Effect of Radio-Frequency Power on the Composition of BiVO 4 Thin-Film Photoanodes Sputtered from a Single Target

Jiaqi Liu, Kazuya Tajima, Imane Abdellaoui, Muhammad Monirul Islam, Shigeru Ikeda and Takeaki Sakurai
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Jiaqi Liu: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
Kazuya Tajima: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
Imane Abdellaoui: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
Muhammad Monirul Islam: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
Shigeru Ikeda: Department of Chemistry, Konan University, Kobe 658-8501, Hyogo, Japan
Takeaki Sakurai: Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-10

Abstract: BiVO 4 films were fabricated by radio frequency (RF) sputtering from a single target. The deposited BiVO 4 films were found to be rich in Bi, and the reason for the Bi-richness was investigated. It was inferred from the Monte Carlo simulation that, during sputtering, the transfer process of target atoms through argon gas played a major role in this phenomenon. The transfer process resulted in an imbalanced ratio of Bi and V, arising from the difference in atom mass and interaction radius. The high RF power was found to be effective in adjusting the Bi/V ratio, influencing the sputtering yield. This type of preferential sputtering was maintained by the diffusion of target atoms from the bulk to the surface. BiVO 4 films with monoclinic scheelite crystal structures were obtained at high RF power values and found to exhibit photocatalytic performances beneficial for photoanodic applications.

Keywords: photocatalyst; bismuth vanadate films; RF sputtering; compound target (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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