Charge Transport Enhancement in BiVO4 Photoanode for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in a pH-neutral electrolyte has attracted more and more attention in the field of sustainable energy. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a highly promising photoanode material for PEC water splitting. Additionally, cobaltous phosphate (CoPi) is a material that can...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials 2023-04, Vol.16 (9), p.3414
Main Authors: Li, Zhidong, Xie, Zhibin, Li, Weibang, Aziz, Hafiz Sartaj, Abbas, Muhammad, Zheng, Zhuanghao, Su, Zhenghua, Fan, Ping, Chen, Shuo, Liang, Guangxing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annealing
Bismuth oxides
Charge transport
Current efficiency
Density
Electrodes
Electrolytes
Glass substrates
Grain size
Hydrogen
Hydrogen evolution
Kinetics
Oxidation
Photoanodes
Photoelectric effect
Photoelectric emission
Quantum dots
Scanning electron microscopy
Spectrum analysis
Vanadates
Water splitting
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Summary:Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in a pH-neutral electrolyte has attracted more and more attention in the field of sustainable energy. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a highly promising photoanode material for PEC water splitting. Additionally, cobaltous phosphate (CoPi) is a material that can be synthesized from Earth’s rich materials and operates stably in pH-neutral conditions. Herein, we propose a strategy to enhance the charge transport ability and improve PEC performance by electrodepositing the in situ synthesis of a CoPi layer on the BiVO4. With the CoPi co-catalyst, the water oxidation reaction can be accelerated and charge recombination centers are effectively passivated on BiVO4. The BiVO4/CoPi photoanode shows a significantly enhanced photocurrent density (Jph) and applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE), which are 1.8 and 3.2 times higher than those of a single BiVO4 layer, respectively. Finally, the FTO/BiVO4/CoPi photoanode displays a photocurrent density of 1.39 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE, an onset potential (Von) of 0.30 VRHE, and an ABPE of 0.45%, paving a potential path for future hydrogen evolution by solar-driven water splitting.
ISSN:1996-1944
1996-1944
DOI:10.3390/ma16093414