Boosting the Photoactivity of BiVO4 Photoanodes by a ZnCoFe-LDH Thin Layer for Water Oxidation

Monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) has been used as an efficient photoanode material for photoelectrochemical water oxidation owing to its suitable band gap and nontoxicity. Nevertheless, the practical application of BiVO₄ photoanode has been severely limited by the surface charge recombination and sluggish kinetic, which leads to the obtained photoactivity of BiVO₄ is much lower than its theoretical value. In this case, ZnCoFe-LDH thin layer is conformally decorated on the porous BiVO₄ photoanode through a simple electrodeposition process. The results show that a boosted photoactivity and a remarkably enhanced photocurrent density (3.43 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V_RHE) are attained for BiVO₄/ZnCoFe-LDH. In addition, the optimized BiVO₄/ZnCoFe-LDH photoanode exhibits significant negative shift in the onset potential (0.51 V_RHE to 0.21 V_RHE), promotes charge separation efficiency (49.3% to 60.4% in the bulk, 29.6% to 61.9% on the surface at 1.23 V_RHE) and enhanced IPCE efficiency (25.5% to 54.7% at 425 nm) compared with that of bare BiVO₄ photoanode. It is demonstrated that the boosted photoactivity of BiVO₄/ZnCoFe-LDH photoanode is mainly ascribed to the synergy effects of the formation of p-n heterojunction between ZnCoFe-LDH and BiVO₄ to accelerate the photogenerated charge transfer and separation, broaden light absorption, as well as promote the surface water oxidation kinetics.     

Concentration specific and tunable photoresponse of bismuth vanadate functionalized hexagonal ZnO nanocrystals based photoanodes for photoelectrochemical application

In the present work, dual layer BiVO₄/ZnO photoanode is instigated for photo-electrochemical (PEC) water splitting applications. Two different photocatalytic layers ZnO and BiVO₄, reduces charge carrier recombination and charge transfer resistance at photoanode/electrolyte junction. The concentration-specific, tunable and without ‘spike and overshoot’ features, photocurrent density response is originated by varying BiVO₄ concentration in the BiVO₄/ZnO photoanode. The crystal structure of ZnO (hexagonal wurtzite structure) and BiVO₄ (monoclinic scheelite structure) is confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. The band gap of BiVO₄/ZnO was estimated to be ca. 2.42 eV through Kubler-Munk function F(R_∞) using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Electrochemical behavior of samples was analyzed with photocurrent measurements, electrochemical impedance, Mott-Schottky plots, bulk separation efficiency and surface transfer efficiency. The maximum photocurrent density of BiVO₄/ZnO photoanode was found to be 2.3 times higher than pristine ZnO sample.0.038 M BiVO₄/ZnO exhibited the highest separation efficiency of 72% and surface transfer efficiency of 64.7% at +1.23 V vs. RHE. Mott-Schottky study revealed the maximum charge carrier density in the same sample.     

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.     

二元ZnCo-LDH助催化剂对BiVO4光电化学性能的促进

钒酸铋(BiVO_4)是最有前景的将太阳能转化为氢能(STH)的光阳极材料之一,但其本身严重的电子-空穴复合严重影响了其实用性。本文中,我们报道了用一步电沉积法将高效的二元ZnCo-LDH助催化剂沉积在钒酸铋(BiVO_4)光阳极上,大大提升了钒酸铋(Bi VO4)的光吸收能力,并且加速了水氧化反应动力学,显著促进了光生空穴向半导体表面的转移,减轻了表面电荷复合。BiVO_4/ZnCo-LDH光阳极在1.23 V(vs RHE)偏压下,0.5 mol·L-1磷酸钾(KPi)电解液中的光电流密度达到2.85 mA·cm~(-2),是纯BiVO_4的2.59倍,且起始电位(Von)从930 m V下降到270 m V。BiVO_4/ZnCo-LDH复合光阳极表现出65%的高表面电荷分离效率(1.23 V(vs RHE)),而纯BiVO_4的仅为30%。     

