Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting with template-free electrodeposition of SnS nanorods photoelectrode

Abstract

In this paper, SnS nanorods were first prepared in an acidic solution by adjusting the amounts of tri-sodium citrate at room temperature using template-free electro-deposition method. The morphological characteristics and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of SnS nanorods thin films were investigated. The phase purity properties of deposited SnS thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman spectra measurements. The morphological characteristics of SnS nanorods were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The band-gaps of SnS thin films were confirmed by UV–Vis–NIR diffuse reflectance spectrum. The PEC characterizations indicated that the photocurrent density of SnS nanorods thin films was about 46 μA/cm2 and the maximum IPCE value of SnS nanorods thin films was 9.3%. The fabrication of FTO/SnS (nanorods)/CdS/TiO2/Pt photoelectrode improved the PEC performances of SnS nanorods thin films greatly. The photocurrent density of FTO/SnS (nanorods)/CdS/TiO2/Pt reached 0.59 mA/cm2, and the maximum IPCE value of FTO/SnS (nanorods)/CdS/TiO2/Pt achieved 27.1%.