Abstract
In the present work, the WS2 nanosheets were prepared through a liquid-phase exfoliation method (LPE). Various techniques were then used to characterize thickness, length, and concentration of these nanosheets. WS2 nanosheets were also loaded on α-Fe2O3 photoanodes to prepare core-shell structured α-Fe2O3/WS2/WOx photoanodes. These core-shell structured α-Fe2O3/WS2/WOx nanorods have advantages of effective separation, decreased recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, and increased electron transport properties, resulting in improved PEC performance. The best photoanode (α-Fe2O3/#4-WS2/WOx) had photocurrent densities of 0.98 and 2.1 mA cm~(-2) (with the lowest onset potential 0.54 V_(RHE) and 0.47 V_(RHE)) under front and back-side illumination, respectively, at 1.23 V_(RHE) under 100 mW cm~(-2), which were about 13 and 30-fold higher than those of pure α-Fe2O3 photoelectrode. Furthermore, H2 and O2 production of α-Fe2O3/#4-WS2/WOx photoanode were 32 μmol.cm~(-2) and 15.3 μmol.cm~(-2), respectively at 1.23 V_(RHE) under 100 mW cm~(-2) after 2 h.
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