Polycrystalline In2O3 and In2O3/Y2O3 photoanodes

Single crystal In₂O₃ shows promise as a photoanode for the decomposition of water. Because of various difficulties in the preparation of the single crystal material, two simple techniques were developed for the preparation of polycrystalline In₂O₃ anodes. One method involves the thermal decomposition of the nitrate while the other utilizes the chemical vapour deposition technique. Voltammograms and photoresponse spectra of these anodes are compared to the single crystal material. Among other observations, it is noted that the quantum efficiencies of the thermally decomposed films are comparable to the single crystal material. It is also shown that the on-set potential can be shifted to more negative values by forming the mixed oxide In₂O₃/Y₂O₃.