The influence of polarity of electrodeposited Cu₂O thin films on the photoelectrochemical performance

Abstract

Both polar and non-polar Cu2O thin films were electrodeposited in electrolytes of different pH, and their photoelectrochemical activities in water were analyzed. The surface morphology of these tailored-polarity Cu2O films was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and their photoactivity was characterized through photoluminescence and Mott–Schottky measurement of the defect structure, diffusion length, carrier concentration, and charge separation. Through this, the tetrahedral surface morphology of a polar Cu2O thin film was found to exhibit a higher photocurrent in the visible spectrum than the pyramidal surface morphology of a non-polar Cu2O film. Furthermore, the higher flat-band potential and carrier concentration identified in the polar Cu2O by Mott–Schottky analysis was found to result in a higher charge separation.