Surface Modification Of Cuprous Oxide Film Photoelectrode

In this thesis, the surface of cuprous oxide(Cu2O) film was modified with zinc oxide(ZnO) and cobalt oxide(CoOx) separately in mild condition, the influence of surface modification on the photoelctrochemistry(PEC) performance of Cu2 O film in aqueous solution was investigated and its possible mechanism was discussed. This work mainly includes two parts:In the first part, a layer of ZnO was introduced onto the surface of Cu2 O and its influence on the PEC performance of cuprous film was investigated. The modified film was characterized by scan electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscope(UV-vis AS). The results show that the stability of the Cu2 O film in PEC test was enhanced by the modification with ZnO, which might result from the isolation of the Cu2 O film from electrolyte and the existence of heterojunction between Cu2 O and ZnO that improved the separation and transportation of photon-generated carriers.In the second part, a layer of CoOx was introduced onto the surface of Cu2 O and its influence on the PEC performance of Cu2 O film was investigated. The modified film was characterized by SEM, XRD, UV-vis AS and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope(XPS). The results showed that the modification with CoOx remarkably enhanced the stability and photocurrent of the Cu2 O film in PEC test. Mechanism studies showed that the photo-response still originated from Cu2 O rather than CoOx, and the CoOx layer might improve the separation and transportation of photon-generated carriers, as well as isolate the Cu2 O film from electrolyte.