Chemical, synthesis, characterization and electrochemical properties of α-Fe2O3/ZnO composite nano-heterojunction for sensing application

Low temperature hydrothermal methods have been utilized to synthesize Hematite/Zinc oxide alpha-Fe2O3/ZnO composite nano-heterojunction nanorods grown on FTO glass substrates while monitoring the effect of different concentrations of urea on the morphology of the composite nano-heterojunction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used for the structural characterization of the alpha-Fe2O3/ZnO different samples. UV-visible spectroscopy was used for the characteristic absorbance versus wavelength of alpha-Fe2O3/ZnO composite nano-heterojunction which shows an absorption edge from 400 to 560 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique was applied to study of chemical composition of the alpha-Fe2O3/ZnO and the obtained information demonstrated a pure phase alpha-Fe2O3/ZnO has been achieved. The best efficiency among urea concentrations for the best composite nano-heterojunction sample was achieved when using 0.2 M of urea. The electrochemical properties of the composite nano-heterojunction were investigated using a three-electrode electrochemical cell. Estimation of the electrochemical area shows that both the composite nano-heterojunction and the bare alpha-Fe2O3 have similar values. This confirms that the enhanced electrochemical property of the composite nano-heterojunction is due to a synergetic effect as expected.