Optimal synthesis of antimony-doped cuprous oxides for photoelectrochemical applications

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>We investigated the influence of Sb dopant concentration on the structural, electrical, and photoelectrochemical properties of the photocathode cuprous oxide (Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O) thin films. The photoabsorber p-type Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O films were prepared by electrodeposition in ionic electrolytes including copper sulfate and antimony sulfate at 333 K and pH = 10. The small amount of Sb doping contributes to the fast Cu ion transport to the substrate and ion consumption; consequently, the p-type Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O with high crystalline quality can be reproducibly synthesized with high electrical stability. Among the various samples, the mole fraction of c(Sb)/[c(Cu) + c(Sb)] = 0.75 mol% exhibits the best electrical resistivity and improved transparency in the infrared region, which is involved with the fast overlap of the nuclei crystals under 5 nm from the high nuclei density. Additionally, the post-thermal annealed Sb-doped Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O sample reveals an enhanced photocurrent of ~0.65 mA/cm<SUP>2</SUP> vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode) without metal catalysts.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Sb added electrodeposition of Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O (cuprous oxide) films were electrodeposited. </LI> <LI> Best Sb concentration on the Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O was determined. </LI> <LI> Sb contents affected the photoelectrochemical characteristics of the films. </LI> <LI> Post annealing process improved the absorbance and electrical conductivity. </LI> </UL> </P>