Abstract
The catalytic reactivity and photoactivity of WO 3 and BiVO 4 oxide semiconductors have general obstacles as electrodes in emergent photo-electrochemical (PEC) hydrogen evolution applications. The present work comprises the integration of photocatalyst with wide visible photon absorption material which is vital for hydrogen evolution in photo-electrocatalytic water splitting. Herein, the 1D WO 3 NWs have been integrated with stable water oxidation photocatalysts of BiVO 4 and Bi 2 S 3 as a photoanode (Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /WO 3 ) for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reactions. The morphological variations in the Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /WO 3 heterostructure manifest catalytic activity and rapid charge transfer characteristics owing to band alignment and a wide range of visible photon absorption. The optimized Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /WO 3 multidimensional photoanode accomplishes a superior photocurrent density of 1.52 mA/cm 2 , a seven-fold higher than pristine WO 3 photoanode counterpart (0.2 mA/cm 2 ) at 1 V vs. RHE. A prodigious lowest onset potential of −0.01 V vs. RHE) has been achieved which enables very high solar to hydrogen conversion. The photoelectrode with entangled morphology such as nanosheets, nanocrystals and nanorods expanded their surface to volume ratio having enhanced catalytic performance. The hybrid photoanodes have demonstrated the lowest charge transfer resistance of 360 Ohm/cm 2 with a 7-fold rise in hydrogen evolution performance. The resultant triadic Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /WO 3 heterostructure appeared to be an emerging stable photo-electro catalyst for hydrogen evolution applications. • A multidimensional Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /WO 3 is prepared by hydrothermal and SILAR method. • The hetero-structure upholds photo-excitation and enhances carriers' kinetics. • The open triadic structure improves the hydrogen evolution. • A type II band alignment in Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /WO 3 hetero-structure is proposed.
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