Abstract
Gamma radiation can cause structural defects in metal oxide thin films, affecting their conversion efficiency. This study focuses on synthesizing and characterizing Tungsten oxide (WO3) films for photo-electrochemical (PEC) water-splitting applications. The pristine WO3 film was irradiated with a Co-60 gamma source to improve its photocatalytic activity and was named G-WO3. The resulting G-WO3 thin films showed a decrease in the optical direct band gap and showed higher photocurrent density and lower charge transfer resistance for PEC applications. The carrier charge density (Nd) values were found to be increased after γ-radiation. The synthesized G-WO3 thin films possess good stability and reusability for photo-electrochemical water-splitting applications.
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Acknowledgements
Author (SSP) gratefully acknowledges the JRF award and financial support provided by the Department of Atomic Energy-Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (DAE-BRNS), Government of India, under the research project (Sanction No. 59/14/09/2022- BRNS/34060). One of the authors (PMK) is thankful for the SRF provided under the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj National Research Fellowship (CSMNRF) 2020 from SARTHI, M.S. India. The author (ARK) is appreciative of the research fellowship (MJPRF2021) given by MAHAJYOTI, Nagpur, India. PSS appreciates the financial support from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India under the National Renewable Energy Fellowship (NREF) program. The author (PSK) would like to acknowledge DAE-BRNS-(58/14/19/2019-BRNS/10604) for financial assistance.
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Pande, S.S., Kakade, P.M., Kachere, A.R. et al. Investigation of radiation effects on structural, morphological, and compositional properties of WO3 nanostructures for water splitting applications. J Radioanal Nucl Chem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-024-09520-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-024-09520-8