Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of In2O3 nanocubes with oxygen vacancies via hydrogenation

The Positive Versus Negative Effects of Defect Engineering for Solar Water Splitting: A Review

“…Post‐treatment strategies, including thermal annealing, [ 95 ] chemical reduction, [ 96 ] CVD, plasma etching, [ 97 ] ion exchange, [ 98 ] and various other methods, [ 99 ] are also commonly used to introduce defects into photocatalysts. Unlike the aforementioned pretreatment strategies, post‐treatment methods introduce defects into already prepared samples, so they do not affect the growth process of the original material.…”

“…utilized a simple hydrogenation method to prepare In 2 O 3 nanocubes with O vacancies, which played a crucial role in enhancing light absorption and reducing the bandgap. [ 96 ] Hydrogenation can also result in the formation of additional products that have unexpected effects. Interestingly, Jiang et al.…”

“…Li et al utilized a simple hydrogenation method to prepare In 2 O 3 nanocubes with O vacancies, which played a crucial role in enhancing light absorption and reducing the bandgap. [96] Hydrogenation can also result in the formation of additional products that have unexpected effects. Interestingly, Jiang et al [110] found that TiO 2 nanorods heated with H 2 produced O vacancies, but the residual butanol generated a carbon layer on the surface (Figure 5c) that not only protected TiO 2 from corrosion but also extended the O vacancy lifetime.…”

A comprehensive review of oxygen vacancy modified photocatalysts: synthesis, characterization, and applications

“…In the field of semiconductor photocatalytic technology, the process of photocatalysis involves three distinct steps: (1) generation of photoexcited charges -where photons are absorbed by the semiconductor material leading to the creation of electronhole pairs; (2) separation and transportation of chargeswherein photoexcited electron-hole pairs undergo segregation within the bulk phase of the catalyst and migrate towards the surface of the photocatalysts; and (3) occurrence of surface reactions -involving redox reactions between electrons and holes taking place on the surface of the photocatalysts. Metal oxide semiconductors, such as TiO 2 , 2-13 ZnO, [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] WO 3 , [29][30][31][32] BiOX, [33][34][35] In 2 O 3 , [36][37][38][39][40][41] SnO 2 , [42][43][44][45][46][47] and CuO [48][49][50][51][52][53] have been extensively investigated as photocatalysts due to their exceptional stability under light irradiation. However, their photocatalytic performance remains limited by inadequate absorption of visible light, the propensity of carriers to recombine during migration, and high-energy barriers for reactant capture and activation.…”