Preparation and Properties of TiO2/CdS/ α -Fe2O3 Heterostructured Photoanodes

doi:10.16553/j.cnki.issn1000-985x.2026.0010

Abstract

Abstract: To address the issues of a narrow light absorption range and a high recombination rate of photogenerated carriers in TiO₂-based photoanodes，this study successfully prepared TiO₂/CdS/α-Fe₂O₃ ternary heterojunction thin films using a combined process that integrated the hydrothermal method with the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method. The crystal phase，microstructure，optical properties，and photoelectrochemical characteristics of the prepared photoanodes were systematically characterized and analyzed through X-ray diffraction，scanning electron microscopy，ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy，and a three-electrode photoelectrochemical testing system. The results demonstrate that CdS nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on the surface of TiO₂ nanosheets，while α-Fe₂O₃ grows densely on the surface of the composite system in the form of regular nanospikes. The optical absorption edge of the TiO₂/CdS/α-Fe₂O₃ ternary heterojunction film exhibits a red shift to 595 nm，which is significantly broader than those of pure TiO₂and TiO₂/CdS binary composite films. Correspondingly，the maximum photocurrent density reaches 2.37 mA/cm²，approximately 24 times and 1.9 times that of pure TiO₂and TiO₂/CdS，respectively. The enhanced performance of the TiO₂/CdS/α-Fe₂O₃ photoanode is attributed to the broadening of the light-response range of TiO₂ by CdS and α-Fe₂O₃，as well as the formation of a stepwise energy-level structure among the three components，which effectively promotes the separation and transport of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and reduces carrier recombination. This study provides a feasible strategy and experimental basis for the structural optimization and performance improvement of TiO₂-based photoanodes.

Key words: TiO₂; CdS; α-Fe₂O₃; heterojunction thin film; photoelectrochemical property

CLC Number:

TB383.2

SU Shi, WANG Lixing, CHE Zhiyuan, ZHANG Lina, MA Jinwen. Preparation and Properties of TiO₂/CdS/ α -Fe₂O₃ Heterostructured Photoanodes[J]. Journal of Synthetic Crystals, 2026, 55(6): 966-971.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 XRD patterns of TiO2NS，TiO2/CdS and TiO2/CdS/α-Fe2O3 thin films

Fig.2 SEM images of TiO2NS，TiO2/CdS and TiO2/CdS/α-Fe2O3 thin films

Fig.3 UV-Visible absorption spectra of TiO2NS，TiO2/CdS and TiO2/CdS/α-Fe2O3 thin films

Fig.4 Photocurrent curves of TiO2NS，TiO2/CdS and TiO2/CdS/α-Fe2O3 photoanodes

Fig.5 Mott-Schottky curves of TiO2，CdS and α-Fe2O3

Fig.6 Energy band diagrams of TiO2，CdS and α-Fe2O3 before （a） and after （b） contact，and photogenerated charge transfer diagram （c） of TiO2/CdS/α-Fe2O3 photoanodes

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Preparation and Properties of TiO₂/CdS/ α -Fe₂O₃ Heterostructured Photoanodes

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