Preparation and Photoelectrochemical Performances of CuSCN Thin Films Influenced by Electrodeposition Potential
- Authors: Wang Z.1, Chen D.1, Wang F.1, Qin L.1, Bai L.2, Sun X.1, Huang Y.1
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Affiliations:
- College of Materials Science and Engineering
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Utilization of Forestry Biomass
- Issue: Vol 55, No 5 (2019)
- Pages: 401-406
- Section: Article
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1023-1935/article/view/192135
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1023193519050148
- ID: 192135
Cite item
Abstract
In this work, p-type CuSCN nanorod thin films were successfully prepared on the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive substrate by a simple electrochemical deposition at different deposition potentials (i.e., −0.1, −0.2, −0.3, −0.4 V), and the influence of deposition potential on the microstructural and photoelectrochemical properties of the prepared CuSCN thin films was then explored. The prepared CuSCN films were nanorod arrays with a rhombohedral β-CuSCN structure, and the better CuSCN crystal structure was achieved when deposited at −0.4 V. The p-type characteristic of the electrodeposited CuSCN thin films were verified by Mott–Schottky measurements. The CuSCN nanorods thin films deposited at −0.2, −0.3, and −0.4 V produced ten times higher photocurrent intensities than the CuSCN thin film deposited at −0.1 V, and the CuSCN thin film deposited at −0.4 V exhibited the best photoelectrochemical performance. The enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of the CuSCN thin film deposited at −0.4 V could be attributed to the better crystal structure, the more charge carrier concentration as well as the more efficient charge separation and migration. This work offers a facile approach to prepare the p-type CuSCN nanorod thin films through electrochemical deposition, and regulate their photoelectrochemical performance by controlling the deposition potential.
About the authors
Zhen Wang
College of Materials Science and Engineering
Email: yuexiang65@hotmail.com
China, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018
Da Chen
College of Materials Science and Engineering
Author for correspondence.
Email: dchen_80@hotmail.com
China, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018
Fang Wang
College of Materials Science and Engineering
Email: yuexiang65@hotmail.com
China, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018
Laishun Qin
College of Materials Science and Engineering
Email: yuexiang65@hotmail.com
China, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018
Liqun Bai
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Utilization of Forestry Biomass
Email: yuexiang65@hotmail.com
China, Lin’an, Zhejiang Province, 311300
Xingguo Sun
College of Materials Science and Engineering
Email: yuexiang65@hotmail.com
China, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018
Yuexiang Huang
College of Materials Science and Engineering
Author for correspondence.
Email: yuexiang65@hotmail.com
China, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310018