Simple electrodeposition to synthesize a NiFeSx-modified Ti-Fe2O3 photoanode: an effective strategy to improve the photoelectrochemical water oxidation reaction

Haoyu Wang; Rui Zhang; Yin Yin Li; Dejun Wang; Yanhong Lin; Tengfeng Xie

doi:10.1039/d1dt02303a

Simple electrodeposition to synthesize a NiFeS_x-modified Ti-Fe₂O₃ photoanode: an effective strategy to improve the photoelectrochemical water oxidation reaction

Dalton Trans. 2021 Nov 9;50(43):15551-15557. doi: 10.1039/d1dt02303a.

Authors

Haoyu Wang¹, Rui Zhang¹, Yin Yin Li¹, Dejun Wang¹, Yanhong Lin¹, Tengfeng Xie¹

Affiliation

¹ College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China.

PMID: 34665188
DOI: 10.1039/d1dt02303a

Abstract

Decorating a high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst as a cocatalyst on an α-Fe₂O₃ photoanode is known to be one of the most efficient methods to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation activity. In our work, different from traditional methods of transition metal sulfide cocatalyst synthesis, an NiFeS_x-decorated Ti-Fe₂O₃ photoanode is synthesized through a simple one-step electrodeposition method, which benefits the interface between Ti-Fe₂O₃ and NiFeS_x. With the help of this excellent OER electrocatalyst, the photocurrent density of the NiFeS_x-Ti-Fe₂O₃ photoanode rises to 3 mA cm^-2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is 2.5 times greater than the photocurrent of Ti-Fe₂O₃. Moreover, the onset potential of NiFeS_x-Ti-Fe₂O₃ shifts negatively by 170 mV compared with that of pure Ti-Fe₂O₃. Furthermore, surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPV) and transient photovoltage (TPV) techniques and photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PEIS) were used to analyze the true effects of NiFeS_x as an efficient cocatalyst for enhancing the PEC performance of the NiFeS_x-Ti-Fe₂O₃ photoanode. This work provides a simple method for loading a low-cost and efficient cocatalyst to modify a Ti-Fe₂O₃ photoanode for the PEC water oxidation reaction.