Ultrasound-assisted preparation of semiconductor/polymer photoanodes and their photoelectrochemical properties

Abstract

Metal oxide-loaded poly(butylmethacrylate) films were sonochemically prepared and used as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical cells. A small quantity of polyaniline was added during the latex synthesis to facilitate the transport of charge carriers. The semiconductor metal oxides used in this study were ZnO, TiO2, and Bi2O3/ZrTiO4. The performance of the photoanodes was evaluated by measuring the short-circuit current (Isc) and open-circuit potential (Voc) in four different electrolytes. It was found that photocurrents generated were directly proportional to the amount of metal oxide loading, whereas a decrease in photocurrent was observed with an increase in the thickness of the latex film...