Nanostructure-based WO3 photoanodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Nanostructured WO(3) has been developed as a promising water-splitting material due to its ability of capturing parts of the visible light and high stability in aqueous solutions under acidic conditions. In this review, the fabrication, photocatalytic performance and operating principles of photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) for water splitting based on WO(3) photoanodes, with an emphasis on the last decade, are discussed. The morphology, dimension, crystallinity, grain boundaries, defect and separation, transport of photogenerated charges will also be mentioned as the impact factors on photocatalytic performance.     

g-C_3N_4基多功能层光阳极在光电化学水分解中的应用（英文）

光电化学分解水制氢可以一并解决环境问题和能源危机,因而成为研究热点.由于TiO_2 禁带宽度较大,不能有效吸收太阳光中的可见光,使光电化学分解水制氢的应用受限.g-C_3N_4的禁带宽度约为2.7 e V,能有效吸收可见光,但g-C_3N_4薄膜制备研究较少.我们通过热聚缩合法直接在FTO导电玻璃上制备出g-C_3N_4薄膜,发现其光电化学分解水制氢稳定性不高,选择易制备的TiO_2 作为保护层可以提高g-C_3N_4的耐用性.此外,为提高g-C_3N_4光生电子空穴对的分离能力,依靠Co-Pi对光生空穴的捕获作用而将其覆盖在最外层.因此本文首次制备一种新型的g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极用于光电化学分解水制氢,其中g-C_3N_4用作光吸收层,TiO_2 用作保护层,Co-Pi用作空穴捕获层.并在此基础上,通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM),X射线衍射(XRD),紫外可见光谱(UV-Vis)等手段研究了g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极的形貌特征和光电化学性能.SEM、EDS和XRD结果表明,g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极被成功制备在了FTO导电玻璃上,厚度约为3μm.UV-Vis测试表明,g-C_3N_4的光吸收边约为470 nm,可以有效地吸收可见光,并且g-C_3N_4的框架结构使光多次反射折射增加了光的捕获能力,由此可见,g-C_3N_4能够发挥很好的光吸收层作用.通过对g-C_3N_4光阳极,g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 光阳极和g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极的电流电压测试发现,g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 光阳极的光电流密度小于g-C_3N_4光阳极,而g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极的光电流密在可逆氢电极1.1 V下达到了0.346 mA?cm–2,约为单独g-C_3N_4光阳极的3.6倍.这说明Co-Pi是提升g-C_3N_4光电化学性能的主要因素.电化学阻抗测试结果发现,g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极的界面电荷转移电阻小于g-C_3N_4光阳极的,这表明g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极界面处载流子转移较快,同时也能促进内部光生电子空穴对的分离,整体性能的提高应该主要归因于Co-Pi对光生空穴的捕获作用.恒电压时间测试展示出g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极的光电流密度在2 h测试过程中没有明显下降,表明g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极是相当稳定的,具有良好的耐用性,归因于TiO_2 和Co-Pi的共同保护作用,主要归因于TiO_2 层对FTO导电玻璃上的g-C_3N_4薄膜保护,从电化学沉积Co-Pi到所有测试结束.总体而言,g-C_3N_4/TiO_2 /Co-Pi光阳极加强的光电化学性能归因于以下几个因素:(1)g-C_3N_4优异的光吸收能力;(2)TiO_2 稳定的保护提升了g-C_3N_4薄膜的耐用性;(3)Co–Pi对光生空穴的捕获有效促进了光生电子空穴对的分离.     

Facile synthesis of Ni-doped WO3 nanoplate arrays for effective photoelectrochemical water splitting

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - A two-step hydrothermal process for preparing Ni-doped WO3 nanoplate arrays (NPAs) is developed, and the obtained samples were used as a photoanode to...     

Highly efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting using a thin film photoanode of BiVO4/SnO2/WO3 multi-composite in a carbonate electrolyte

The solar energy conversion efficiency considering the energy loss by the external bias for water splitting reached ca. 0.9 or 1.35% using single- or double-stacked photoanodes, respectively, of BiVO(4)/SnO(2)/WO(3) multilayers in a highly concentrated carbonate electrolyte aqueous solution.     

Solution-processed electrochemical synthesis of ZnFe2O4 photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Herein, we report the synthesis of ZnO nanorod films onto FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide) substrates using the solution-processed electrodeposition method....     

