International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.41, No.14, 5878-5886, 2016
Construction of novel Bi2S3 nanobelt @ WO3 nanoplate arrays on FTO glass with high photoelectrochemical activity
In this work, a novel Bi2S3 nanobelt/WO3 nanoplate array film was prepared firstly by a facile two-step hydrothermal method with a successive annealing treatment. The as prepared sample was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet visible spectrometry (UV-vis). The results show that Bi2S3 nanobelts epitaxially grow on the surface of WO3 nanoplates and the films have an excellent visible light absorption performance. Moreover, when investigated as photoanode for photo electrochemical (PEC) cells, such novel Bi2S3 nanobelt @ WO3 nanoplate photoanodes exhibited a high PEC activity and generated a photocurrent density of 8.91 mA cm(-2) at -0.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the electrolyte solution containing 0.1 M Na2SO3 and 0.1 M Na2S. The remarkable PEC activity of the photoanode may be ascribed to the efficient charge transfer and increased surface areas in the photoelectrode. Copyright (C) 2016, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.