BiVO4/ZnFe2O4同型异质结光阳极的构筑及其光电催化分解水性能

光生电子-空穴对的复合被认为是限制BiVO₄材料光电催化转换效率的重要原因之一。基于此,通过简单的水热-煅烧方法构筑了 BiVO₄/ZnFe₂O₄同型异质结光阳极,BiVO₄/ZnFe₂O₄复合光阳极在 1.23 V(vs RHE)下的光电流密度为 3.33 mA·cm^-2,较纯BiVO₄提升了2倍 (1.20 mA·cm^-2)。相关的结构及性能测试表明,BiVO₄和ZnFe₂O₄形成了带隙错开的n-n异质结,使得光生载流子得到有效分离,更有效地参与水氧化过程,进而提高了BiVO₄的光电催化水分解性能。     

Boosting the photoelectrochemical water oxidation performance of bismuth vanadate by ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles

Due to the involvement of four-electron transfer process at photoanode,water oxidation is the ratelimiting step in water splitting reaction.To settle this dilemma,ZnCo₂ O₄ nanoparticles are combined with BiVO₄ to form a p-n ZnCo₂ O₄/BiVO₄ heterojunction photoanode,which is proved by an input voltage-output current test.The built-in electric field formed within the heterojunction structure promotes the effective separation of elect...     

Stable Cocatalyst-Free BiVO4 Photoanodes with Passivated Surface States for Photocorrosion Inhibition

Improving charge transport and reducing bulk/surface recombination can increase the activity and stability of BiVO₄ for water oxidation. Herein we demonstrate that the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of BiVO₄ can be significantly improved by potentiostatic photopolarization. The resulting cocatalyst-free BiVO₄ photoanode exhibited a record-high photocurrent of 4.60 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V_RHE with an outstanding onset potential of 0.23 V_RHE in borate buffer without a sacrificial agent under AM 1.5G illumination. The most striking characteristic was a strong “self-healing” property of the photoanode, with photostability observed over 100 h under intermittent testing. The synergistic effects of the generated oxygen vacancies and the passivated surface states at the semiconductor–electrolyte interface as a result of potentiostatic photopolarization reduced the substantial carrier recombination and enhanced the water oxidation kinetics, further inhibiting photocorrosion.     

BiVO4/ZnFe2O4同型异质结光阳极的构筑及其光电催化分解水性能

光生电子-空穴对的复合被认为是限制BiVO₄材料光电催化转换效率的重要原因之一。基于此,通过简单的水热-煅烧方法构筑了BiVO₄/ZnFe₂O₄同型异质结光阳极,BiVO₄/ZnFe₂O₄复合光阳极在1.23 V(vs RHE)下的光电流密度为3.33 mA·cm^-2,较纯BiVO₄提升了2倍(1.20 mA·cm^-2)。相关的结构及性能测试表明,BiVO₄和ZnFe₂O₄形成了带隙错开的n-n异质结,使得光生载流子得到有效分离,更有效地参与水氧化过程,进而提高了BiVO₄的光电催化水分解性能。     

Efficient BiVO4 Photoanodes by Postsynthetic Treatment: Remarkable Improvements in Photoelectrochemical Performance from Facile Borate Modification

Water‐splitting photoanodes based on semiconductor materials typically require a dopant in the structure and co‐catalysts on the surface to overcome the problems of charge recombination and high catalytic barrier. Unlike these conventional strategies, a simple treatment is reported that involves soaking a sample of pristine BiVO₄ in a borate buffer solution. This modifies the catalytic local environment of BiVO₄ by the introduction of a borate moiety at the molecular level. The self‐anchored borate plays the role of a passivator in reducing the surface charge recombination as well as that of a ligand in modifying the catalytic site to facilitate faster water oxidation. The modified BiVO₄ photoanode, without typical doping or catalyst modification, achieved a photocurrent density of 3.5 mA cm^?2 at 1.23 V and a cathodically shifted onset potential of 250 mV. This work provides an extremely simple method to improve the intrinsic photoelectrochemical performance of BiVO₄ photoanodes.     

Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Production from Water on a WO3/BiVO4 Photoanode and from O2 on an Au Cathode Without External Bias

The photoelectrochemical production and degradation properties of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were investigated on a WO₃/BiVO₄ photoanode in an aqueous electrolyte of hydrogen carbonate (HCO₃⁻). High concentrations of HCO₃⁻ species rather than CO₃²⁻ species inhibited the oxidative degradation of H₂O₂ on the WO₃/BiVO₄ photoanode, resulting in effective oxidative H₂O₂ generation and accumulation from water (H₂O). Moreover, the Au cathode facilitated two‐electron reduction of oxygen (O₂), resulting in reductive H₂O₂ production with high current efficiency. Combining the WO₃/BiVO₄ photoanode with a HCO₃⁻ electrolyte and an Au cathode also produced a clean and promising design for a photoelectrode system specializing in H₂O₂ production (η _anode(H₂O₂)≈50 %, η _cathode(H₂O₂)≈90 %) even without applied voltage between the photoanode and cathode under simulated solar light through a two‐photon process; this achieved effective H₂O₂ production when using an Au‐supported porous BiVO₄ photocatalyst sheet.     

Boosting charge separation of BiVO4 photoanode modified with 2D metal-organic frameworks nanosheets for high-performance photoelectrochemical water splitting

Water splitting by photoelectrochemical (PEC) processes to convert solar energy into hydrogen energy using semiconductors is regarded as one of the most ideal methods to solve the current energy crisis and has attracted widespread attention. Herein, Co-based metal-organic framework (Co(bpdc)(H₂O)₄ (Co-MOF) nanosheets as passivation layers were in-situ constructed on the surface of BiVO₄ films through an uncomplicated hydrothermal method (Co-MOF/BiVO₄). Under AM 1.5G illumination, synthesized Co-MOF/BiVO₄ electrode exhibited a 4-fold higher photocurrent than bare BiVO₄, measuring 6.0 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. RHE in 1 mol/L potassium borate electrolyte (pH 9.5) solution. Moreover, the Co-MOF/BiVO₄ film demonstrated a 96% charge separation efficiency, a result caused by an inhibited recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes by the addition of Co-MOF nanosheets. This work provides an idea for depositing inexpensive 2D Co-MOF nanosheets on the photoanode as an excellent passivation layer for solar fuel production.     

A BiVO4 Photoanode with a VOx Layer Bearing Oxygen Vacancies Offers Improved Charge Transfer and Oxygen Evolution Kinetics in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Sluggish oxygen evolution kinetics are one of the key limitations of bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) photoanodes for efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. To address this issue, we report a vanadium oxide (VO_x) with enriched oxygen vacancies conformally grown on BiVO₄ photoanodes by a simple photo-assisted electrodeposition process. The optimized BiVO₄/VO_x photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 6.29 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode under AM 1.5 G illumination, which is ca. 385 % as high as that of its pristine counterpart. A high charge-transfer efficiency of 96 % is achieved and stable PEC water splitting is realized, with a photocurrent retention rate of 88.3 % upon 40 h of testing. The excellent PEC performance is attributed to the presence of oxygen vacancies in VO_x that forms undercoordinated sites, which strengthen the adsorption of water molecules onto the active sites and promote charge transfer during the oxygen evolution reaction. This work demonstrates the potential of vanadium-based catalysts for PEC water oxidation.     

