提高氧化铁光电催化分解水效率的策略进展

为了解决能源危机与环境污染问题,发展一种可再生的清洁能源至关重要.太阳能是一种取之不尽用之不竭的清洁能源,而氢气是一种良好的能源载体.利用太阳能光电催化水分解制氢,是一项有望能够解决能源与环境问题的技术,具有很大的应用前景.其中,氧化铁因为具有合适的能带位置与带隙、良好的稳定性与廉价无毒等优点,成为一种理想的光阳极材料.但是,在实际的测试中,氧化铁仅仅只能得到一个较低的光电转换效率,这可能是因为其较短的空穴扩散距离、较低的电导率以及极度缓慢的水氧化反应动力学所致.整个光电催化水氧化可分为三个过程,即光吸收过程、电荷分离过程以及表面空穴注入过程.这三个过程的效率共同决定了器件的太阳能转化效率.鉴于此,本文将从如何提高这三个效率的角度出发,总结近期研究报道中提高氧化铁光电催化分解水效率的一些策略.光吸收过程是指半导体中价带的电子在吸收具有一定能量的光子后发生跃迁,产生空穴-电子对的过程.其光子的损失主要来源于光的反射、透射以及半导体吸收边的限制.提高光吸收效率的主要策略包括制备具有特定纳米结构的氧化铁电极、利用表面等离子体共振效应以及组成双光吸收系统和掺杂等.电荷分离过程指的是受光激发产生的空穴电子对,在内建电场的作用下发生电荷分离,即光生空穴流向电极表面,光生电子流向半导体内部并从外电路导出.电荷分离效率的损失主要来源于光生载流子在迁移过程中的复合.因此,为了提高电荷分离效率,常见的策略是提高载流子在电荷分离过程中的复合时间τ₁和减少电荷迁移到表面(空穴)或者基底(电子)的时间τ₂.具体的策略包括制备特定的纳米结构(缩短体表相距离,减少τ₂)、构建异质结(增强能带弯曲,提高τ₁和减少τ₂)、掺杂(减少τ₂)和钝化复合中心(提高τ₁)等.表面空穴注入是指到达表面的光生空穴发生水氧化反应生成氧气的过程.除了空穴注入外,表面还可能存在复合与逆反应过程.因此,为了提高表面空穴注入效率,我们既可以提高水氧化反应动力学,具体的手段包括引入水氧化催化剂、F掺杂和碱处理等;也可以采用减少复合反应的策略,具体的方法包括引入钝化层、酸处理和高温热处理等;还可以采用减少逆反应的方法,最常见的手段就是在基底与氧化铁层之间引入电子阻挡层.上述三种途径都能提高表面空穴注入效率.最后,通过结合上述的一些策略,目前得到的最高性能的氧化铁电极在1.23 V(相对于可逆氢电极)能够达到6 mA cm^?2的光电催化分解水电流,但这个值依然明显低于氧化铁的理论值(12.6 mA cm^?2).这可能是由于体相复合所致.除此之外,氧化铁表面的水氧化机理现在依然不清晰,这些都是需要我们在未来解决的问题.     

Highly Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting with an Immobilized Molecular Co4O4 Cubane Catalyst

Molecular Co₄O₄ cubane water oxidation catalysts were combined with BiVO₄ electrodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The results show that tuning the substituent groups on cobalt cubane allows the PEC properties of the final molecular catalyst/BiVO₄ hybrid photoanodes to be tailored. Upon loading a new cubane complex featuring alkoxy carboxylato bridging ligands ( 1 h ) on BiVO₄, an AM 1.5G photocurrent density of 5 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V vs. RHE for water oxidation was obtained, the highest photocurrent for undoped BiVO₄ photoanodes. A high solar‐energy conversion efficiency of 1.84 % was obtained for the integrated photoanode, a sixfold enhancement over that of unmodified BiVO₄. These results and the high surface charge separation efficiency support the role of surface‐modified molecular catalysts in improving PEC performance and demonstrate the potential of molecule/semiconductor hybrids for efficient artificial photosynthesis.     

