Electrodeposition and characterization of hematite films obtained from dmso solution

The present study shows the results obtained in the electrodeposition of hematite thin films from DMSO solution employing FeCl3 and molecular oxygen as precursors. The films were obtained through a potential cycling program at different cathodic limits and at different electrolytic bath temperatures. In all cases, as-grown films were amorphous and photoelectrochemically inactive. An annealing procedure is necessary to completely transform the electrodeposited iron oxide to the α-Fe₂O₃ phase. XRD analyzes confirm the presence of diffraction peaks corresponding to hematite after annealing, showing a strong preferential orientation of the [110] axis vertical to the substrate. Different techniques (XRD, XPS, SEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Mott-Schottky plots and photocurrent-potential curves) have been employed in order to characterize the films and determine their properties as a function of the conditions of electrodeposition and the annealing temperature.