An Efficient Strategy for Boosting Photogenerated Charge Separation by Using Porphyrins as Interfacial Charge Mediators

Surface recombination at the photoanode/electrolyte junction seriously impedes photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. Through coating of photoanodes with oxygen evolution catalysts, the photocurrent can be enhanced; however, current systems for water splitting still suffer from high recombination. We describe herein a novel charge transfer system designed with BiVO₄ as a prototype. In this system, porphyrins act as an interfacial‐charge‐transfer mediator, like a volleyball setter, to efficiently suppress surface recombination through higher hole‐transfer kinetics rather than as a traditional photosensitizer. Furthermore, we found that the introduction of a “setter” can ensure a long lifetime of charge carriers at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. This simple interface charge‐modulation system exhibits increased photocurrent density from 0.68 to 4.75 mA cm^?2 and provides a promising design strategy for efficient photogenerated charge separation to improve PEC performance.     

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting through Bismuth Vanadate with a Photon Upconversion Luminescent Reflector

As the performance of photoanodes for solar water splitting steadily improves, the extension of the absorption wavelength in the photoanodes is highly necessary to substantially improve the water splitting. We use a luminescent back reflector (LBR) capable of photon upconversion (UC) to improve the light harvesting capabilities of Mo:BiVO₄ photoelectrodes. The LBR is prepared by dispersing the organic dye pair meso‐tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphine palladium and perylene capable of triplet–triplet annhilation‐based UC in a polymer film. The LBR converts the wavelengths of 600–650 nm corresponding to the sub‐band gap of Mo:BiVO₄ and the wavelengths of 350–450 nm that are not sufficiently absorbed in Mo:BiVO₄ to a wavelength that can be absorbed by a Mo:BiVO₄ photoelectrode. The LBR improves the water splitting reaction of Mo:BiVO₄ photoelectrodes by 17 %, and consequently, the Mo:BiVO₄/LBR exhibits a photocurrent density of 5.25 mA cm^?2 at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. The Mo:BiVO₄/LBR exhibits hydrogen/oxygen evolution corresponding to the increased photocurrent density and long‐term operational stability for the water splitting reaction.     

钨掺杂BiVO4光阳极降解环丙沙星的表面态行为

采用简单浸渍的方法对BiVO₄光阳极进行表面钨(W)掺杂,以环丙沙星(CIP)为药品和个人护理产品(PPCPs)模型污染物,研究了W掺杂BiVO₄光阳极降解CIP的表面态行为。结果表明,低浓度W掺杂对BiVO₄光阳极的晶体结构、表面形貌和光吸收性能没有显著影响。但W掺杂取代了BiVO₄光阳极表面的V⁵⁺,能抑制BiVO₄光阳极表面V⁵⁺/V⁴⁺还原过程,减少复合中心表面态,同时引入更多氧空穴,增加活性位点表面态。CIP的降解反应受表面活性位点控制。表面W掺杂能有效促进CIP降解的电荷转移,提高BiVO₄光阳极光电催化降解性能。     

Fuel‐Free Bio‐photoelectrochemical Cells Based on a Water/Oxygen Circulation System with a Ni:FeOOH/BiVO4 Photoanode

A bio‐photoelectrochemical cell (BPEC) based on a fuel‐free self‐circulation water–oxygen–water system was fabricated. It consists of Ni:FeOOH modified n‐type bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) photoanode and laccase catalyzed biocathode. In this BPEC, irradiation of the photoanode generates photocurrent for photo‐oxidation of water to oxygen, which is reduced to water again at the laccase biocathode. Of note, the by‐products of two electrode reactions could continue to be reacted, which means the H₂O and O₂ molecules are retained in an infinite loop of water–oxygen–water without any sacrificial chemical components. As a result, the assembled fuel‐free BPEC exhibits good performance with an open‐circuit potential of 0.97 V and a maximum power density of 205 μW cm^?2 at 0.44 V. This BPEC based on a self‐circulation system offers a fuel‐free model to enhance multiple energy conversion and application in reality.     

Insight into the Key Restriction of BiVO4 Photoanodes Prepared by Pyrolysis Method for Scalable Preparation

Bismuth Vanadate (BiVO₄) photoanode has been popularly investigated for promising solar water oxidation, but its intrinsic performance has been greatly retarded by the direct pyrolysis method. Here we insight the key restriction of BiVO₄ prepared by metal–organic decomposition (MOD) method. It is found that the evaporation of vanadium during the pyrolysis tends to cause a substantial phase impurity, and the unexpected few tetragonal phase inhibits the charge separation evidently. Consequently, suitably excessive vanadium precursor was adopted to eliminate the phase impurity, based on which the obtained intrinsic BiVO₄ photoanode could exhibit photocurrent density of 4.2 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V_RHE under AM 1.5 G irradiation, as comparable to the one fabricated by the currently popular two-step electrodeposition method. Furthermore, the excellent performance can be maintained on the enlarged photoanode (25 cm²), demonstrating the advantage of MOD method in scalable preparation. Our work provides new insight and highlights the glorious future of MOD method for the design of scale-up efficient BiVO₄ photoanode.     

钨掺杂BiVO4光阳极降解环丙沙星的表面态行为

采用简单浸渍的方法对BiVO₄光阳极进行表面钨(W)掺杂,以环丙沙星(CIP)为药品和个人护理产品(PPCPs)模型污染物,研究了W掺杂BiVO₄光阳极降解CIP的表面态行为。结果表明,低浓度W掺杂对BiVO₄光阳极的晶体结构、表面形貌和光吸收性能没有显著影响。但W掺杂取代了BiVO₄光阳极表面的V⁵⁺,能抑制BiVO₄光阳极表面V⁵⁺/V⁴⁺还原过程,减少复合中心表面态,同时引入更多氧空穴,增加活性位点表面态。CIP的降解反应受表面活性位点控制。表面W掺杂能有效促进CIP降解的电荷转移,提高BiVO₄光阳极光电催化降解性能。     

Surviving High‐Temperature Calcination: ZrO2‐Induced Hematite Nanotubes for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Nanotubular Fe₂O₃ is a promising photoanode material, and producing morphologies that withstand high‐temperature calcination (HTC) is urgently needed to enhance the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. This work describes the design and fabrication of Fe₂O₃ nanotube arrays that survive HTC for the first time. By introducing a ZrO₂ shell on hydrothermal FeOOH nanorods by atomic layer deposition, subsequent high‐temperature solid‐state reaction converts FeOOH‐ZrO₂ nanorods to ZrO₂‐induced Fe₂O₃ nanotubes (Zr‐Fe₂O₃ NTs). The structural evolution of the hematite nanotubes is systematically explored. As a result of the nanostructuring and shortened charge collection distance, the nanotube photoanode shows a greatly improved PEC water oxidation activity, exhibiting a photocurrent density of 1.5 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE), which is the highest among hematite nanotube photoanodes without co‐catalysts. Furthermore, a Co‐Pi decorated Zr‐Fe₂O₃ NT photoanode reveals an enhanced onset potential of 0.65 V (vs. RHE) and a photocurrent of 1.87 mA cm⁻² (at 1.23 V vs. RHE).     

Introducing Bidirectional Axial Coordination into BiVO4@Metal Phthalocyanine Core–Shell Photoanodes for Efficient Water Oxidation

Core-shell photoanodes have shown great potential for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. However, the construction of a high-quality interface between the core and shell, as well as a highly catalytic surface, remains a challenge. Herein, guided by computation, we present a BiVO₄ photoanode coated with ZnCoFe polyphthalocyanine using pyrazine as a coordination agent. The bidirectional axial coordination of pyrazine plays a dual role by facilitating intimate interfacial contact between BiVO₄ and ZnCoFe polyphthalocyanine, as well as regulating the electron density and spin configuration of metal sites in ZnCoFe phthalocyanine, thereby promoting the potential-limiting step of *OOH desorption. The resulting photoanode displayed a high photocurrent density of 5.7±0.1 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V_RHE. This study introduces a new approach for constructing core–shell photoanodes, and uncovers the key role of pyrazine axial coordination in modulating the catalytic activity of metal phthalocyanine.