Emerging materials for plasmon-assisted photoelectrochemical water splitting

Energy production and environmental pollution are the two major problems the world is facing today. The depletion of fossil fuels and the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere leads to the research on clean and renewable energy sources. In this context, hydrogen is considered an ideal fuel to meet global energy needs. Presently, hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels. However, the most desirable way is from clean and renewable energy sources, like water and sunlight. Sunlight is an abundant energy source for energy harvesting and utilization. Recent studies reveal that photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has promise for solar to hydrogen (STH) conversion over the widely tested photocatalytic approach since hydrogen and oxygen gases can be quantified easily in PEC. For designing light-absorbing materials, semiconductors are the primary choice that undergoes excitation upon solar light irradiation to produce excitons (electron-hole pairs) to drive the electrolysis. Visible light active semiconductors are attractive to achieve high solar to chemical fuel conversion. However, pure semiconductor materials are far from practical applications because of charge carrier recombination, poor light-harvesting, and electrode degradation. Various heteronanostructures by the integration of metal plasmons overcome these issues. The incorporation of metal plasmons gained significance for improving the PEC water splitting performance. This review summarizes the possible main mechanisms such as plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer (PIRET), hot electron injection (HEI), and light scatting/trapping. It also deliberates the rational design of plasmonic structures for PEC water splitting. Furthermore, this review highlights the advantages of plasmonic metal-supported photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting.     

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation from CdTe Photoanodes Annealed with CdCl2

Most CdTe photoanodes and photocathodes show positive and negative photocurrent onset potentials for water oxidation and reduction, respectively, and are thus unable to drive photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting without external applied biases. Herein, the activity of a CdTe photoanode having an internal p‐n junction during PEC water oxidation was enhanced by applying a CdCl₂ annealing treatment together with surface modifications. The resulting CdTe photoanode generated photocurrents of 1.8 and 5.4 mA cm^?2 at 0.6 and 1.2 V_RHE, respectively, with a photoanodic current onset potential of 0.22 V_RHE under simulated sunlight (AM 1.5G). The CdCl₂ annealing increased the grain sizes and lowered the density of grain boundaries, allowing more efficient charge separation. Consequently, a two‐electrode tandem PEC cell comprising a CdTe‐based photoanode and photocathode split water without any external bias at a solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.51 % at the beginning of the reaction.     

A Tantalum Nitride Photoanode Modified with a Hole‐Storage Layer for Highly Stable Solar Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is an ideal approach for renewable solar fuel production. One of the major problems is that narrow bandgap semiconductors, such as tantalum nitride, though possessing desirable band alignment for water splitting, suffer from poor photostability for water oxidation. For the first time it is shown that the presence of a ferrihydrite layer permits sustainable water oxidation at the tantalum nitride photoanode for at least 6 h with a benchmark photocurrent over 5 mA cm^?2, whereas the bare photoanode rapidly degrades within minutes. The remarkably enhanced photostability stems from the ferrihydrite, which acts as a hole‐storage layer. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that it can be a general strategy for protecting narrow bandgap semiconductors against photocorrosion in solar water splitting.     

硫氧键合BiVO4光阳极与FeNi催化剂实现高效水氧化

光电催化分解水可以将充足的太阳能直接转化存储为绿色清洁的氢能,然而光阳极表面缓慢的析氧反应动力学严重限制了太阳能到氢能的转化效率。我们通过一种简单的S-O键合策略实现BiVO4光阳极与FeNi催化剂的界面耦合（S:BiVO4-FeNi）,其光电催化分解水的光电流达到6.43 mA/cm2（1.23 VRHE, AM 1.5G）。进一步研究结果表明：界面S-O键合能够有效实现BiVO4光阳极光生电荷分离并促进空穴向FeNi催化剂表面迁移。同时,S-O键合可以进一步调控FeNi催化剂表面的电荷分布,从而有效提高光电化学分解水析氧活性和稳定性。该工作为设计构建具有高效、稳定的太阳能光电催化分解水体系提供了一种新的研究策略。     

Semiconductor‐Based Photoelectrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide: Stepping Towards Artificial Photosynthesis

The photoelectrochemical (PEC) carbon dioxide reduction process stands out as a promising avenue for the conversion of solar energy into chemical feedstocks, among various methods available for carbon dioxide mitigation. Semiconductors derived from cheap and abundant elements are interesting candidates for catalysis. Whether employed as intrinsic semiconductors or hybridized with metallic cocatalysts, biocatalysts, and metal molecular complexes, semiconductor photocathodes exhibit good performance and low overpotential during carbon dioxide reduction. Apart from focusing on carbon dioxide reduction materials and chemistry, PEC cells towards standalone devices that use photohybrid electrodes or solar cells have also been a hot topic in recent research. An overview of the state‐of‐the‐art progress in PEC carbon dioxide reduction is presented and a deep understanding of the catalysts of carbon dioxide reduction is also given.     

