Tailoring a Zinc Oxide Nanorod Surface by Adding an Earth-Abundant Cocatalyst for Induced Sunlight Water Oxidation

Autor(es)

de Almeida, Rafael M. ^[1] ; Ferrari, Victoria C. ^{[1, 2]} ; Souza, Juliana dos S. ^[1] ; Souza, Flavio L. ^{[1, 3]} ; Alves, Wendel A. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, BR-09210580 Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Maryland, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, College Pk, MD 20742 - USA

^[3] Brazilian Nanotechnol Natl Lab LNNano, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ChemPhysChem; v. 21, n. 6, p. 476-483, MAR 17 2020.
• Citações Web of Science: 1

Resumo

Herein, a detailed investigation of the surface modification of a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod electrode with FeOOH nanoparticles dispersed in glycine was conducted to improve the water oxidation reaction assisted by sunlight. The results were systematically analysed in terms of the general parameters (light absorption, charge separation, and surface for catalysis) that govern the photocurrent density response of metal oxide as photoanode in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. ZnO electrodes surface were modified with different concentration of FeOOH nanoparticles using the spin-coating deposition method, and it was found that 6-layer deposition of glycine-FeOOH nanoparticles is the optimum condition. The glycine plays an important role decreasing the agglomeration of FeOOH nanoparticles over the ZnO electrode surface and increasing the overall performance. Comparing bare ZnO electrodes with the ones modified with glycine-FeOOH nanoparticles an enhanced photocurrent density can be observed from 0.27 to 0.57 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V-RHE under sunlight irradiation. The impedance spectroscopy data aid us to conclude that the higher photocurrent density is an effect associated with more efficient surface for chemical reaction instead of electronic improvement. Nevertheless, the charge separation efficiency remains low for this system. The present discovery shows that the combination of glycine-FeOOH nanoparticle is suitable and environmentally-friend cocatalyst to enhance the ZnO nanorod electrode activity for the oxygen evolution reaction assisted by sunlight irradiation. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/50867-3 - INCT 2014: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Bioanalítica
• Beneficiário: Marco Aurelio Zezzi Arruda
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 17/02317-2 - Interfaces em materiais: propriedades eletrônicas, magnéticas, estruturais e de transporte
• Beneficiário: Adalberto Fazzio
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático