- Main
Electronic Structure, Optoelectronic Properties, and Photoelectrochemical Characteristics of γ‑Cu3V2O8 Thin Films
Published Web Location
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b00807Abstract
Thin films of n-type γ-Cu3V2O8 are prepared with high phase purity via reactive co-sputtering deposition. Complementary X-ray spectroscopic methods are used to reveal that the valence band maximum consists of O 2p states, while the conduction band minimum is primarily composed of Cu 3d states. Therefore, γ-Cu3V2O8 is classified as a charge transfer insulator, in which the 1.80 eV indirect band gap corresponds to the O 2p → Cu 3d transition. Through photoelectrochemical measurements, the surface of γ-Cu3V2O8 photoanodes is found to display intrinsic activity for catalyzing water oxidation that is stable with time. The combination of a small optical band gap, suitable valence band energy, and excellent photoelectrochemical stability suggests that γ-Cu3V2O8 could be a promising photoanode material. However, it is found that the charge extraction efficiency from these semiconductor photoanodes is strongly limited by a short (20-40 nm) hole diffusion length. Characterization of the electronic structure and transport properties of γ-Cu3V2O8 photoanodes suggests strategies for improving energy conversion efficiency and provides fundamental insights that can be used for understanding and evaluating function in a broader class of emerging ternary metal oxides.
Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.
Main Content
Enter the password to open this PDF file:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-