Photoactive bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) thin coatings were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass by plasma reactive sputtering from Bi2O3 and vanadium (V) radio frequency (RF) powered targets. The films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The effects that the power density supplied to the Bi2O3 target, the post-annealing treatment, and the film thickness have on the structural features and on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performances of the so obtained BiVO4 film-based photoelectrodes were investigated. Their PEC performance in water splitting was evaluated in a three-electrode cell by both incident photon to current efficiency and linear sweep voltammetry measurements under AM 1.5 G simulated solar light irradiation. A monoclinic phase of BiVO4, which is more photoactive than the tetragonal BiVO4 phase, was obtained by optimizing the power density supplied to the Bi2O3 target, i.e., by tuning the Bi:V:O atomic ratio. The best PEC performance was obtained for a stoichiometric 1:1 Bi:V atomic ratio, attained with 20 W power supplied to the Bi2O3 target and 300 W power supplied to the vanadium target, and an optimal 200 nm thickness of the BiVO4 film, with a 0.65 mA/cm2 photocurrent density attained at 1.23 V versus standard calomel electrode, under simulated solar light. These results show the suitability of plasma reactive sputtering with two RF powered electrodes for the deposition of BiVO4 photoanodes for water splitting.
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January 2020
Research Article|
December 18 2019
Bismuth vanadate photoanodes for water splitting deposited by radio frequency plasma reactive co-sputtering
Matteo Pedroni
;
Matteo Pedroni
a)
1
CNR, Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi
, via R. Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano, Italy
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Gian Luca Chiarello;
Gian Luca Chiarello
2
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano
, via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Niloofar Haghshenas;
Niloofar Haghshenas
2
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano
, via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Maurizio Canetti;
Maurizio Canetti
3
CNR, Istituto per lo Studio delle Macromolecole
, via E. Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Dario Ripamonti
;
Dario Ripamonti
4
CNR, Istituto di Chimica della Materia Condensata e di Tecnologie per l’Energia
, via R. Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano, Italy
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Elena Selli;
Elena Selli
2
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano
, via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy
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Espedito Vassallo
Espedito Vassallo
1
CNR, Istituto per la Scienza e Tecnologia dei Plasmi
, via R. Cozzi 53, 20125 Milano, Italy
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a)
Electronic mail: pedroni@ifp.cnr.it
Note: This paper is part of the Conference Collection: XXIV AIV 2019 Conference of the Association of Science and Technology.
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 38, 012203 (2020)
Article history
Received:
September 30 2019
Accepted:
November 18 2019
Citation
Matteo Pedroni, Gian Luca Chiarello, Niloofar Haghshenas, Maurizio Canetti, Dario Ripamonti, Elena Selli, Espedito Vassallo; Bismuth vanadate photoanodes for water splitting deposited by radio frequency plasma reactive co-sputtering. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 1 January 2020; 38 (1): 012203. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.5129612
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