A Model System for Photocatalysis: Ti-Doped α-Fe₂O₃(1102) Single-Crystalline Films.

ABSTRACT: Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) is one of the most investigated anode materials for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Its efficiency improves by doping with Ti, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood. One hurdle is separating the influence of doping on conductivity, surface states, and morphology, which all affect performance. To address this complexity, one needs well-defined model systems. We build such a model system by growing single-crystalline, atomically flat Ti-doped α-Fe₂O₃(11̅02) films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). We characterize their surfaces, combining in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with density functional theory (DFT), and reveal how dilute Ti impurities modify the atomic-scale structure of the surface as a functi

SUBMITTER: Franceschi G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7222102 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature