High Charge Carrier Recombination Research Articles

Bi/BSO Heterojunctions via Vacancy Engineering for Efficient Photocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation

AbstractPhotocatalytic nitrogen reduction represents a viable technology for green ammonia synthesis under mild conditions. However, the performance of the photocatalysts is typically limited by high charge carrier recombination and low adsorption and activation of nitrogen molecules. Herein, Bi/Bi2Sn2O7 (Bi/BSO) heterojunction nanocomposites are prepared via a one‐step hydrothermal method, where NaOH etching of oxygen vacancies in the Bi─O bonds of Bi2Sn2O7 (BSO) is exploited for the in situ formation of metallic Bi and hence Schottky junctions with the semiconducting BSO. This leads to a high separation rate of photogenerated charge carriers. Consequently, compared to the pure‐phase BSO, the Bi/BSO heterostructures exhibit markedly enhanced ammonia production, reaching an optimum rate of 284.5 µmol g−1 h−1, where the rectifying contact between the semiconducting BSO and metallic Bi facilitates directional BSO to Bi electron transfer, leading to enrichment of photogenerated electrons at the active sites of metallic Bi. First‐principles calculations confirm the alteration of active sites and the guided electron flow by the Schottky junctions and surface oxygen vacancies. Results from this study offer an effective paradigm of structural engineering in manipulating the photocatalytic activity of bismuth‐based pyrochlore materials toward nitrogen fixation to ammonia.

Anthracene-based dual channel donor-acceptor triazine-containing covalent organic frameworks for superior photoelectrochemical sensing

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) exhibit excellent photoelectrically active structures and serve as channels for photon capture and charge carrier transport. However, their relatively high charge-carrier recombination rates and lack of specific recognition sites limit their application in photoelectrochemical sensing. This paper reports a functionalized donor–acceptor (D-A) COF comprising electron-rich polycyclic aromatic moieties and electron-deficient triazines (Tz) incorporating boronic acid through ligand exchange. The number of aromatic rings in the polycyclic aromatic moiety is crucial for establishing an efficient D-A system within COF. In the absence of an external electron donor, the anthracene-based COF exhibited a five-fold enhancement in photocurrent compared to the naphthalene-based COF. The resulting anthracene-based D-A COF exhibited enhanced orbital overlap and electron push–pull interactions, facilitating more effective charge separation. Furthermore, introducing boronic acid enabled the selective enrichment of low-concentration external electron donors, such as dopamine, in the inner Helmholtz plane. This ingenious approach establishes a unique dual-channel D-A system that allows direct measurement of dopamine in serum. Under optimized conditions, the test platform achieves good correspondence for dopamine at 1 to 100 nM and 0.5 to 100 μM with a detecting limit of 0.36 nM (3σ/S, n = 11). This strategy introduces a novel dimension to photoelectrochemical sensing, focusing on the effect of spatial separation between the external electron donor and the photoelectrode interface that intricately shapes the behavior and enhances the performance of the photoelectric system.

Interfacial engineering of a multijunctional In2O3/WO3@Ti4N3Tx S-scheme photocatalyst with enhanced photoelectrochemical properties.

Achieving high photoelectrochemical conversion efficiency requires the logical layout of a composite photocatalyst with optimal charge separation and transfer with ideal light harvesting capabilities to enhance the photocatalytic performance and the degradation rate towards organic pollutants. Herein, a novel In2O3/WO3@Ti4N3Tx S-scheme heterojunction was successfully synthesized and confirmed through valence band VB-XPS and Mott Schottky combined analysis. The formed MXene-doped In2O3/WO3@Ti4N3Tx S-scheme significantly enhances the charge flow and spatial separation with an improved oxidation and reduction ability. An in-built interfacial electric field at the WO3-In2O3 boundary enhanced the light-harvesting capacity, whereas Ti4N3Tx MXene offers a unique electron trapping effect which effectively lowers high charge carrier recombination rate-related photocatalytic deficit. It preserves the exceptional redox potency of the photocatalyst by providing a directed acceleration and effective separation of the photogenerated charges. A high carrier density (ND = 7.83 × 1021 cm-3) with a lower negative flat band (VFB = -0.064 V vs. Ag/AgCl) was obtained by Mott-Schottky analysis for 3 wt% In2O3/WO3@Ti4N3Tx, an indicator that a low overpotential is needed to activate photocatalytic reactions. This study, therefore, provides a novel thought for the design and fabrication of an S-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic reactions for mineralization of organic pollutants in water and clean energy production.

