Generation of hydrogen using photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has attracted researchers for the last two decades. Several materials have been utilized as a photoanode in a water splitting cell, including ZnO due to its abundance, low production cost and suitable electronic structure. Most research attempts focused on doping ZnO to tailor its properties for a specific application. In this work, atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to precisely dope ZnO with hafnium (Hf) in order to enhance its PEC performance. The resultant doped materials showed a significant improvement in PEC efficiency compared to pristine ZnO, which is linked directly to Hf introduction revealed by detailed optical, structural and electrical analyses. The photocurrent obtained in the best performing Hf-doped sample (0.75 wt% Hf) was roughly threefold higher compared to the undoped ZnO. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and open-circuit potential-decay (OCPD) measurements confirmed suppression in photocarriers' surface recombination in the doped films, which led to a more efficient PEC water oxidation. The enhanced PEC performance of Hf-doped ZnO and effectiveness of the used metal dopant are credited to the synergistic optimization of chemical composition, which enhanced the electrical, structural including morphological, and optical properties of the final material, making Hf-doping an attractive candidate for novel PEC electrodes.

在过去的二十年中，使用光电化学（PEC）水分解法产生氢气已吸引了研究人员。ZnO由于其含量丰富，生产成本低和合适的电子结构等多种材料已被用作水分裂池中的光电阳极。大多数研究尝试集中于掺杂ZnO，以针对特定应用定制其性质。在这项工作中，原子层沉积（ALD）用于精确地用ha（Hf）掺杂ZnO，以增强其PEC性能。与原始的ZnO相比，所得的掺杂材料在PEC效率上有显着提高，这与通过详细的光学，结构和电分析揭示的Hf引入直接相关。在性能最佳的掺f样品中获得的光电流（0。与未掺杂的ZnO相比，Hf（75 wt％）高出大约三倍。电化学阻抗谱（EIS）和开路电位衰减（OCPD）测量证实了掺杂薄膜中光载体表面复合的抑制，这导致了PEC水的氧化更加有效。Hf掺杂的ZnO的增强的PEC性能和用过的金属掺杂剂的有效性归因于化学成分的协同优化，从而优化了最终材料的电学，结构（包括形态和光学特性），从而使Hf掺杂成为有吸引力的候选人用于新型PEC电极。从而导致PEC水氧化效率更高。Hf掺杂的ZnO的增强的PEC性能和用过的金属掺杂剂的有效性归因于化学成分的协同优化，从而优化了最终材料的电学，结构（包括形态和光学特性），从而使Hf掺杂成为有吸引力的候选人用于新型PEC电极。从而导致PEC水氧化效率更高。Hf掺杂的ZnO的增强的PEC性能和用过的金属掺杂剂的有效性归因于化学成分的协同优化，从而优化了最终材料的电学，结构（包括形态和光学特性），从而使Hf掺杂成为有吸引力的候选人用于新型PEC电极。