Core-shell hematite nanorods: a simple method to improve the charge transfer in the photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting.

We report a simple method to produce a stable and repeatable photoanode for water splitting with a core–shell hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanorods system by combining spray pyrolysis and hydrothermal synthesis. Impedance spectroscopy revealed passivation of the surface states by the shell layer, which results in an increase of the charge injection through the hematite conduction band. In pristine hematite more holes are accumulated on the surface and the charge transfer to the electrolyte occurs through surface states, whereas in the core–shell hematite photoanode the majority of hole transfer process occurs through the valence band. As a result the photoactivity of the core–shell nanorods, 1.2 mA cm–2, at 1.23 V vs RHE, is twice that of pristine hematite nanorods. The alteration of the interface energetics is supported by TEM, showing that the crystallinity of the surface has been improved by the deposition of the shell.