(040)-Crystal Facet Engineering of BiVO4 Plate Photoanodes for Solar Fuel Production

A (040)-crystal facet engineered BiVO4 ((040)-BVO) photoanode is investigated for solar fuel production. The (040)-BVO photoanode is favorable for improved charge carrier mobility and high photocatalytic active sites for solar light energy conversion. This crystal facet design of the (040)-BVO photoanode leads to an increase in the energy conversion efficiency for solar fuel production and an enhancement of the oxygen evolution rate. The photocurrent density of the (040)-BVO photoanode is determined to be 0.94 mA cm(-2) under AM 1.5 G illumination and produces 42.1% of the absorbed photon-to-current conversion efficiency at 1.23 V (vs RHE, reversible hydrogen electrode). The enhanced charge separation efficiency and improved charge injection efficiency driven by (040) facet can produce hydrogen with 0.02 mmol h(-1) at 1.23 V. The correlation between the (040)-BVO photoanode and the solar fuel production is investigated. The results provide a promising approach for the development of solar fuel production using a BiVO4 photoanode.