Here,
we first use CdS nanoparticles to sensitize ferroelectric
BaTiO3 nanostructures to construct the BaTiO3/CdS heterostructure photoanodes by a facile hydrothermal method
and subsequent successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction. Combining
the measurements of the valence band and core-level X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy spectra with energy band calculation, the type-II energy
structure established at the BaTiO3 and CdS interface is
confirmed. Benefiting from the type-II band alignment of the heterostructures,
the spontaneous polarization electric field induced by BaTiO3, and the remarkable visible light absorption ability of CdS, the
as-prepared BaTiO3/CdS heterostructure photoanode exhibits
significantly improved and stable photoelectrochemical water-splitting
activity. The highest photocurrent density of the constructed BaTiO3/CdS heterostructure photoanode with optimized CdS nanoparticle
loading reaches up to 0.5 mA cm–2 at 0 V versus
Ag/AgCl, which is about 12-fold that of the pure BaTiO3 photoanode. Additionally, the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency
of the BaTiO3/CdS heterostructure photoanode is 0.48% at
0.13 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, 24-fold that of the bare
BaTiO3 photoanode. In contrast with the photoelectrochemical
performance of the other reported BaTiO3-based heterostructure
photoanodes, the photocurrent density (0 V versus Ag/AgCl) and the
solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency (0.13 V versus reversible
hydrogen electrode) achieved by the present BaTiO3/CdS
photoanode are the highest.
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