Preparation and characterization of nanostructured CuO thin films for photoelectrochemical splitting of water

Bulletin of Materials Science

关键词: Nanostructured thin film;    copper oxide;    sol–gel;    photoelectrochemical cell;    water splitting.;   

学科分类：材料工程

来源: Indian Academy of Sciences

【 摘 要 】

Nanostructured copper oxide thin films (CuO) were prepared on conducting glass support (SnO2: F overlayer) via sol–gel starting from colloidal solution of copper (II) acetate in ethanol. Films were obtained by dip coating under room conditions (temperature, 25–32°C) and were subsequently sintered in air at different temperatures (400–650°C). The evolution of oxide coatings under thermal treatment was studied by glancing incidence X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Average particle size, resistivity and band gap energy were also determined. Photoelectrochemical properties of thin films and their suitability for splitting of water were investigated. Study suggests that thin films of CuO sintered at lower temperatures (≈ 400°C) are better for photoconversion than thick films or the films sintered at much higher temperatures. Plausible explanations have been provided.

【 授权许可】

CC BY