Catalyst Modified Ternary Oxide Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Recently, BiVO₄ with moderate band gap of 2.4-2.6 eV and conduction band edge at 0 V vs. NHE at pH 0, has emerged as a promising water oxidation photoanode. However, water oxidation activity of BiVO₄ is relatively low compared to the theoretical efficiency that could be achieved with this material. Poor charge carrier separation characteristics, relatively low electron transport properties and slow charge transfer at electrode-electrolyte interface are attributed to the poor performance characteristics of BiVO₄ photoelectrode. However, recent advances in the material science and the development of efficient water oxidation electrocatalysts have assisted to design BiVO₄ photoelectrodes with enhanced efficiencies. For this instance, various strategic approaches that were intended towards the enhancement of charge carrier separation, light absorption and charge injection characteristics of BiVO₄ photoelectrodes and recent studies on application of these modified BiVO₄ electrodes for solar energy conversion are presented in this talk.