Wednesday, 1 June 2022: 08:20
West Meeting Room 217 (Vancouver Convention Center)
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation using semiconductor oxide films as a working electrode is an essential approach for investigating the effective utilization of sunlight and the production of green fuel. Herein, we report a ternary-oxides-based CuWO4/BiVO4/FeCoOx film deposited entirely by RF-magnetron sputtering using homemade ceramic targets. Our CuWO4/BiVO4 photoanode exhibits a significant photocurrent density of 0.82 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. RHE under AM 1.5G illumination, corresponding to a record > 380% increase to that of pure CuWO4 photoanode. To further boost the PEC performance, we deposited an ultrathin layer of amorphous FeCoOx cocatalyst, resulting in a triple CuWO4/BiVO4/FeCoOx heterojunction with a significant reduction in onset potential and a 500% increase in photocurrent density of pure CuWO4. Experimental studies and numeric computations were used to provide insights into the photoinduced charge carrier pathway across heterojunctions. Our results reveal noticeable interface potential barriers for charge carriers at the CuWO4/BiVO4 heterojunction, potentially lowering PEC efficiency without external potentials. Conversely, the deposition of the FeCoOx ultrathin layer over the CuWO4/BiVO4 heterojunction induces a - junction on the BiVO4/FeCoOx interface, which, when combined with the abundant FeCoOx oxygen vacancies, results in improved charge separation and transport, as well as enhanced photoelectrochemical stability. Our study provides a feasible strategy for producing photocatalytic heterojunctions systems and novel tools for investigating interface effects on photoinduced charge carrier pathways for PEC water splitting.