Operando time-resolved diffuse reflection spectroscopy: The origins of photocatalytic water-oxidation activity of bismuth vanadate

Abstract

Photocatalytic water splitting has been believed to be a key technology for the construction of a sustainable society based on a renewable energy source. Understanding the exact mechanisms of oxygen evolution by water-splitting reaction, which has been regarded as a bottleneck to realize the water splitting in practical basis, should help us to enhance solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency. Here, we present a detailed investigation based on two types of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) crystals. One is a monoclinic scheelite crystal that forms a truncated tetragonal bipyramidal shape (MS), and the other is a tetragonal zircon crystal that forms an octahedral shape (TZ). MS, which has relatively higher photocatalytic activity of water oxidation, rarely adsorbed reduced mediator (Fe2+). Operando time-resolved diffuse reflection spectral measurement demonstrated, for the first time, that the surface holes of MS crystals show extremely high reactivity, while those of TZ crystals show poor reactivity. Our investigation would promote an essential understanding of the photocatalytic reaction mechanism of water oxidation.