Catalysts (May 2020)
Surface Engineering of WO<sub>3</sub>/BiVO<sub>4</sub> to Boost Solar Water-Splitting
Abstract
Single-phase photoanodes often suffer inferior charge transport, which can be mitigated by constructing efficient heterojunctions. Thus, we have fabricated a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/WO3/BiVO4 heterojunction using hydrothermal and spin-coating methods. Surface engineering was exploited to further accelerate the reaction kinetics, which was achieved via post-modification with NaOH solution. This treatment alters the surface chemical state of the BiVO4 nanoparticles, leading to enhanced charge transport and surface water oxidation processes. As a result, the optimized sample can produce a photocurrent more than two times that of WO3. The simple post-treatment provides a viable and cost-effective strategy for promoting the photoelectric properties of photoanodes.
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