Research Progress of Ferrite Materials for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting is an effective strategy to convert solar energy into clean and renewable hydrogen energy.In order to carry out effective PEC conversion,researchers have conducted a lot of exploration and developed a variety of semiconductors suitable for PEC water splitting.Among them,metal oxides stand out due to their higher stability.Compared with traditional oxide semiconductors,ferrite-based photoelectrodes have the advantages of low cost,small band gap,and good stability.Interestingly,due to the unique characteristics of ferrite,most of them have various tunable features,which will be more conducive to the development of efficient PEC electrode.However,this complex metal oxide is also troubled by severe charge recombination and low carrier transport efficiency,resulting in lower conversion efficiency compared to theoretical value.Based on this,this article reviews the structure,preparation methods,characteristics and modification strategies of various common ferrites.In addition,we analyzed the future research direction of ferrite for PEC water splitting,and looked forward to the development of more efficient catalysts.     

Near-complete suppression of surface recombination in solar photoelectrolysis by "Co-Pi" catalyst-modified W:BiVO4

The influence of an earth-abundant water oxidation electrocatalyst (Co-Pi) on solar water oxidation by W:BiVO(4) has been studied using photoelectrochemical (PEC) techniques. Modification of W:BiVO(4) photoanode surfaces with Co-Pi has yielded a very large (～440 mV) cathodic shift in the onset potential for sustained PEC water oxidation at pH 8. PEC experiments with H(2)O(2) as a surrogate substrate have revealed that interfacing Co-Pi with these W:BiVO(4) photoanodes almost completely eliminates losses due to surface electron-hole recombination. The results obtained for W:BiVO(4) are compared with those reported recently for Co-Pi/α-Fe(2)O(3) photoanodes. The low absolute onset potential of ～310 mV vs RHE achieved with the Co-Pi/W:BiVO(4) combination is promising for overall solar water splitting in low-cost tandem PEC cells, and is encouraging for application of this surface modification strategy to other candidate photoanodes.     

铁基多相助催化剂光电化学水氧化研究进展

The use of fossil fuels has caused serious environmental problems such as air pollution and the greenhouse effect. Moreover, because fossil fuels are a non-renewable energy source, they cannot meet the continuously increasing demand for energy. Therefore, the development of clean and renewable energy sources is necessitated. Hydrogen energy is a clean, non-polluting renewable energy source that can ease the energy pressure of the whole society. The sunlight received by the Earth is 1.7× 10¹⁴ J in 1 s, which far exceeds the total energy consumption of humans in one year. Therefore, conversion of solar energy to valuable hydrogen energy is of significance for reducing the dependence on fossil fuels. Since Fujishima and Honda first reported on TiO₂ in 1972, it has been discovered that semiconductors can generate clean, pollution-free hydrogen through water splitting driven by electricity or light. Hydrogen generated through this approach can not only replace fossil fuels but also provide environmentally friendly renewable hydrogen energy, which has attracted considerable attention. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting can use solar energy to produce clean, sustainable hydrogen energy. Because the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over a photoanode is sluggish, the overall energy conversion efficiency is considerably low, limiting the practical application of PEC water splitting. A cocatalyst is, thus, necessary to improve PEC water splitting performance. So far, the synthesis of first-row transition-metal-based (e.g., Fe, Co, Ni, and Mn) cocatalysts has been intensively studied. Iron is earth-abundant and less toxic than other transition metals, making it a good cocatalyst. In addition, iron-based compounds exhibit the properties of a semiconductor/metal and have unique electronic structures, which can improve electrical conductivity and water adsorption. Various iron-based catalysts with high activity have been designed to improve the efficiency of PEC water oxidation. This article briefly summarizes the research progress related to the structure, synthesis, and application of iron oxyhydroxides, iron-based layered double hydroxides, and iron-based perovskites and discusses the evaluation of the performance of these cocatalysts toward photoelectrochemical water oxidation.      

Ultrathin FeOOH Nanolayers with Abundant Oxygen Vacancies on BiVO4 Photoanodes for Efficient Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising method for storing solar energy in the form of hydrogen fuel, but it is greatly hindered by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, a facile solution impregnation method is developed for growing ultrathin (2 nm) highly crystalline β‐FeOOH nanolayers with abundant oxygen vacancies on BiVO₄ photoanodes. These exhibited a remarkable photocurrent density of 4.3 mA cm^?2 at 1.23 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), AM 1.5 G), which is approximately two times higher than that of amorphous FeOOH fabricated by electrodeposition. Systematic studies reveal that the excellent PEC activity should be attributed to their ultrathin crystalline structure and abundant oxygen vacancies, which could effectively facilitate the hole transport/trapping and provide more active sites for water oxidation.     

Metal-Organic Framework Glass Catalysts from Melting Glass-Forming Cobalt-Based Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework for Boosting Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Sluggish oxygen evolution kinetics and serious charge recombination restrict the development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The advancement of novel metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) catalysts bears practical significance for improving PEC water splitting performance. Herein, a MOF glass catalyst through melting glass-forming cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (Co-a_gZIF-62) was introduced on various metal oxide (MO: Fe₂O₃, WO₃ and BiVO₄) semiconductor substrates coupled with NiO hole transport layer, constructing the integrated Co-a_gZIF-62/NiO/MO photoanodes. Owing to the excellent conductivity, stability and open active sites of MOF glass, Co-a_gZIF-62/NiO/MO photoanodes exhibit a significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation activity and stability in comparison to pristine MO photoanodes. From experimental analyses and density functional theory calculations, Co-a_gZIF-62 can effectively promote charge transfer and separation, improve carrier mobility, accelerate the kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and thus improve PEC performance. This MOF glass not only serves as an excellent OER cocatalyst on tunable photoelectrodes, but also enables promising opportunities for PEC devices for solar energy conversion.     

Solar‐Assisted eBiorefinery: Photoelectrochemical Pairing of Oxyfunctionalization and Hydrogenation Reactions

Inspired by natural photosynthesis, biocatalytic photoelectrochemical (PEC) platforms are gaining prominence for the conversion of solar energy into useful chemicals by combining redox biocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis. Herein, we report a dual biocatalytic PEC platform consisting of a molybdenum (Mo)‐doped BiVO₄ (Mo:BiVO₄) photoanode and an inverse opal ITO (IO‐ITO) cathode that gives rise to the coupling of peroxygenase and ene‐reductase‐mediated catalysis, respectively. In the PEC cell, the photoexcited electrons generated from the Mo:BiVO₄ are transferred to the IO‐ITO and regenerate reduced flavin mononucleotides to drive ene‐reductase‐catalyzed trans‐hydrogenation of ketoisophrone to (R)‐levodione. Meanwhile, the photoactivated Mo:BiVO₄ evolves H₂O₂ in situ via a two‐electron water‐oxidation process with the aid of an applied bias, which simultaneously supplies peroxygenases to drive selective hydroxylation of ethylbenzene into enantiopure (R)‐1‐phenyl‐1‐hydroxyethane. Thus, the deliberate integration of PEC systems with redox biocatalytic reactions can simultaneously produce valuable chemicals on both electrodes using solar‐powered electrons and water.     

Modeling,Simulation, and Implementation of Solar‐Driven Water‐Splitting Devices

An integrated cell for the solar‐driven splitting of water consists of multiple functional components and couples various photoelectrochemical (PEC) processes at different length and time scales. The overall solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of such a system depends on the performance and materials properties of the individual components as well as on the component integration, overall device architecture, and system operating conditions. This Review focuses on the modeling‐ and simulation‐guided development and implementation of solar‐driven water‐splitting prototypes from a holistic viewpoint that explores the various interplays between the components. The underlying physics and interactions at the cell level is are reviewed and discussed, followed by an overview of the use of the cell model to provide target properties of materials and guide the design of a range of traditional and unique device architectures.     

Highly efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation using a ZnO nanowire array and a CdSe/CdS co-sensitizer

Highly efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen generation was achieved by fabricating CdSe deposited ZnO/CdS core/shell nanowire (NW) array photoanodes by a facile three-step solution-based method. Well-defined electrical pathways in 1-dimensional (1D) NW structures allowed efficient charge carrier collection, and CdSe/CdS co-sensitization enabled utilization of the visible region in the solar spectrum. PEC devices using CdSe/CdS/ZnO NW arrays showed improved absorption spectra, and they demonstrated a remarkable enhancement in PEC performance. Our proposed structure is a promising candidate photoanode for solar energy-to-hydrogen conversion devices.     