WO3 homojunction photoanode: Integrating the advantages of WO3 different facets for efficient water oxidation

The manipulation of the surface property of WO₃ photoanode is the main breakthrough direction to improve its solar water oxidation performance both in thermodynamics and kinetics.Here,we report a WO₃(002)/m-WO₃ homojunction film that is composed of an upper WO₃ layer with predominant(002)facet(WO₃(002))and a lower WO₃ layer with multi-crystal facets(m-WO₃)as a photoanode for solar water oxidation.Due to the synergistic effect of WO₃(002)layer and m-WO₃ layer,better water oxidation activity and stability are achieved on the WO₃(002)/m-WO₃ homojunction film relative to the m-WO₃ and WO₃(002)film.Specifically,the improved water oxidation performance on the WO₃(002)/m-WO₃ homojunction film is attributed to the followings.In thermodynamics,the band position differences between WO₃(002)layer and m-WO₃ layer lead to the formation of WO₃(002)/m-WO₃ homojunction,which has positive function of improving their charge separation and transfer.In kinetics,the upper WO₃(002)layer of the WO₃(002)/m-WO₃ film has superior activity in the adsorption and activation of water molecules,water oxidation on this homojunction film photoanode is inclined to follow the four-holes pathway,and the corrosion of photoanode from the H₂O₂ intermediate is restrained.The present work provides a new strategy to modify the WO₃ photoanodes for thermodynamically and kinetically efficient water oxidation.     

Direct Z-scheme WO3-x nanowire-bridged TiO2 nanorod arrays for highly efficient photoelectrochemical overall water splitting

All-solid-state Z-scheme photocatalysts for overall water splitting to evolve H2 is a promising strategy for efficient conversion of solar energy.However,most o...     

NiFe双氢纳米粒子有效提高BiVO4光阳极光电化学水分解性能

近年来, 太阳能驱动的光电化学水分解作为一种高效、环保、可持续的技术, 已经引起了广泛的关注. 为了更好地使用光电化学技术将太阳能转化为化学能, 至关重要的是提高光电极材料的光吸收和光转化效率. BiVO4禁带宽度(Eg=2.4-2.5 eV)小, 具有很好的可见光响应能力, 因此BiVO4光电极材料引起了广泛关注. 但是, 当单独BiVO4作为光电阳极材料时, 电子-空穴对分离弱、载流子传输慢, 从而使BiVO4不能很好地在光电化学水分解中发挥作用. 为了缓解或解决此类限制性因素, 本课题组通过水热法合成了NiFe双氢纳米粒子, 并将其负载于BiVO4电极表面, 光电催化分解水实验表明其产氢效率得到大幅度提高. 同时制备了Ni(OH)2/BiVO4和Fe(OH)2/BiVO4电极并用于研究NiFe/BiVO4电极的反应机理. 在上文基础上, 本文采用电子扫描电镜(SEM)、高分辨投射电镜(HRTEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外可见漫反射(UV-Vis DRS)等表征手段和线性扫描伏安法(LSV)和电流时间(I-t)等对其光电化学活性进行了测试, 研究了NiFe/BiVO4电极在发生水氧化时的反应机理. SEM结果表明, Ni(OH)2是以纳米片组成的纳米球负载于多孔BiVO4表面; 而当Fe(OH)2负载于BiVO4表面时, BiVO4的纳米尺寸减小; NiFe-LDH纳米粒子负载于BiVO4表面时, 可以明显看见BiVO4纳米颗粒表面包裹着一层更小的纳米粒子.这证明了Ni(OH)2, Fe(OH)2和NiFe-LDH纳米粒子均成功负载于BiVO4表面. 这也得到HRTEM结果的确认. UV-Vis DRS结果表明NiFe-LDH纳米粒子能有效拓宽BiVO4的吸收边, 从而增加对可见光的吸收, 增加了对光的利用率. LSV测试结果表明, 暗反应条件下Ni(OH)2/BiVO4比NiFe/BiVO4和Fe(OH)2/BiVO4电极的起始电位更低, 说明Ni(OH)2有更好的传输电子性能; 而在光照条件下, 在同一电位时NiFe/BiVO4比Ni(OH)2/BiVO4和Fe(OH)2/BiVO4电极的光电流值更高. 值得注意的是, 此时Ni(OH)2/BiVO4比Fe(OH)2/BiVO4电极的光电流值低, 这又说明Fe(OH)2比Ni(OH)2对光更敏感. 因此当NiFe-LDH纳米粒子负载于BiVO4表面时, 不仅提高了BiVO4光电极的光吸收效率, 而且加速了载流子的传输从而抑制了光生电子-空穴的复合, 使反应过程中的量子效率得到提高.     

