Due to the increasing global energy needs and the threat of climate change, there is a need for solar energy conversion devices made from low-cost, non-toxic, and abundant materials.  One type of possible material is nanostructured a-Fe2O3 (hematite), a semiconductor that could (with modification) absorb sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.  One-step deposition of hematite nanoparticles onto a conductive FTO substrate has been successfully achieved using microwave heating.  We have used varying methods of synthesis to promote one-dimensional growth of hematite crystals on the substrate and also doped the electrodes with metal cations.Electrodes were characterized by XRD to determine phase and crystallinity of the material, by scanning electron microscopy to determine structure, and by current-voltage curves to assess photoelectrochemical performance.  Preliminary results of electrodes synthesized indicate formation of spherical nanoparticles of hematite on the FTO substrate.  Small variations in synthetic conditions result in changes in photoelectrochemical performance.

Microwave synthesis of hematite nanostructures for use in water-splitting solar cells

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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