Vertically oriented iron oxide films produced by hydrothermal process: effect of thermal treatment on the physical chemical properties.

Our study describes the influence of the thermal treatment on the fundamental properties of the vertical oriented iron oxide nanorods synthesized under hydrothermal condition onto a conductor substrate. X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectra were used to investigate the phase evolution from iron oxyhydroxide (β-FeOOH) to pure hematite phase. The formation of nanorods distributed along of substrate was observed by top-view SEM images and the rod growth preferentially oriented at the highly conductive (001) basal plane of hematite, perpendicular to the substrate. Light absorption capacity increases with the temperature of treatment and the electronic transitions (direct and indirect electronic transition) were estimated from this result. From the electrochemical measurement, the hematite/electrolyte interface was evaluated. These findings demonstrated that the temperature plays an important role on the hematite (structural, morphological, and catalytic) properties and that many influences must work in great harmony in order to produce a promising hematite photoanode.