Abstract
Developing efficient semiconductor photoanodes demonstrating strong light absorption, efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers, and reduced charge carrier recombination rate can benefit PEC water splitting. Integrating a wide band gap semiconductor with narrow bandgap material with suitable band alignment can enhance PEC performance. Herein, we have fabricated novel MoO3/γ-In2Se3 heterostructure photoanodes using RF magnetron sputtering. The films structural, optical, morphological, and elemental composition were investigated in detail using low-angle XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS analysis, EDAX, and FESEM. The XRD, Raman, XPS, and EDAX results strongly confirmed the presence of desired phases of MoO3 and γ-In2Se3 layers in heterostructure without forming any impurity or alloy. FESEM micrographs revealed a uniform, dense grain structure. Optical analysis of MoO3/γ-In2Se3 done by UV–Visible spectroscopy shows increased absorption compared to pristine-MoO3. Conduction and valence band-edge potential values indicate that MoO3/γ-In2Se3 films are suitable for PEC hydrogen production. The PEC performance of these heterostructure photoanodes was evaluated by performing LSV, Chronoamperometry, EIS, and Mott–Schottky analysis. LSV results of MoO3/γ-In2Se3 showed a 10-fold increase in photocurrent density and attained higher photoconversion efficiency (0.5%) compared to pristine-MoO3 photoanode. EIS analysis revealed that MoO3/γ-In2Se3 photoanodes had small charge transfer resistance. Investigation of Mott Schottky results shows carrier density increases from 2.8 × 1019 cm−3 to 2.1 × 1020 cm−3 after incorporating γ-In2Se3 over MoO3. An increase in time-dependent photocurrent density reveals that MoO3/γ-In2Se3 films have effective electron-hole separation. Our finding suggests that MoO3/γ-In2Se3-based heterostructure photoanode can enhance light harvesting capacity and suppresses carrier recombination rate, eventually boosting PEC performance. Moreover, these results encourage the development of highly efficient photoelectrodes based on heterostructures for solar water-splitting applications.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
C.G. Morales-Guio, L.A. Stern, X. Hu, Chem. Soc. Rev. 43, 6555–6569 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1039/C3CS60468C
J. Greeley, T.F. Jaramillo, J. Bonde, I. Chorkendorff, J.K. Norskov, Nat. Mater. 5, 909–913 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat1752
P. Xiao, W. Chen, X. Wang, Adv. Energy Mater. 5, 1500985 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201500985
X. Zou, Y. Zhang, Chem. Soc. Rev. 44, 5148–5180 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CS00448E
T.R. Smith, A. Wood, V.I. Birss, Appl. Catal. A Gen. 354, 1–7 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2008.10.055
A. Heinzel, B. Vogel, P. Hubner, J. Power Sources 105, 202–207 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7753(01)00940-5
A. Fujishima, K. Honda, Nature. 238, 37–38 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/238037a0
V. Aroutiounian, V. Arakelyan, G. Shahnazaryan, Solar Energy 78, 581–592 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2004.02.002
Y. Yang, S. Niu, D. Han, T. Liu, G. Wang, Y. Li, Adv. Energy Mater. 7, 1700555 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201700555
C. Ros, T. Andreu, J.R. Morante, J. Mater. Chem. A 8, 10625–10669 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA02755C
J.Z. Zhang, MRS bull. 36, 48–55 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2010.9
Y. Qiu, Z. Pan, H. Chen, D. Ye, L. Guo, Z. Fan, S. Yang, Sci. Bull. 64, 1348–1380 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2019.07.017
Z. Shen, G. Chen, Y. Yu, Q. Wang, C. Zhou, L. Hao, Y. Li, L. He, R. Mu, J. Mater. Chem. 22, 19646–19651 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM33432A
J. Lee, S.K. Kim, Y. Sohn, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 62, 362–374 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2018.01.016
H. He, Y. Zhou, G. Ke, X. Zhong, M. Yang, L. Bian, K. Lv, F. Donget, Electrochim. Acta 257, 181–191 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2017.10.013
Y. Chen, M. Yang, J. Du, G. Ke, X. Zhong, Y. Zhou, F. Dong, L. Bian, H. He, J. Mater. Sci. 54, 671–682 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2863-6
A.R. Fareza, F.A.A. Nugroho, F. Abdi, V. Fauzia, J. Mater. Chem. A 10, 8656–8686 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1039/D1TA10203F
Y. Zhang, S.J. Park, J. Mater. Chem. A 6, 20304–20312 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TA08385A
Y. Han, M. Lim, J. Park, K. Choi, Org. Electron. 14, 3437–3443 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgel.2013.09.014
