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An Electrochemically Treated BiVO 4 Photoanode for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Author(s) -
Wang Songcan,
Chen Peng,
Yun JungHo,
Hu Yuxiang,
Wang Lianzhou
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201703491
Subject(s) - photocurrent , materials science , water splitting , electrode , reversible hydrogen electrode , facet (psychology) , electrochemistry , photocatalysis , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , hydrothermal circulation , catalysis , chemistry , working electrode , psychology , social psychology , biochemistry , personality , engineering , big five personality traits
BiVO 4 films with (040) facet grown vertically on fluorine doped SnO 2 (FTO) glass substrates are prepared by a seed‐assisted hydrothermal method. A simple electrochemical treatment process drastically enhances the photocatalytic activity of BiVO 4 , exhibiting a remarkable photocurrent density of 2.5 mA cm −2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under AM 1.5 G illumination, which is approximately 10‐fold higher than that of the pristine photoanode. Loading cobalt borate (CoBi) as cocatalyst, the photocurrent density of the BiVO 4 photoanode can be further improved to 3.2 mA cm −2 , delivering an applied bias photon‐to‐current efficiency (ABPE) of 1.1 %. Systematic studies reveal that crystal facet orientation also synergistically boosts both charge separation and transfer efficiencies, resulting in remarkably enhanced photocurrent densities. These findings provide a facile and effective approach for the development of efficient photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting.