Influence of Sodium Ions (Na+) Dopant on the Efficiency of the Tungsten Trioxide Photoelectrode

Abstract

The paper presents the influence of the sodium dopant ions (Na+) on the properties of WO3 film, used as photoelectrode for water photolysis. The photoluminescence and photocurrent stability were recorded in a photoelectrochemical system having doped and, respectively, undoped WO3 films, deposited by spray pyrolysis on fluorine-doped tin oxide as photoanode and Pt as cathode, in HCl electrolyte (pH = 5). The crystalline structure, topography, and electrical properties were investigated. The experiments confirm that the doping process will increase the photoelectrode efficiency.