M. Zhong, Z. Wei, X. Meng, F. Wu, J. Li, Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2014, 3245–3251 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.201402079
S. Balendhran, J. Deng, J. Ou, S. Walia, J. Scott, J. Tang, K. Wang, M. Field, S. Russo, S. Zhuiykov, M. Strano, N. Medhekar, S. Sriram, M. Bhaskaran, K. Kalantar-Zadeh, Adv. Mater. 25, 108 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201203346
A. Waghmare, V. Sharma, P. Shinde, A. Punde, P. Vairale, Y. Hase, S. Pandharkar, S. Nair, R. Aher, V. Doiphode, S. Shah, S. Rahane, B. Bade, M. Prasad, S. Rondiya, S. Jadkar, J. Solid State Electrochem. 26, 219–232 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-021-05054-1
U. Alam, S. Kumar, D. Bahnemann, J. Koch, C. Tegenkamp, M. Muneer, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 20, 4538–4545 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP08206A
Y. Liu, P. Feng, Z. Wang, X. Jiao, F. Akhtar, Sci. Rep. 7, 1–12 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02025-3
Y. Chen, C. Lu, L. Xu, Y. Ma, W. Hou, J. Zhu, CrystEngComm 12, 3740–3747 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1039/C000744G
A. Khan, M. Danish, U. Alam, S. Zafar, M. Muneer, ACS Omega 5, 8188–8199 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c00446
G. Kumar, J. Kumar, P. Ilanchezhiyan, M. Paulraj, H. Jeon, D. Kim, T. Kanget, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 9, 12318–12327 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2020.08.092
V. Krishna, M. Mahesha, Sens. Actuators A Phys. 332, 113169 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2021.113169
M. Tran, N. Hung, Q. Van, N. Huyen, N. Tu, H. Thanh, Opt. Mater. 121, 111587 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2021.111587
B. Cullity, S. Stock, Elements of x-ray diffraction, 3rd Edition. (Prentice Hall, New York, 2001), pp.174–177
S. Kite, D. Sathe, S. Patil, P. Bhosale, K. Garadkar, Mater. Res. Express 6, 026411 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/aaed81
S. Patel, K. Dewangan, N. Gajbhiye, J. Mater. Sci.Technol. 31, 453–457 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2014.08.013
S.K.S. Patel, K. Dewangan, S.K. Srivastav, N.K. Verma, P. Jena, A.K. Singh, A. Gajbhiye N.S., Adv. Mater. Lett. 9, 585–589 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5185/amlett.2018.2022
M. Dieterle, G. Weinberg, G. Mestl, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 4, 812–821 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1039/B107012F
R. Panda, R. Naik, N. Mishra, Phase Transit. 91, 862–871 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1080/01411594.2018.1508680
J. Weszka, P. Daniel, A. Burian, A. Burian, A. Nguyen, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 265, 98–104 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3093(99)00710-3
K. Kambas, C. Julien, M. Jouanne, A. Likforman, M. Guittard, Physica Status Solidi B, Basic Research (Wiley, Hoboken, 1984), pp.K105–K108. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssb.2221240241
Y. Fang, H. Zhang, F. Azad, S. Wang, F. Ling, S. Su, RSC Adv. 8, 29555–29561 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1039/C8RA05677C
P. Dwivedi, S. Dhanekar, S. Das, Semicond. Sci. Technol. 31, 115010 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1088/0268-1242/31/11/115010
S. Santhosh, M. Mathankumar, S. Chandrasekaran, A. N. Kumar, P. Murugan, B. Subramanian, Langmuir. 33, 19–33 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b02940
P. Huang, Y. He, C. Cao, Z. Lu, Sci. Rep. 4, 1–7 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep07131
S. Bandaru, G. Saranya, N. English, C. Yam, M. Chen, Sci. Rep. 8, 1–12 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28522-7
J. Tauc, Mater. Res. Bull. 5, 721–729 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-5408(70)90112-1
T. Das, S. Tosoni, G. Pacchioni, Comput. Mater. Sci. 163, 230–240 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2019.03.027
Q. Meng, L. Fan, L. Zhu, N. Xu, Q. Zhang, Int. J. Quantum Chem. 118, e25681 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/qua.25681
S. Li, Y. Yan, Y. Zhang, Y. Ou, Y. Ji, L. Liu, C. Yan, Y. Zhao, Z. Yu, Vacuum 99, 228–232 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2013.06.007
C. Ho, Y. Chen, C. Pan, J. Appl. Phys. 115, 033501 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4862184
Y. Yan, S. Li, Y. Ou, Y. Ji, Z. Yu, L. Liu, C. Yan, Y. Zhang, Y. Zhao, Electron. Mater. Lett. 10, 1093–1101 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-014-4081-y
J. Cao, X. Li, H. Lin, B. Xu, S. Chen, Q. Guan, Appl. Surf. Sci. 266, 294–299 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2012.11.172