Unveiling the Influence of Sulfur Doping on Photoelectrochemical Performance in BiVO4/FeOOH Heterostructures.

BiVO4 is a promising photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting but suffers from high charge carrier recombination and sluggish surface water oxidation kinetics that limit its efficiency. In this work, a model of sulfur-incorporated FeOOH cocatalyst-loaded BiVO4 was constructed. The composite photoanode (BiVO4/S-FeOOH) demonstrates an enhanced photocurrent density of 3.58 mA cm-2, which is 3.7 times higher than that of the pristine BiVO4 photoanode. However, the current explanations for the generation of enhanced photocurrent signals through the incorporation of elements and cocatalyst loading remain unclear and require further in-depth research. In this work, the hole transfer kinetics were investigated by using a scanning photoelectrochemical microscope (SPECM). The results suggest that the incorporation of sulfur can effectively improve the charge transfer capacity of FeOOH. Moreover, the oxygen evolution reaction model provides evidence that S-doping can induce a "fast" surface catalytic reaction at the cocatalyst/solution interface. The work not only presents a promising approach for designing a highly efficient photoanode but also offers valuable insights into the role of element doping in the PEC water-splitting system.

Decoration of silver on ZnS for enhancement of sunlight-driven photodegradation of reactive red azo dye and norfloxacin antibiotic

High charge carrier recombination rate is the major difficulty affecting low photocatalytic performance of the UV-responsive ZnS photocatalyst. To overcome the problem, well dispersion of noble metals on the ZnS surface can be regarded as one of the useful strategies to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency. This is due to a synergy of creation of heterojunction structure and surface plasmon resonance effect. In the present work, the surface of the hydrothermally grown ZnS photocatalyst was modified with 10 wt %silver. The hexagonal Ag/ZnS photocatalyst provided high sunlight-active photocatalytic performance toward removal of anionic azo dye and norfloxacin antibiotic with the efficiency of about 99 % and 70 %, within 120 min, respectively. The improvement of the resultant photoactivity is attributed to increasing of charge separation capacity at the interface. Well distribution of silver on ZnS surface results in the generation of the Schottky barrier at the Ag/ZnS interface. This will end up with the increment of quantum efficiency and enlargement of the photocatalytic activity. Additionally, after modification of ZnS surface by addition of silver, a red shift in the light absorption toward visible region was found. This is assigned to the effect of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag on ZnS surface. The synthesized Ag/ZnS reveals high structural stability with enhanced performance even after the fifth cycle. This work demonstrates a new avenue for creation of a silver-modified ZnS for complete degradation of toxic organic contaminants including dyes and antibiotics by use of the abundant solar energy.

Internal Electric Field and Adsorption Effect Synergistically Boost Carbon Dioxide Conversion on Cadmium Sulfide@Covalent Triazine Frameworks Core–Shell Photocatalyst

AbstractSolar‐driven photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon‐neutral fuels is of significance for energy sustainability. The critical challenges in this process are high charge carrier recombination and low CO2 adsorption capacity. Here, by integrating porous covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) with cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanospheres, a CdS@CTF‐HUST‐1 heterojunction photocatalyst with core–shell structure is developed for CO2‐to‐CO conversion. Experimental investigations combined with density functional theory simulations reveal that the formation of an internal electric field provides the driving force for accelerating S‐scheme charge transfer, resulting in enhanced separation and utilization efficiency of charge carriers in photocatalysis. Together with the improved CO2 adsorption capacity contributed by the porous structure of the CTF‐HUST‐1 shell, the CdS@CTF‐HUST‐1 heterojunction photocatalyst gives an impressive CO yield rate of 168.77 µmol g−1 h−1 with high selectivity. This research furnishes a feasible strategy to construct highly active core–shell composite photocatalysts for optimizing CO2 adsorption and conversion.

Single-atom Nb anchored on graphitic carbon nitride for boosting electron transfer towards improved photocatalytic performance

Single-atom Nb anchored on g-C3N4 was prepared by facile thermal polymerization. Compared with pure g-C3N4, optimized Nb-anchoring samples exhibited excellent CO and CH4 yield and higher photocatalytic oxidation efficiency in degrading amoxicillin (AMX). Combining DFT calculations and experimental results, the enhanced photocatalytic performance was attributed to anchored single-atom Nb in terms of Nb-C and the formation of N defects. Anchoring with single-atom Nb contributed to the formation of N defects in g-C3N4, inducing the formation of polarized Nb-C bonds with high conductivity accelerating the directional transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes. Moreover, this restrained the relatively high charge carrier recombination rate of g-C3N4. Additionally, N defects with solitary electrons could enhance the charge density and serve as active centers for a photocatalytic reaction. The present work underlines the importance of the synergistic effect of anchoring Nb and simultaneously generating N defects for developing a new generation of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts.

π-Conjugated In-Plane Heterostructure Enables Long-Lived Shallow Trapping in Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Increased Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation.

The relatively short-lived excited states, such as the nascent electron-hole pairs (excitons) and the shallow trapping states, in semiconductor-based photocatalysts produce an exceptionally high charge carrier recombination rate, dominating a low solar-to-fuel performance. Here, a π-conjugated in-plane heterostructure between graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) and carbon rings (Crings ) (labeling g-CN/Crings ) is effectively synthesized from the thermolysis of melamine-citric acid aggregates via a microwave-assisted heating process. The g-CN/Crings in-plane heterostructure shows remarkably suppressed excited-state decay and increased charge carrier population in photocatalysis. Kinetics analysis from the femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy illustrates that the g-CN/Crings π-conjugated heterostructure produces slower exciton annihilation (τ1 = 7.9ps) and longer shallow electron trapping (τ2 = 407.1ps) than pristine g-CN (τ1 = 3.6ps, τ2 = 264.1ps) owing to Crings incorporation, both of which enable more photoinduced electrons to participate in the photocatalytic reactions, thereby realizing photoactivity enhancement. As a result, the photocatalytic activity exhibits an eightfold enhancement in visible-light-driven H2 generation. This work provides a viable route of constructing π-conjugated in-plane heterostructures to suppress the excited-state decay and improve the photocatalytic performance.

Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of Fe-Doped TiO2 Photoanode for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

One-dimensional TiO2 nanostructures like nanotubes, nanowires, and nanorods have received huge attention due to their photocatalytic hydrogen-generating ability. However, its wide band gap and high charge carrier recombination rate hampered the efficiency with which it converts solar energy into hydrogen. To improve this application, metallic doping employing a quick and easy synthesis method should be proposed. In this study, we report on the microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of iron-doped TiO2 nanowires on an FTO substrate. The formation of TiO2 nano-wires was validated by structural and morphological analysis carried out using XRD and SEM imaging respectively. EDX was employed to provide a breakdown of their chemical composition to verify the presence of dopants in the samples. The impact of Fe-doping on optical and photoelectrochemical properties was studied. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to determine the mechanisms behind charge accumulation and charge transfer properties. The Mott-Schottky plot was used to examine the donor density and the flat-band potential of the pristine and Fe-doped TiO2 samples.

Plasmonic Ag-nanoparticles decorated phosphorus and boron co-doped g-C3N4 for enhanced photocatalytic H2 production

Solar water splitting by semiconductor photocatalysts has emerged as a favorable approach for green hydrogen production. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has gained substantial recognition amongst numerous semiconductor photocatalysts as a metal-free semiconductor with suitable band gap, appropriate band edge positions, and satisfactory photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production. However, its practical application is severely affected by high charge carrier recombination rate and inefficient visible light absorption. Introducing non-metal dopants into the g-C3N4 structure could suppress charge carrier recombination and tune the electronic property. Also, metal nanoparticles exhibit surface plasmon resonance (SPR) upon light interaction increasing the visible light absorption by the transport of hot electrons into the g-C3N4 framework. In this work, we report hybrid photocatalytic materials containing Ag-plasmonic metal and non-metal (B/P) dual heteroatom-doped g-C3N4 prepared via in-situ thermal polycondensation and succeeded by the photodeposition of Ag NPs. The structure of the prepared materials was studied through PXRD and FTIR spectroscopy; XPS was used for chemical analysis; SEM was used to study the morphology; and optical characteristics were studied through UV–Vis and PL spectroscopic techniques. The synergistic effects of SPR and heteroatom co-doping exhibit superior photocatalytic hydrogen production compared to pristine, B or P individual-doped, and B/P co-doped g-C3N4 samples. The optimized 1Ag/PBCN photocatalyst has demonstrated the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 1825 μmolh-1g−1, 18.3 times greater than g-C3N4. The modified hybrid material shows better activity due to the efficient charge carriers separation and extended visible light absorption. This work indicates that elemental co-doping and loading plasmonic nanoparticles on g-C3N4 to form hybrid nanocomposites may be a potential strategy to achieve better photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The proposed methodology and outcomes will be helpful in the design and development of plasmon-enhanced hybrid photocatalysts for solar-driven green hydrogen production from water splitting.

Constructing spike-like energy band alignment at the heterointerface in highly efficient perovskite solar cells.

The interface between the absorber and transport layers is shown to be critical for highly efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The undesirable physical and chemical properties of interfacial layers often cause unfavorable band alignment and interfacial states that lead to high charge-carrier recombination and eventually result in lower device performance. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and effective strategy to improve the performance of PSCs by constructing a conduction band offset (CBO) with a small spike, through the inductive effect induced by an organic small molecule. As a result, the modified devices show an enhancement in all photovoltaic performance characteristics with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) increase of 10.6% and retaining more than 94% of its initial PCE after 1800 h of exposure to N2. Importantly, we find that a moderate spike-like CBO at the interface between the perovskite film and hole transport layer facilitates rapid charge-carrier injection in devices and reduces charge recombination at the interface, thereby increasing the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. Furthermore, a large spike barrier at the interface increases device resistance, leading to a reduced fill factor. Our present work provides valuable information for understanding the influence of a spike-like CBO on charge-carrier dynamics to further improve the performance and stability of PSCs.

Photoelectrochemical study of Ti3+ self-doped Titania nanotubes arrays: A comparative study between chemical and electrochemical reduction

Water splitting through the photoelectrochemical process is a solid strategy to produce clean hydrogen for which TiO2 isconsideredthe most potential photoanode due to its unique properties. However, its wideband gap and high charge carrier recombination rate limit its solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. Here in we report the fabrication of the Ti3+ self-doped TiO2 nanotube samples prepared through electrochemical and Chemical (NaBH4 treatment) reduction. Structural and morphological analysis carried through XRD and FESEM respectively confirmed the formation of TiO2 nanotube arrays. XPS spectra were used to affirm the presence of Ti3+ states in the reduced sample. The absorption edge observed in the 430–500 nm range validated the reduction of the band gap to the visible range in Ti3+ self-doped samples. Photoelectrochemical results of both the reduced samples evince their potential applicability as a photoanode for hydrogen generation through PEC water splitting. EIS and absorbance spectra reveal that larger charge density, faster electron-hole separation, and better visible light absorption may be thefactors that contribute to reducing TiO2′s superior photoelectrochemical performance. However, a comparative study shows better results for electrochemically reduced samples, suggesting it is an effective technique than chemical reduction.

Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Conversion by Structurally and Materially Modified Titanium Dioxide Nanostructures.

TiO2 has aroused considerable attentions as a promising photocatalytic material for decades due to its superior material properties in several fields such as energy and environment. However, the main dilemmas are its wide bandgap (3–3.2 eV), that restricts the light absorption in limited light wavelength region, and the comparatively high charge carrier recombination rate of TiO2, is a hurdle for efficient photocatalytic CO2 conversion. To tackle these problems, lots of researches have been implemented relating to structural and material modification to improve their material, optical, and electrical properties for more efficient photocatalytic CO2 conversion. Recent studies illustrate that crystal facet engineering could broaden the performance of the photocatalysts. As same as for nanostructures which have advantages such as improved light absorption, high surface area, directional charge transport, and efficient charge separation. Moreover, strategies such as doping, junction formation, and hydrogenation have resulted in a promoted photocatalytic performance. Such strategies can markedly change the electronic structure that lies behind the enhancement of the solar spectrum harnessing. In this review, we summarize the works that have been carried out for the enhancement of photocatalytic CO2 conversion by material and structural modification of TiO2 and TiO2-based photocatalytic system. Moreover, we discuss several strategies for synthesis and design of TiO2 photocatalysts for efficient CO2 conversion by nanostructure, structure design of photocatalysts, and material modification.

2D-Heterostructure assisted activation of MoS2 basal plane for enhanced photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction

As a potential catalyst of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is known to have active sites at the edges, whereas its basal plane is inert. Thus activation of basal plane of MoS2 is essential to intensify the HER catalytic activity. Among various strategies, activation of MoS2 basal plane includes defects engineering via sulfur vacancies and hetero-atom doping. However, for optimal activation, requirements of defect concentration become impractically high, which increases defect-induced high charge carrier recombination loss in photoelectrochemical (PEC) HER. Herein, we report basal plane activation of MoS2 by heterostructuring with two-dimensional (2D) MoSe2 for enhanced photoelectrochemical HER. MoS2/MoSe2 heterostructure grown on silicon nanowire (SiNW) array shows 1.2 times higher photocurrent density and 1.36 times higher incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) than pristine MoS2 grown on SiNW array along with 4.44 times higher H2 evolution rate compared to pristine SiNW photocathode. Density functional theory calculations of heterostructure reveal that charge transfer from the MoSe2 layer to the basal plane of MoS2 increases overall electron density resulting in its increased affinity towards proton reduction, which supports the experimental findings. These findings will boost the strategy for basal plane activation by 2D heterostructuring for efficient photoelectrochemical HER.

In situ forming heterointerface in g-C3N4/BiOBr photocatalyst for enhancing the photocatalytic activity

Removing wastewater with organic pollutants or medicine using semiconductor photocatalysts has attracted increasing attention in recent decades. However, low visible light utilization, high charge carrier recombination and insufficient surface active sites are still the limitation of photocatalysts. Herein, an in situ-forming BiOBr nanosheets on the surface of g-C3N4 were successfully synthesized via water bath in ambient temperature. The carboxyl group of acetic acid plays a vital role in growing for BiOBr nanosheets. The particular construction of g-C3N4/BiOBr composites increases the active sites and improve separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, which strengthen photocatalytic degradation for pollutants. Meanwhile, electrons were transmitted quickly in the layered graphite carbon of g-C3N4 which owns excellent electrical conductivity. As a result, this work provides a novel approach to in-situ construction of semiconductor heterojunctions and demonstrates the prepared g-C3N4/BiOBr photocatalysts behave great potential in the removal of pollutants.

Fabrication of In2O3 functionalized ZnO based nanoheterojunction photoanode for improved DSSC performance through effective interfacial charge carrier separation

This report is to address the limitation of conventional dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) designed using pristine ZnO and N719 dye, which suffers from low performance due to the high charge carrier recombination and the formation of Zn2+-N719 complex over the surface of photoanode. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of ZnO–In2O3 heterojunction based photoanode to extend the charge carrier lifetime by effective interfacial transfer and to boost the light harvesting capacity in dye sensitized solar cells. This opted strategy also helps to prevent the formation dye complex over the photoanode surface. As a result, ZnO–In2O3 heterojunction with optimal composite ratio (1:1) could show better DSSC performance compared to remaining samples when applied as photoanode. Optical analyses and impedance measurements confirmed the enhanced visible light absorption and reduced charge transfer resistance of the composite photoanode due to the modification of ZnO using In2O3 as a counterpart. The results showed that the optimally designed photoanode with superior charge carrier life time and low charge transfer resistance exhibits power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.22%, which is nearly 4 times than the pristine ZnO.

Preparation and characterization of the Cu, Fe co-doped Bi2Ti2O7/EG-g-C3N4 material for organic model pollutants removal under direct sun light irradiation

The following hindrances should be overcome to enhance the efficacy of photo-catalysts such as a poor-visible light response, high charge-carrier recombination rate, less surface area, and inappropriate band-edge alignment for photo-induced redox reaction. This study reported, visible light responsive Cu, Fe-co-doped Bi2Ti2O7/EG-g-C3N4 catalyst for photo-removal of organic pollutants. Series of characterization tools are used to testify and demonstrate the properties of formed material. The photo-removal efficiency of Cu, Fe-co-doped Bi2Ti2O7/EG-g-C3N4 hybrids are estimated to be 69.5 and 83.69% for ciprofloxacin and Rhodamine B organic molecules. Free radical trapping experiments were carried to predict active radical's participating in the reaction. The possible reaction mechanism was explained based on band edge potentials and trapping experiment results. This reporting Cu, Fe-co-doped Bi2Ti2O7/EG-g-C3N4 catalyst showed good durability. This work gives a new insight into coupling tactics of Cu, Fe-co-doped Bi2Ti2O7 and g-C3N4 material and which will helpful for designing efficient photocatalytic materials.

Properly aligned band structures in B-TiO2/MIL53(Fe)/g-C3N4 ternary nanocomposite can drastically improve its photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution: Investigations based on the experimental results

The development of new tools that could meet the demand of sustainable energy production has attracted worldwide scientific attention. Over the past few decades, significant research efforts have been carried out to efficiently reduce water to H2 (green fuel) over semiconductor photocatalysts. Numerous semiconductor photocatalysts have been employed in photocatalysis for optimum H2 production. All the techniques were chosen based on their flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ease of availability. Recently, polymeric carbon nitride (g-C3N4) received worldwide attention in visible light photocatalysis for energy and environmental applications due to its low price, robust nature, and superior thermal stability. Nevertheless, g-C3N4 (CN) exhibits shortfalls such as high charge carrier's recombination rate and weak reduction ability. To overcome these drawbacks, herein, for the first time we have fabricated B-TiO2/MIL-53(Fe)/CN ternary composite via hydrothermal and wet-chemical methods. The resultant B-TiO2/MIL53(Fe)/CN ternary composite shows drastically improved photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution compared to the bare CN, B-TiO2, and MIL53(Fe) components. The B-TiO2/MIL53(Fe)/CN ternary composite produced approximately 166.3 and 581.2 μmol h−1 g−1 of hydrogen under visible light and UV–visible light irradiations, respectively, with the assistance of co-catalyst Pt. Photo-luminescence (PL) and the fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy measurements reveal that the enhanced photoactivity is due to the greatly promoted charge carrier's separation and transfer at the interfacial contact of the well-aligned three-component systems. This work will promote the design and development of efficient photocatalyst based on CN for clean energy production and environmental purification.

Newly designed ternary hematite-based heterojunction for PEC water splitting

Hematite is recognized as a promising photoanode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation to produce solar hydrogen due to its favorable properties. However, the high charge carrier recombination rate due to low electrical conductivity and sluggish oxygen reduction kinetics of pure hematite hinder its photocatalytic activity. This work proposed a new hematite-based heterostructure of Ti-Fe2O3/Fe2TiO5/FeOOH, synthesized through a hydrothermal method. The photoanode morphology was branched nanorods that expanded their surface area and improved charge transfer at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. In a novel and complement modification approach, a thin pseudobrookite interlayer was applied between β-FeOOH electrocatalyst and Ti-doped hematite to suppress charge recombination, and enhance charge separation, leading to 32% and 26% increase in photocurrent density and solar to current efficiency, respectively. The photoanode exhibited a great improvement with the photocurrent density of 1.63 mA/cm2 at V = 1.5 V vs. RHE and the total electrical resistance of 2.3 kΩ.cm2 compared to the pure hematite.

Synthesis of dip coated bismuth vanadium oxide (BiVO4) with iron oxyhydroxides (FeOOH) for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications

Bismuth vanadium oxide (BiVO4) was synthesised by dip coating method. The water oxidation property of the BiVO4 photoanode is hindered by high charge carrier recombination and poor electron transpo...