Nanoporous TiO2 and WO3 films by anodization of titanium and tungsten substrates: influence of process variables on morphology and photoelectrochemical response

The photoelectrochemical response of nanoporous films, obtained by anodization of Ti and W substrates in a variety of corrosive media and at preselected voltages in the range from 10 to 60 V, was studied. The as-deposited films were subjected to thermal anneal and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Along with the anodization media developed by previous authors, the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 400) or D-mannitol as a modifier to the NH4F electrolyte and glycerol addition to the oxalic acid electrolyte was studied for TiO2 and WO3, respectively. In general, intermediate anodization voltages and film growth times yielded excellent-quality photoelectrochemical response for both TiO2 and WO3 as assessed by linear-sweep photovoltammetry and photoaction spectra. The photooxidation of water and formate species was used as reaction probes to assess the photoresponse quality of the nanoporous oxide semiconductor films. In the presence of formate as an electron donor, the incident photon to electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) ranged from approximately 130% to approximately 200% for both TiO2 and WO3 depending on the film preparation protocol. The best photoactive films were obtained from poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 400) containing NH4F for TiO2 and from aqueous NaF for WO3.     

Insights into electrolyte effects on photoactivities of dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells for water splitting

Dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cell(DS-PEC) is an especially attractive method to generate hydrogen via visible light driven water splitting. Electrolyte, an essential component of DS-PEC, plays a great role in determining the photoactivities of devices for water splitting. When using phosphate buffer(pH = 6.4)as electrolyte, the DS-PEC displayed much higher photoactivity than using 0.1 M Na_2SO_4(pH = 6.4) as electrolyte. The insight is phosphate anion gathers together to form a negative electrostatic field on TiO_2 surface, which increases the resistance in the TiO_2/catalyst and electrolyte interface and validly reduces the charge recombination from TiO_2 to the oxidized catalyst.     

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.     

电沉积WO_3薄膜及其光电性能的表征

本文采用电化学法制备了均匀、附着力强的WO3薄膜,研究了不同沉积电位和不同的沉积时间对薄膜的光电性能影响,并使用了XRD,UV-vis,M-S,光电流光谱(IPCE)等分析表征手段对薄膜进行了表征。实验结果表明,所制得的WO3薄膜为单斜晶系,退火后沿(200)晶面择优生长;对比所有沉积电位,-0.45 V沉积电位(vs.SCE)所获得的WO3薄膜均匀致密,薄膜的带边在460 nm(≈2.7 eV),其光电转换性能最好;在实验范围内薄膜越厚,其光电转换性能越好。     

Pyrite (FeS2)-decorated 1D TiO2 nanotubes in a bilayer as a sustainable photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting activity

Herein, FeS₂@TiO₂ nanotubes photocatalyst was prepared by electrochemical anodization method followed by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method, and then finally annealed in a tube furnace for homogenous crystallization. The surface morphology, elemental composition, optical properties, and crystalline structure of the prepared FeS₂@TiO₂ nanocomposite were found out by performing scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively, while bonds vibrations and various functional groups' presence were analyzed using Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A higher photocurrent density of 1.59 mA/cm² at 0.3 V versus reference electrode of Ag/AgCl (1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) using 100 mW/cm² intensive light source was shown by 15-FeS₂@TiO₂ nanotubes (uniformly loaded photoanode) while donor density (N_D) of 3.68 × 10⁻¹³ cm⁻³ as compared to pure TiO₂ NTs (0.09 mA/cm²), 05-FeS₂@TiO₂ NTs (0.19 mA/cm²), 10-FeS₂@TiO₂ NTs (0.53 mA/cm²) and 20-FeS₂@TiO₂ NTs (0.61 mA/cm²), respectively. The exceptional photoelectrochemical activity results were attributed to the homogenous integration of FeS₂ that not only increase the charge separation but also, intensively interacted with the substrate (TiO₂ nanotubes), which results in an excellent photoelectrochemical activity.     

