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Visualizing the Nano Cocatalyst Aligned Electric Fields on Single Photocatalyst Particles.

Jian Zhu¹, Shan Pang¹, Thomas Dittrich²

¹State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, The Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, China.

|October 3, 2017

Summary

Cocatalysts significantly boost artificial photosynthesis by altering electric fields within photocatalysts, enhancing charge separation for solar fuel production. This goes beyond simple catalytic activity.

Keywords:

Photocatalysis built-in electric fields charge separation nano cocatalyst size-dependent effect surface imaging

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Photocatalysis
Renewable Energy

Background:

Cocatalysts are crucial for efficient artificial photosynthesis and solar fuel production.
The precise role of cocatalysts in photocatalysis, especially concerning photogenerated charges, remains unclear.
Understanding cocatalyst function is key to advancing solar energy conversion technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

To directly visualize the impact of single and dual cocatalysts on charge carrier separation in BiVO4 photocatalysts.
To investigate how cocatalysts influence the built-in electric fields within photocatalysts.
To elucidate the mechanism by which cocatalysts enhance photocatalytic performance.

Main Methods:

Utilized single-crystal BiVO4 photocatalysts loaded with MnOx (single cocatalyst) or spatially separated MnOx and Pt (dual cocatalyst) nanoparticles.
Employed imaging techniques to observe local separation of photogenerated charge carriers.
Measured local surface photovoltage signals to quantify changes in electric fields.

Main Results:

Single cocatalyst deposition enhanced interfacial charge transfer and altered the direction of built-in electric fields.
Local surface photovoltage signals increased significantly (up to 80 times) due to additive electric fields.
Dual cocatalysts further amplified local electric fields (up to 2.5 kV·cm⁻¹), demonstrating a synergistic effect.
Cocatalyst presence was found to align built-in electric fields, improving charge separation.

Conclusions:

Cocatalysts play a critical role in optimizing charge separation within photocatalyst particles by manipulating built-in electric fields.
The observed effects of cocatalysts on electric fields are a primary driver of enhanced photocatalytic activity, surpassing their direct catalytic function.
This study provides new insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing cocatalyst performance in artificial photosynthesis.