor films deposited on ITO glass using successive spin and electrochemical deposition methods. The catalytic photocatalytic performance of these manufactures' electrodes in the photoelectrochemical cell for water splitting was investigated. The band gap values of Fe2O3-CuO structures were illuminated with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. It was determined that the bandgap of the films varied between 2.08 and 1.76 eV, from the absorption spectrum measurements. The crystal structures of Fe2O3-CuO films with different thicknesses were evaluated by XRD analysis, and the flat band potentials were determined by Mott-Schottky analysis. The surface morphologies of Fe2O3-CuO electrodes were examined by FESEM, and their catalytic performance in photoelectrochemical water splitting cell was investigated by EIS and current density-potential measurements, under illuminated and dark conditions. Among the Fe2O3-CuO electrodes synthesized with different thicknesses in the photoelectrochemical cell, Fe2O3-CuO-30 electrodes were determined to be the most effective electrodes in photocatalytic water splitting.