Nanostructured Magnéli-Phase W18O49 Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Abstract

Converting water into hydrogen through the photo-electrochemical (PEC) process is one of the most exciting approaches in this field, and there is a quest to design or search for new electro-photo-catalytic materials. In this work, simple steps for fabrication and transformation of metallic tungsten thin film into the photo-active Magnéli-phase (W₁₈O₄₉) of tungsten oxide thin film is demonstrated. The post-annealing temperature has a significant impact on the phase evolution of tungsten film into W₁₈O₄₉. The film thickness of W₁₈O₄₉ is controlled by controlling the sputtering time (or deposition time) of W film. The PEC performance of the as-prepared electrodes is evaluated by monitoring the water oxidation reaction under visible radiation. The PEC findings reveal a correlation between PEC performance and phase, morphology, and thickness of the film. The as-derived W₁₈O₄₉ can efficiently catalyze the water oxidation reaction at neutral solution pH, generating 0.6 and 1.4 mA cm⁻¹ photo-current at 0.6 and 0.8 V vs. Saturated calomel electrode (SCE), respectively, in addition to excellent stability. The electrical conductivity and the charge transfer kinetics are investigated employing the electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) technique.