Abstract
Semiconductor photocatalytic electrodes are the core components for the efficient operation of photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) systems, and enhancing their visible light response and photo-generated carrier separation are key strategies for improving PFC performance. In this study, a PFC consisted of an anatase TiO2/rutile TiO2 (ATO/RTO) photoanode and a silver cathode was designed. The experimental results indicate that the formation of a heterophase junction between ATO and RTO can expand the visible light absorption range and inhibited mitigates photogenerated carrier recombination. Therefore, with 1 mol/L NaOH as fuel, the ATO/RTO PFC achieves a photocurrent density of 0.6 mA/cm2 and a maximum power density of 0.3 mW/cm2 under simulated solar illumination, while the pure RTO and pure ATO PFCs exhibit photocurrent densities of 0.16 mA/cm2 and 0.13 mA/cm2, and power densities of 50 μW/cm2 and 19.8 μW/cm2, respectively. The photocurrent density of ATO/RTO PFC is higher than that of RTO PFC. Additionally, when utilizing 10 mg/mL methylene blue (MB) as fuel, the ATO/RTO PFC device achieved the remarkable photocurrent density of 0.43 mA/cm2 and power density of 0.84 μW/cm2. Simultaneously, ATO/RTO PFC demonstrated a peak degradation efficiency of 95.7% for MB. This PFC device enables both pollutant degradation and electricity generation, promising practical dual-function applications.
Published Version
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