Low-Temperature Atomic Layer Deposition of Cobalt Oxide as an Effective Catalyst for Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting Devices

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Jiyeon Kim - , Ruhr University Bochum (Author)
  • Tomi Iivonen - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Jani Hämäläinen - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Marianna Kemell - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Kristoffer Meinander - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Kenichiro Mizohata - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Lidong Wang - , Ruhr University Bochum (Author)
  • Jyrki Räisänen - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Radim Beranek - , Ruhr University Bochum, Ulm University (Author)
  • Markku Leskelä - , University of Helsinki (Author)
  • Anjana Devi - , Ruhr University Bochum (Author)

Abstract

We have developed a low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for depositing crystalline and phase pure spinel cobalt oxide (Co3O4) films at 120 °C using [Co(tBu2DAD)2] and ozone as coreagent. X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis were performed to characterize the structure and properties of the films. The as-deposited Co3O4 films are crystalline with a low amount of impurities (<2% C and <5% H) despite low deposition temperatures. Deposition of Co3O4 onto thin TiO2 photoanodes (100 nm) for water oxidation resulted in 30% improvement of photocurrent (after 10 ALD cycles yielding small Co3O4 particles) as compared to pristine TiO2 films), and exhibited no detrimental effects on photocurrent response up to 300 deposition cycles (approximately 35 nm thick films), demonstrating the applicability of the developed ALD process for deposition of effective catalyst particles and layers in photoelectrochemical water-splitting devices.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5796-5805
Number of pages10
JournalChemistry of materials
Volume29
Issue number14
Publication statusPublished - 25 Jul 2017
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes