Photoanodic properties of pulsed-laser-deposited α-Fe2O3 electrode

Iron oxide photoelectrodes were prepared using pulsed laser deposition with hematite pellet as the target. The dependences of photocurrent density on post-annealing O 2 pressure, thickness, heating temperature and surface morphology were investigated in detail. The photoelectrode properties were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, XPS, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, SEM, current density and photoelectrochemical measurements. The α-Fe 2 O 3 thin film of thickness 70 nm prepared using the SiO 2 sphere template method with post-annealing under an O 2 pressure of 160 Pa at 550 °C showed the highest photocurrent density (275 µA cm −2 ) under AM1.5 solar simulated light irradiation.