Plasmonic gold nanoparticle-decorated BiVO₄/ZnO nanowire heterostructure photoanodes for efficient water oxidation

Abstract

To enhance the charge separation and kinetics of water oxidation using a BiVO4 photoanode, a BiVO4/ZnO nanowire heterostructure decorated with gold (Au) nanoparticles is fabricated as a photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Photoelectrochemical Device Designs toward Practical Solar Water Splitting: A Review on the Recent Progress of BiVO4 and BiFeO3 Photoanodes

“…As a result of such efforts, a few candidates have been introduced and investigated extensively. The promising candidates are BiVO 4 [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24], Fe 2 O 3 [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], and BiFeO 3 [33][34][35]. Figure 2 shows the band gap energies and band edge positions of various semiconductors with respect to the water redox potential.…”

Strong Light–Matter Interactions in Au Plasmonic Nanoantennas Coupled with Prussian Blue Catalyst on BiVO4 for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

“…Although one of the most successful semiconductors—for plasmonic PEC‐WS—is titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), mainly owing to its chemical stability, earth abundance, and cost effectiveness; however, it suffers from a poor absorption response that only covers the ultraviolet (UV) portion of the solar spectrum. Therefore, in recent years, extensive attempts have been made for the design and realization of plasmonic coupled low band gap metal oxides for driving water oxidation and reduction reactions . By decorating plasmonic deep sub‐wavelength nanoparticles on a semiconductor, near field effects and hot electron injection can simultaneously contribute to the overall activity of the cell.…”

“…Therefore, in recent years, extensive attempts have been made for the design and realization of plasmonic coupled low band gap metal oxides for driving water oxidation and reduction reactions . By decorating plasmonic deep sub‐wavelength nanoparticles on a semiconductor, near field effects and hot electron injection can simultaneously contribute to the overall activity of the cell. Strong light–matter interactions, in the plasmonic–semiconductor interface, can trigger the formation of intense localized fields .…”

Triangular and Prism‐Shaped Gold‐Zinc Oxide Plasmonic Nanostructures: In situ Reduction, Assembly, and Full‐Range Photocatalytic Performance

“…In many cases, these reactions are carried out with the aid of other co‐reactants such as hydrogen peroxide or sodium borohydride with moderate to strong oxidant or reducing power, respectively . The most reported photocatalytic materials are semiconductors like titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) or zinc oxide (ZnO), since they show relatively low price, great performance, chemical stability and long durability , , . However, their major downside is the specific requirement of ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths for their photoactivation, which is relatively more expensive to maintain and represents only around 5 % of the total solar radiation.…”

“…Silver or gold‐based nanoparticles can enhance the catalytic response of other material upon excitation with visible‐near infrared (Vis‐NIR) light due to this LSPR effect. By using these materials, it is feasible to promote the reactions under milder conditions and without harmful agents , , …”