Fe2TiO5 is recognized as a novel and promising
photoanode material for solar water splitting. Here, nanostructured
Fe2TiO5 was fabricated on a fluorine-doped tin
oxide substrate by an electrospray deposition technique. We utilized
surface Al3+ treatment and FeOOH modification to improve
performance of the Fe2TiO5 photoanode. After
this two-step enhancement, the photocurrent density of the final Fe2TiO5 photoanode is 0.52 mA cm–2 at 1.23 VRHE which is 2.8 times that of the pristine
one, and the onset potential is 200 mV lower than before. The enhanced
performance can be attributed to a synergetic effect of surface Al3+ treatment and FeOOH modification, since the surface Al3+ treatment accelerates charge transport while the FeOOH layer
improves catalytic activity. This strategy of surface modification
provides an effective pathway for rational designing of original photoanodes
with high practical performance.