Due to the increasing global energy demand and the threat of climate change, there is a need solar energy conversion devices made from low-cost, non-toxic, and abundant materials.  One example is nanostructured a-Fe2O3 (hematite), which can potentially (with modification) absorb sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.  Direct, one-step deposition of hematite nanostructures using microwave heating onto a conductive fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate has been achieved, and improvements to this synthesis are ongoing.  Small concentrations of metal cations are also being incorporated into the structures to improve conductivity.Electrodes have been characterized by XRD to determine phase and crystallinity, by scanning electron microscopy to determine structure and elemental composition, and by current-voltage curves to assess photoelectrochemical performance.  Preliminary results show promise for the use of microwave synthesis as fast and simple method to make nanostructured electrodes for solar energy conversion.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of hematite (α-Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>?) nanostructures for use in water-splitting solar cells

245th National Meeting (2013)

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Microwave-assisted synthesis of hematite (α-Fe2O3?) nanostructures for use in water-splitting solar cells

Microwave-assisted synthesis of hematite (α-Fe₂O₃?) nanostructures for use in water-splitting solar cells