Au decorated BiVO₄ inverse opal for efficient visible light driven water oxidation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Photocatalytic water splitting is key for hydrogen and oxygen production.
• Limited light utilization and slow oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics hinder efficiency.
• Semiconductor modification is crucial for improving photocatalytic water oxidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance photocatalytic water oxidation efficiency.
• To investigate the effect of plasmonic gold (Au) loading on BiVO4 inverse opal (IO).
• To improve light utilization and charge carrier kinetics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of BiVO4 inverse opal (IO) structures.
• Loading of plasmonic gold (Au) nanoparticles onto the BiVO4 IO.
• Characterization of material properties and photocatalytic performance.
• Measurement of photocurrent density and oxygen production rates.

Main Results:

• The IO structure increased specific surface area and light absorption of BiVO4.
• Plasmonic Au enhanced light utilization and charge carrier utilization in BiVO4 IO.
• Optimized Au-BiVO4 IO achieved high photocurrent density and long carrier lifetime.
• Superior photocatalytic activity demonstrated with an oxygen production rate of 9.56 μmol g-1 h-1.

Conclusions:

• Plasmonic Au-BiVO4 IO composites are highly effective for photocatalytic water oxidation.
• The combined effects of IO structure and Au plasmonics significantly boost efficiency.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for advanced solar fuel production.