Dense layers of vertically oriented WO3 crystals as anodes for photoelectrochemical water oxidation

Films of crystalline WO(3) nanosheets oriented perpendicular to tungsten substrates were grown by a surfactant-free hydrothermal method, followed by sintering. The films exhibit photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution at low overpotential.     

Unravelling the essential difference between TiOx and AlOx interface layers on Ta3N5 photoanode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation

Tantalum nitride(Ta₃N₅) is a very promising photoanode material due to its narrow band gap(2.1 eV)and suitable band alignment for solar water splitting.However,it suffers from severe photocorrosion during water oxidation.In this work,it was found that surface passivation by AlO_x and TiO_x layers results in dramatically different PEC performance of Ta₃N₅ photoanode for water oxidation.The mechanism study indicates that the negative ...     

Promoting the photoanode efficiency for water splitting by combining hematite and molecular Ru catalysts

Most implementations of the photoanode for water splitting are based on semiconductors and inorganic catalysts, wherein the surface defect and the grain boundary of inorganic materials have been a major barrier hindering the charge transfer between the light absorber and the catalyst. Here we report a new type of photoanode for water splitting, featuring the combination of α-Fe₂O₃ and molecular Ru catalysts. Fabricated by self-assembly, the semiconductor/molecule interface is not only efficient for the light-induced charge separation but also highly catalytic toward the water oxidation reaction. This work opens a new avenue for improving the efficiency of the solar-to-fuel conversion.     

Chemical bias of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting using a hydrogel separator

Resorcinol-formaldehyde hydrogels are shown to be adequate separators in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting cells. Combined with concentrated buffer electrolytes, they allow the maintenance of relatively stable pH gradients between basic anolytes and acidic catholytes. The water splitting potential at a current density of 3.0 mA/cm² applied between two Pt electrodes and a pH bias of 8.1 units retained a value of 2.7 V for several hours. Using iron foam/hematite as photoanode and Pt as cathode, the water splitting photocurrents at an applied potential of 1.23 V reached values of 0.40 and 0.06 mA/cm² in the presence and absence, respectively, of this chemical bias.     

Ti~(3+) self-doped TiO_2 photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting and photoelectrocatalytic pollutant degradation

To improve the harvesting of visible light and reduce the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes,Ti~(3+)self-doped Ti O_2 nanoparticles were synthesized and assembled into photoanodes with high visible light photoelectrochemical properties.X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectra,electron resonance spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectra were used to characterize the structure,crystallinity,morphology and other properties of the obtained nanoparticles.UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectra showed that the Ti~(3+)self-doped Ti O_2 nanoparticles had a strong absorption between 400 and 800 nm.Moreover,when hydrothermal treatment time was prolonged to 22 h,the heterogeneous junction was formed between the anatase and rutile Ti O_2,where the anatase particles exposed highly active {001} facets.Under visible light irradiation,the Ti~(3+)self-doped Ti O_2 electrode exhibited an excellent photoelectrocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B(Rh B) and water splitting performance.Intriguingly,by selecting an appropriate hydrothermal time,the high photoconversion efficiency of 1.16% was achieved.     

Preparation and characterization of γ-In2Se3 thin-film photoanodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Indium selenide (γ-In2Se3) films were prepared using RF magnetron sputtering. Influence of deposition time on structural, optical, morphological, and...     

Enhanced photoelectrochemical properties of visible light-responsive TiO2 photoanode for separate-type Pt-free photofuel cells by Rh3+ addition

Visible light-responsive TiO₂ (Vis-TiO₂) electrode has been applied for the Pt-free separate-type photofuel cell (SPFC) where two different electrolytes containing various biomass derivatives and a I₃ ^?/I^? redox solution were employed for the anode and cathode sides, respectively. This new SPFC exhibits good photoelectrochemical performance under simulated solar-light irradiation. It was found that the Rh³⁺ loading on Vis-TiO₂ electrode enhanced the photoelectrochemical performance of the SPFC through the increase in the visible light absorption as well as the increase in the electron conductivity of Vis-TiO₂ electrode.