We demonstrate for the first time the controlled Sn-doping in TiO2 nanowire (NW) arrays for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Sn dopants are incorporated into TiO2 NWs by a one-pot hydrothermal synthesis with different ratios of SnCl4 and tetrabutyl titanate. PEC measurement on Sn/TiO2 NW photoanodes shows that the photocurrent increases first with increased Sn doping level to >2.0 mA/cm2, up to ~100% enhancement compared to our best pristine TiO2 NW photoanodes, and then decreases at higher Sn doping levels. The incident-photon-to-current conversion efficiency shows that the photocurrent increase is mainly ascribed to the enhancement of photoactivity in the UV region, and the electrochemical impedance measurement reveals that the density of n-type charge carriers can be significantly increased by the Sn doping. These Sn/TiO2 NW photoanodes are highly stable in PEC conversion and can serve as a potential candidate for pure TiO2 materials in a variety of solar energy driven applications.

Controlled Sn-doping in high-density TiO<sub>2</sub> nanowire photoanodes for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

244th National Meeting (2012)

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Controlled Sn-doping in high-density TiO2 nanowire photoanodes for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

Controlled Sn-doping in high-density TiO₂ nanowire photoanodes for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting