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. 2024 Sep 4;9(37):38788-38797.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c04738. eCollection 2024 Sep 17.

Optimizations of Liquid Phase Deposition Processes for Enhanced Photoelectrocatalytic Activities of Tungsten Oxide Thin Films

Watcharapong Nareejun  1 , Chatchai Ponchio  1   2 , Minoru Mizuhata  3 , Hiro Minamimoto  3
Affiliations

Optimizations of Liquid Phase Deposition Processes for Enhanced Photoelectrocatalytic Activities of Tungsten Oxide Thin Films

Watcharapong Nareejun et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

This study focuses on the preparation of tungsten oxide (WO3) as the photoanode for water oxidations by the liquid phase deposition (LPD) technique and its optimizations to improve the photoelectrochemical performance. The alternative precursor large stock solution process was achieved to simplify the LPD process for WO3 thin film preparation. The effect of boric acid in the precursor solutions on the physicochemical properties of the deposited WO3 thin films was investigated. As a result, we found that the optimized concentration of boric acid realized the highest photoelectrochemical performance. Through the optimizations of reaction conditions and surface analyses, we concluded that the preparations of a semiconductor film via the LPD technique had the potential to obtain high-performance photoelectrocatalytic applications.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of WO3 thin film fabrication by the LPD process. (a) WO3 precursor solution preparation step and (b) LPD deposition step and calcination process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SEM images of (a) FTO and (b, c) FTO/WO3 photoanodes fabricated by the LPD process. The precursor solutions were prepared at (b) 40 °C and (c) 80 °C, respectively.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SEM images of the FTO and FTO/WO3 photoanode prepared by the LPD method with concentrations of H3BO3 of (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL.
Figure 4
Figure 4
XPS spectra of (A) a wide scan of the WO3 electrode compared with a narrow scan of (B) W4f and (C) O 1s elements on the FTO/WO3 electrode fabricated by the LPD method with concentrations of H3BO3 of (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL.
Figure 5
Figure 5
XRD patterns of FTO/WO3 electrode fabrication using the LPD process at various H3BO3 concentrations of H3BO3 of (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Absorption spectra of the FTO substrate and FTO/WO3 photoanode fabricated by the LPD process with various concentrations of H3BO3 in precursor solution as (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Cyclic voltammograms of the FTO/WO3 electrode fabricated by the LPD method with varying H3BO3 concentrations of (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL under (A) dark and (B) visible light irradiation conditions. The potential scan rate and supporting electrolyte were 50 mV s–1 and 0.5 M Na2SO4..
Figure 8
Figure 8
(A) Photocurrent from water oxidation and (B) Nyquist plots of the FTO/WO3 photoanode fabricated by the LPD process with concentrations of H3BO3 of (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL at the static potential of 1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl under visible light illuminations. The electrolyte was a 0.5 M Na2SO4 aqueous solution. The inset in (B) is the charge transfer rate (Rct) values for each electrode.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(A) Mott–Schottky plots and Φfb values for each electrode obtained at a frequency of 10,000 Hz. (B) Energy band diagrams of FTO/WO3 fabricated by the LPD process with various H3BO3 concentrations of (a) 0.1, (b) 0.2, (c) 0.3, and (d) 0.4 mol/mL.
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