Stable Mg-doped iron (III) oxide thin film electrodes that exhibit p-type behavior were synthesized by spray pyrolytic methods on indium doped tin oxide-coated glass substrate. The highest photocurrent density of 0.22 mA/cm(2) was observed for Mg-doped p-Fe2O3 Samples prepared at the optimal substrate temperature of 390 degreesC at 0.2 V/SCE. The total spray time for optimized photoconversion efficiency of 0.33% was found to be at 130 s for a spray period of 10 s. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed mixed structures (alpha and gamma-Fe2O3 and MgO) for the Mg-doped p-Fe2O3 thin films. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.