In situ synthesis and oriented growth of flowerlike SrTiO3 on Ti foil with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

Abstract The oriented growth of flowerlike strontium titanate (SrTiO 3 ) with highly efficient photoelectrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction performance afforded a high limiting current density of 3.38 mA/cm 2 at 600 mV (vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode), and low overpotential and Tafel slope (84 mV/dec) in 1 M KOH solution. Ti foil as a substrate can significantly enhance electron transfer, and flowerlike SrTiO 3 with a highly exposed (110) crystal surface was controlled by NaOH concentration and HF. Therefore, the use of Ti and F − as the substrate and the shape-directing additive, respectively, is a feasible and simple strategy to induce a high-energy surface on a photoelectrocatalyst for photoelectrocatalytic splitting of water.