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Defective TiOx Sublayers Break the Activity-Stability Trade-Off for Green Flexible Water Photoelectrolysis
Liyuan Liu1, Shunqin Luo2, Wen-Ning Lu3,4
1National Engineering Research Center for Intelligent Electrical Vehicle Power System, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.
ACS Nano
|December 26, 2025
Summary
This study uses subsurface oxygen vacancies in titanium dioxide (TiO2) photoanodes to improve stability and performance in water photoelectrolysis, crucial for renewable energy technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Catalyst deactivation is a major hurdle for net-zero energy technologies, particularly with fluctuating renewable energy sources.
- Conventional catalyst modifications often fail to address stability issues in demanding applications like water photoelectrolysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the activity and stability of photoanodes for renewable-energy-driven water photoelectrolysis.
- To overcome the activity-stability trade-off in photoelectrocatalytic systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing spatially controlled subsurface oxygen vacancies in TiO2 as electron reservoirs.
- Coupling defective subsurface sites with cobalt-phosphate hole extractors.
- Employing theoretical modeling to understand defect behavior and electron confinement.
Main Results:
- Achieved enhanced structural robustness over 119 operational cycles.
- Sustained high performance in alkaline solutions and natural seawater.
- Generated a photocurrent of 2.67 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 VRHE and 1.45% applied bias photon-to-current efficiency under sunlight.
Conclusions:
- Subsurface oxygen vacancies act as stable electron reservoirs, buffering power fluctuations and improving catalyst durability.
- The designed photoanode architecture offers principles for creating robust, industrially relevant catalysts for flexible renewable energy systems.
