Generalized Synthesis to Produce Transparent Thin Films of Ternary Metal Oxide Photoelectrodes

Developing facile approaches to prepare non-light-scattering ternary oxide thin film photoelectrodes is an important goal for solar water splitting tandem cells. Herein, a novel synthesis route is reported that employs ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to enable compatible water solubility of diverse metal cations, which affords transparent films by solution processing. By using BiVO4 as a model material, a remarkable improvement in transparency is demonstrated, quantified by the direct transmittance at 600 nm of >80 % versus the