Abstract

A novel propitious nanoporous anodized stainless steel 316L (NASS316L) photoanode was developed for water splitting. The anodization could successfully produce a uniform nanoporous (∼ 90 nm in pore diameter) array (∼ 2.0 μm thick) of NASS316L with a high pore density. Several techniques, including FESEM, EDX, XRD, XPS, ICP-OES, and UV–vis-NIR spectrophotometry, were employed to characterize the catalyst and to assess and interpret its activity toward water splitting. Surprisingly, the NASS316L retained almost the same composition of the bare stainless steel 316L, which recommended a symmetric dealloying mechanism during anodization. It also possessed a narrow band gap energy (1.77 eV) and a unique photoelectrocatalytic activity (∼ 4.1 mA cm–2 at 0.65 V versus Ag/AgCl, 4-fold to that of α-Fe2O3) toward water splitting. The onset potential (−0.85 V) in the photocurrent–voltage curve of the NASS316L catalyst demonstrated a negative shift in its Fermi level when compared to α-Fe2O3. The high (23% at 0.2 V vs ...

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