BaTiO3/Fe2O3/MoS2/Ti photoanode for visible light responsive photocatalytic fuel cell degradation of rhodamine B and electricity generation

Abstract

In order to improve the performance of visible light-responsive photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC), BaTiO3/Fe2O3/MoS2/Ti photoanode was prepared by a secondary hydrothermal and silica sol drop-coating method in this study, and assembled with Cu cathode to construct PFC. The composition, morphology, surface elements and chemical states, light absorption characteristics, rhodamine B degradation, electrochemical performance and stability of 10 % BaTiO3/Fe2O3/MoS2/Ti photoanode were studied. The rhodamine B degradation rate, maximum photocurrent density, and maximum power density of the PFC with 10 % BaTiO3/Fe2O3/MoS2/Ti photoanode are 94.23 %, 0.20 mA•cm−2 and 10.46 μW·cm−2, respectively. The excellent performance of the PFC is due to the internal electric field formed by the spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric BaTiO3, which significantly promotes the charge transfer between MoS2 and Fe2O3, and realizes the spatial separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, thereby reducing the recombination of e−-h+ pairs and ultimately improving the photoelectricity and photocatalytic performance. This study provides an important reference for ferroelectric materials to promote the separation of photogenerated carriers in visible light responsive PFC.