Ultrathin Amorphous Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets on Ultrathin α-Fe2O3 Films for Improved Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) is a promising photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, however, its performance is largely limited by the short hole diffusion length that requires the thin active layer and efficient catalysts. In this work, ultrathin alpha-Fe2O3 films are fabricated using atomic layer deposition technology, and then ultrathin amorphous Ni(OH)(2) nanosheets are decorated on alpha-Fe2O3 films through a hydrothermal method. The microscopic morphology, phase, and composition are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The quantity of Ni(OH)(2) is adjusted by controlling the growth time. The results show that the onset potential of the optimum thick Ni(OH)(2)/Fe2O3 films demonstrate a cathodical shift by 400 mV, and the photocurrent density at 1.23 V is enhanced from 0.21 to 0.37 mA cm(-2) compared with the pristine ultrathin alpha-Fe2O3 films. The Ni(OH)(2)/Fe2O3 films show the superior stability up to 20 h. The enhanced PEC performances are attributed to the amorphous Ni(OH)(2) nanosheets that do not affect obviously the light utilization, maintain large specific area to the electrolyte, and store holes produced in Fe2O3 for oxidizing water efficiently in situ with fast regeneration of Ni2+.