Surface and Interface Engineering for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Abstract

Summary Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation by semiconductor photoanodes plays a fundamental role for sustainable solar fuel and chemical production. Advanced surface and interface engineering has been demonstrated to be of critical importance for the development of highly efficient and stable water oxidation photoanodes. In this review, we briefly introduce the fundamentals and some general considerations in the development and evaluation of water oxidation photoanodes and the assembly of PEC cells. We summarize several most important roles of surface and interface engineering identified in improving the PEC performance of photoanodes and highlight the most prominent research advancements in these fields. Finally, the outlook for the future development of surface and interface engineering for practical photoelectrochemical water oxidation is concisely discussed.