Improved photoelectrocatalytic properties of Ti-doped BiFeO3 films for water oxidation

Because of the potential application in photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting, the synthesis of BiFeO3 (BFO) is receiving increasing attention. A simple, low-cost drop-casting route was used to synthesize Ti ions doped BiFeO3 thin films and the effects of the Ti ions doping on their crystal structure, morphology, and photoelectrocatalytic activity had been studied. X-ray diffraction results of Ti-BFO films showed that the doping of Ti ions lead to the distortion of crystal structure. Photoelectrochemical measurements indicated that the photoelectrocatalytic activities of BFO film doped with 5 % Ti ions showed the best performance. The UV–Vis absorption spectra of Ti-BFO films showed that the absorption wavelength of BFO doped with 5 % Ti had obvious shift and the band gap decreased. From the results of Mott–Schottky (M–S) plots, we calculated the positions of valence band (VB) and conduction band (CB) for Ti-BFO film. The outcomes showed that the band gap structure of BFO samples doped with 5 % Ti had more positive CB and more negative VB. The calculated photogenic charge carrier concentrations of BFO and Ti (0.05)-BFO were 5.07 × 1019 and 6.32 × 1019 cm−3, respectively. The reduced band gap and increased photogenic charge carrier concentration are the major factors contributing to the enhancement of photoelectrocatalytic performances of Ti-BFO films.