Abstract
Most of the photocathode semiconductors that can be used for hydrogen production are difficult to prepare or get corroded in the electrolyte of an aqueous solution. Hence it is a huge challenge to develop stable photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen evolution systems. Perovskite-type LaFeO3, as a new p-type semiconductor, is used in the PEC hydrogen evolution reaction and shows excellent stability. We synthesized a high-purity LaFeO3 nanorod array on an FTO substrate and its bandgap is 2.14 eV. Moreover, the carrier migration efficiency of a LaFeO3 photocathode is improved by doping with Li ions, and the doping effect also causes a red-shift of the optical maximum absorption edge. As a result, the photocurrent density of the Li-doped LaFeO3 photocathode is increased from -30 μA cm-2 (LaFeO3) to -50 μA cm-2 at 0.4 V (vs. RHE). Herein, the Li-doped LaFeO3 show great potential as a PEC photocathode for achieving an efficient, stable and inexpensive PEC hydrogen evolution reaction.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3463-3468 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | New Journal of Chemistry |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 21 Feb 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |