Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/51132
Type: Artigo de Periódico
Title: Influence of annealing temperature and Sn doping on the optical properties of hematite thin films determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry
Authors: Lígia Parreira de Souza
Rodrigo Otávio Gonçalves Chaves
Ângelo Malachias de Souza
Roberto Magalhães Paniago
Sukarno Olavo Ferreira
Andre Santarosa Ferlauto
Abstract: Hematite (α-Fe2O3) thin films were prepared by sol-gel route and investigated for application in H2 generation by photo-assisted water splitting. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance was shown to increase significantly for films deposited on SnO2:F/glass subjected to high temperature (T) annealing (>750 °C). Strong correlation was found between photogenerated current, donor concentration, and Sn concentration as determined by Mott-Schottky analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The effects of thermal annealing and Sn addition in the resulting microstructure and optical properties of hematite films deposited on fused silica substrates were determined by a combination of structural characterization techniques and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Thermal annealing (>600 °C) induces a higher optical absorption that is associated directly to film densification and grain growth; however, it promotes no changes in the energy positions of the main Fe2O3 electronic transitions. The band gap energy was found to be 2.21 eV and independent of microstructure and of Sn concentration for all studied films. On the other hand, Sn can be incorporated in the Fe2O3 lattice for concentration up to Sn/Fe ∼2%, leading to an increase in energy split of the main absorption peak, attributed to a distortion of the Fe2O3 lattice. For higher concentrations, Sn incorporation leads to a reduction in absorption, associated with higher porosity and the formation of a secondary Sn-rich phase. In summary, the variation in the optical properties induced by thermal annealing and Sn addition cannot account for the order of magnitude increase of the current density generated by photoanodes annealed at high T (>750 °C); thus, it is concluded that the major contribution for the enhanced PEC performance comes from improved electronic properties induced by the n-type doping caused by Sn diffusion from the SnO2:F substrate.
Subject: Hematita
Filmes finos
Análise espectral
language: eng
metadata.dc.publisher.country: Brasil
Publisher: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Publisher Initials: UFMG
metadata.dc.publisher.department: ICX - DEPARTAMENTO DE FÍSICA
Rights: Acesso Restrito
metadata.dc.identifier.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4954315
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1843/51132
Issue Date: 2016
metadata.dc.url.externa: https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.4954315
metadata.dc.relation.ispartof: Journal of Applied Physics
Appears in Collections:Artigo de Periódico

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