Photoelectrochemical properties of plasma-induced nanostructured tungsten oxide

Helium (He)-induced nanostructured tungsten sheets were synthesized by He plasma irradiation under different plasma exposure durations. After calcination, nanostructured tungsten oxide samples were used as photoelectrodes to test photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. The results showed that nanostructured WO3 photoanodes have higher PEC performance compared to the sample without nanostructures. The 15 min irradiated sample had the highest photocurrent density of 3.5 mA/cm2 under the thermodynamic potential of water oxidation (1.23 V vs. RHE). It was found that the oxide layer thickness and exposed crystal facet have a significant impact on PEC performance. The plasma synthesis technique has proved to be an effective method for preparing nanostructured WO3 photoelectrodes.