Facile Two‐Step Synthesis of Delafossite CuFeO₂ Photocathodes by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis and Hybrid Microwave Annealing

Abstract

Abstract Delafossite CuFeO 2 photocathodes have recently attracted attention for water splitting due to their suitable band gap (∼1.5 eV) and high stability in aqueous media. The preparation of CuFeO 2 usually requires long and energy‐intense treatments in an inert atmosphere for the full conversion of spinel CuFe 2 O 4 to delafossite CuFeO 2 . Herein, we report the preparation and characterization of highly uniform and stable CuFeO 2 thin films obtained via a combination of inexpensive ultrasonic spray pyrolysis followed by a short hybrid microwave treatment (∼4 min). The resulting films show good stability in alkaline media and produce a photocurrent of ∼650 μA/cm 2 under 1.5 AM simulated sunlight and with oxygen bubbling. The effect of the rapid transformation from the spinel to the delafossite phase induced by hybrid microwave annealing was investigated with synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).