S. Yang, C. Xu, L. Yang, S. Hu, L. Zhen, RSC adv. 6, 106671–106675 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA21784B
P. Shinde, V. Sharma, A. Punde, A. Waghmare, P. Vairale, Y. Hase, S. Pandharkar, A. Bhorde, R. Aher, S. Nair, V. Doiphode, V. Jadkar, N. Patil, S. Rondiya, M. Prasad, S. Jadkar, New J. Chem. 45, 3498–3507 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NJ05567K
J. Cen, Q. Wu, M. Liu, A. Orlov, Green Energy Environ. 2, 100–111 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gee.2017.03.001
Y. Wang, W. Tian, L. Chen, F. Cao, J. Guo, L. Li, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 9, 40235–40243 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b11510
K. Bhojanaa, S. Kannadhasan, N. Santhosh, P. Vijayakumar, M. Pandian, P. Ramasamy, A. Pandikumar, SN Appl. Sci. 2, 1–9 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-03555-8
K. Sivula, ACS Energy Lett. 6, 2549-2551 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.1c01245
B. Bera, A. Chakraborty, T. Kar, P. Leuaa, M. Neergat, J. Phys. Chem. C 121, 20850–20856 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b06735
C. Liu, Y. Qiu, F. Wang, K. Wang, Q. Liang, Z. Chen, Adv. Mater. Interfaces 4, 1700681 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201700681
S. Bai, J. Han, K. Zhang, J. Sun, J. Guo, R. Luo, D. Li, A. Chen, ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 8, 4076–4084 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b06306
Y. Ren, D. Feng, Z. Yan, Z. Sun, Z. Zhang, D. Xu, C. Qiao, Z. Chen, Y. Jia, S. Jun, S. Liu, Y. Yamauchi, Chem. Eng. J. 453, 39875 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.139875
N. Kodan, A. Singh, M. Vandichel, B. Wickman, B. Mehta, Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 43, 15773–15783 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.06.138
K. Inzani, M. Nematollahi, F. Vullum-Bruer, T. Grande, T. W. Reenaas, S. M. Selbach, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 19, 9232–9245 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP00644F
Y. Yao, M. Sun, Z. Zhang, X. Lin, B. Gao, S. Anandan, W. Liu, Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 44, 9348–9358 (2019)
I. Dharmadasa, N. Kalyanaratne, R. Dharmadasa, J. Nat. Sci. Found. Sri Lanka 41, 73–80 (2013). https://doi.org/10.4038/jnsfsr.v41i2.5702
O. I. Olusola (2016) Thesis (Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield). http://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/14127
Acknowledgements
Ashish Waghmare, Yogesh Hase, Vidya Doiphode, Shruti Shah, Pratibha Shinde, Yogesh Hase, and Bharat Bade are thankful to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, for the financial support under the National Renewable Energy Fellowship (NREF) program Furthermore, Ashvini Punde is thankful to the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute (MAHAJYOTI), Government of Maharashtra, for the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research Fellowship (MJPRF). Swati Rahane is thankful for the research fellowship to the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), Government of Maharashtra. In addition, Vidhika Sharma, Mohit Prasad, and Sandesh Jadkar are grateful to Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research-CEFIPRA, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, for special financial support.
Funding
The authors have not disclosed any funding.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
AW: Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data curation, Writing—original draft. VS: Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing—original draft. PS: Conceptualization, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation. SS: Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation. AP: Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation. YH: Methodology, Conceptualization, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation. BB: Conceptualization, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation. VD: Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation. SR: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation. SL: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation. MP: Data curation, Writing—Review, and Editing. SR: Methodology, Conceptualization, Validation, Investigation. SJ: Visualization, Writing—Review, Editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Waghmare, A., Sharma, V., Shinde, P. et al. MoO3/γ-In2Se3 heterostructure photoanodes for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 1139 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-10526-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-10526-3