Oxygen-deficient metal oxide nanostructures for photoelectrochemical water oxidation and other applications

This review presents highlights of the latest results of studies directed at developing oxygen-deficient metal oxides, including TiO2, WO3, and alpha-Fe2O3, nanostructures as electrode materials, which show significantly enhanced performance in applications for photoelectrochemical water oxidation. The enhanced photoelectrochemical performance is attributed to improved electrical conductivities by controlled incorporation of oxygen vacancies as shallow donors for metal oxides. We also discuss the potential of these oxygen-deficient metal oxides for other energy conversion and storage applications, such as photocatalytic reactions and charge storage.