Perovskite Oxide Based Electrodes for High‐Performance Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is an attractive strategy for the large‐scale production of renewable hydrogen from water. Developing cost‐effective, active and stable semiconducting photoelectrodes is extremely important for achieving PEC water splitting with high solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency. Perovskite oxides as a large family of semiconducting metal oxides are extensively investigated as electrodes in PEC water splitting owing to their abundance, high (photo)electrochemical stability, compositional and structural flexibility allowing the achievement of high electrocatalytic activity, superior sunlight absorption capability and precise control and tuning of band gaps and band edges. In this review, the research progress in the design, development, and application of perovskite oxides in PEC water splitting is summarized, with a special emphasis placed on understanding the relationship between the composition/structure and (photo)electrochemical activity.     

Biological Components and Bioelectronic Interfaces of Water Splitting Photoelectrodes for Solar Hydrogen Production

Artificial photosynthesis (AP) is inspired by photosynthesis in nature. In AP, solar hydrogen can be produced by water splitting in photoelectrochemical cells (PEC). The necessary photoelectrodes are inorganic semiconductors. Light‐harvesting proteins and biocatalysts can be coupled with these photoelectrodes and thus form bioelectronic interfaces. We expand this concept toward PEC devices with vital bio‐organic components and interfaces, and their integration into the built environment.     

光电解水制氢耦合生物质醇/醛氧化的研究进展

生物质醇/醛是一类重要的生物基平台化合物, 通过催化氧化重整可将其进一步转化为高值含氧化学品或燃料. 太阳能驱动的光电催化技术是实现生物质醇/醛氧化最为绿色高效的途径之一. 与传统光电解水制氢相比, 利用生物质醇/醛氧化来替代阳极析氧过程不仅可以提高阳极产物的附加值, 同时可以提升太阳能到氢能的转化效率. 因此, 光电解水制氢耦合生物质醇/醛氧化对绿氢提效降本和高值化学品合成具有重要意义. 本文综合评述了光电解水制氢耦合生物质醇/醛的氧化反应机理, 总结了目前光电催化技术在生物质醇/醛氧化方面的研究进展, 最后对该领域所面临的机遇和挑战进行了展望.     

Unveiling the Activity and Stability Origin of BiVO4 Photoanodes with FeNi Oxyhydroxides for Oxygen Evolution

Understanding the origin of formation and active sites of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) cocatalysts is highly required for solar photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices that generate hydrogen efficiently from water. Herein, we employed a simple pH-modulated method for in situ growth of FeNi oxyhydroxide ultrathin layers on BiVO₄ photoanodes, resulting in one of the highest currently known PEC activities of 5.8 mA cm⁻² (1.23 V_RHE, AM 1.5 G) accompanied with an excellent stability. More importantly, both comparative experiments and density functional theory (DFT) studies clearly reveal that the selective formation of Bi−O−Fe interfacial bonds mainly contributes the enhanced OER activities, while the construction of V−O−Ni interfacial bonds effectively restrains the dissolution of V⁵⁺ ions and promotes the OER stability. Thereby, the synergy between iron and nickel of FeNi oxyhydroxides significantly improved the PEC water oxidation properties of BiVO₄ photoanodes.     

Water‐Splitting Catalysis and Solar Fuel Devices: Artificial Leaves on the Move

The development of new energy materials that can be utilized to make renewable and clean fuels from abundant and easily accessible resources is among the most challenging and demanding tasks in science today. Solar‐powered catalytic water‐splitting processes can be exploited as a source of electrons and protons to make clean renewable fuels, such as hydrogen, and in the sequestration of CO₂ and its conversion into low‐carbon energy carriers. Recently, there have been tremendous efforts to build up a stand‐alone solar‐to‐fuel conversion device, the “artificial leaf”, using light and water as raw materials. An overview of the recent progress in electrochemical and photo‐electrocatalytic water splitting devices is presented, using both molecular water oxidation complexes (WOCs) and nano‐structured assemblies to develop an artificial photosynthetic system.