Unveiling the charge transfer dynamics steered by built-in electric fields in BiOBr photocatalysts

Construction of internal electric fields (IEFs) is crucial to realize efficient charge separation for charge-induced redox reactions, such as water splitting and CO 2 reduction. However, a quantitative understanding of the charge transfer dynamics modulated by IEFs remains elusive. Here, electron mi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2022-04, Vol.13 (1), p.2230-2230, Article 2230
Main Authors: Luo, Zhishan, Ye, Xiaoyuan, Zhang, Shijia, Xue, Sikang, Yang, Can, Hou, Yidong, Xing, Wandong, Yu, Rong, Sun, Jie, Yu, Zhiyang, Wang, Xinchen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
147/143
639/301/299/890
639/638/77/890
639/925/357
Carbon dioxide
Catalysts
Charge efficiency
Charge transfer
Construction
Diffusion length
Drift
Dynamics
Electric charge
Electric fields
Electrical junctions
Electron microscopy
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Normal distribution
Parameter identification
Photocatalysis
Photocatalysts
Platelets
Redox reactions
Reduction (metal working)
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Separation
Water splitting
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Summary:Construction of internal electric fields (IEFs) is crucial to realize efficient charge separation for charge-induced redox reactions, such as water splitting and CO 2 reduction. However, a quantitative understanding of the charge transfer dynamics modulated by IEFs remains elusive. Here, electron microscopy study unveils that the non-equilibrium photo-excited electrons are collectively steered by two contiguous IEFs within binary (001)/(200) facet junctions of BiOBr platelets, and they exhibit characteristic Gaussian distribution profiles on reduction facets by using metal co-catalysts as probes. An analytical model justifies the Gaussian curve and allows us to measure the diffusion length and drift distance of electrons. The charge separation efficiency, as well as photocatalytic performances, are maximized when the platelet size is about twice the drift distance, either by tailoring particle dimensions or tuning IEF-dependent drift distances. The work offers great flexibility for precisely constructing high-performance particulate photocatalysts by understanding charge transfer dynamics. While internal electric fields alter charge-separation dynamics in solar-to-chemical conversions, a greater understanding of such processes is necessary. Here, authors analyze charge transfer dynamics modulated by built-in electric fields and identify carrier drift distances as a critical parameter.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-29825-0