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Solution-based synthesis of wafer-scale epitaxial BiVO4 thin films exhibiting high structural and optoelectronic quality.
- Source :
- Journal of Materials Chemistry A; 6/14/2022, Vol. 10 Issue 22, p12026-12034, 9p
- Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- We demonstrate a facile approach to solution-based synthesis of wafer-scale epitaxial bismuth vanadate (BiVO<subscript>4</subscript>) thin films by spin-coating on yttria-stabilized zirconia. Epitaxial growth proceeds via solid-state transformation of initially formed polycrystalline films, driven by interface energy minimization. The (010)-oriented BiVO<subscript>4</subscript> films are smooth and compact, possessing remarkably high structural quality across complete 2′′ wafers. Optical absorption is characterized by a sharp onset with a low sub-band gap response, confirming that the structural order of the films results in correspondingly high optoelectronic quality. This combination of structural and optoelectronic quality enables measurements that reveal a strong optical anisotropy of BiVO<subscript>4</subscript>, which leads to significantly increased in-plane optical constants near the fundamental band edge that are of particular importance for maximizing light harvesting in semiconductor photoanodes. Temperature-dependent transport measurements confirm a thermally activated hopping barrier of ∼570 meV, consistent with small electron polaron conduction. This simple approach for synthesis of high-quality epitaxial BiVO<subscript>4</subscript>, without the need for complex deposition equipment, enables a broadly accessible materials base to accelerate research aimed at understanding and optimizing photoelectrochemical energy conversion mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20507488
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 22
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Materials Chemistry A
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 157297022
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta10732a