Comparative Study of Bulk and Nanoscale BiVO4 Photoanodes in Photoelectrochemical Oxidation Reactions
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Most BiVO4‐based photoelectrodes are prepared using the metal‐organic decomposition (MOD) method, which produces a characteristic porous bulk BiVO4 film. To study different photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties depending on the structure of BiVO4, bulk‐ and nanoscale (nano)‐BiVO4 photoelectrodes are prepared using the same MOD method on compact‐SnO2 (c‐SnO2) and c‐SnO2/mesoporous‐SnO2 electrodes, respectively. Unlike the well‐known film structure of bulk‐BiVO4, nanoscale dots of BiVO4 are formed on the surface of the mesoporous SnO2 particulate film, as confirmed by absorbance, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurements. The PEC behavior of both BiVO4 photoanodes is examined for glycerol and sulfite oxidation reactions. The optimized bulk‐ and nano‐BiVO4 PEC cells recorded photocurrents of 2.37 and 4.01 mA cm−2 for glycerol oxidation and of 3.28 and 5.19 mA cm−2 for sulfite oxidation, respectively. The excellent photocurrent generation ability of the nano‐BiVO4 electrode can be used to design an ideal BiVO4‐based PEC cell. Impedance analysis is performed to explain the differences in charge transfer/transport between bulk‐ and nano‐BiVO4 PEC reactions and the reason behind the enhanced performance of nano‐BiVO4 compared to its bulk counterpart.
Source: Advanced Materials Interfaces
Authors: Seul‐Yi Lee, Jinsu Kim, Radeya Vasquez, Eva Ng, Hyo Joong Lee, Iván Mora‐Seró, Sixto Giménez
Institutions: Universitat Jaume I, Jeonbuk National University
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,100
Awards: G1175115578, G121992592, G1251031942, G1422035950, G1622782223, G210041235, G2262748287, G2601397997, G300979063, G30685149, G339012072, G34346518, G3480869486, G3681454997, G4042783231, G410571670, G425668148, G451917667, G4843717578, G5080475149, G5195188938, G5372287787, G5539308778, G5967599077, G7084143925, G792975244, G8089570592, G929308097
OpenAlex ID: W4413294880