Photoanodic properties of pulsed-laser-deposited α-Fe2O3 electrode

Iron oxide photoelectrodes were prepared using pulsed laser deposition with hematite pellet as the target. The dependences of photocurrent density on post-annealing O2 pressure, thickness, heating temperature and surface morphology were investigated in detail. The photoelectrode properties were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, XPS, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, SEM, current density and photoelectrochemical measurements. The α-Fe2O3 thin film of thickness 70 nm prepared using the SiO2 sphere template method with post-annealing under an O2 pressure of 160 Pa at 550 °C showed the highest photocurrent density (275 µA cm−2) under AM1.5 solar simulated light irradiation.