Oxygen-Deficient Nanofiber W03,/W03 Homojunction Photoanodes Synthesized via a Novel Metal Self-Reducing Method

Defect engineering of semiconductors has been identified as an efficient route toward enhancing the photo electrochemical performances. There is a security threat in the traditional hydrogen annealing process. In this work, the oxygendefective nanofiber W03_x/W03 homojunction photoanode was in situ -synthesized via a novel metal self-reducing method. The as prepared photoanode exhibits 1.8 times higher solar water oxidation photocurrent density than that of the bare WO3 film at 1.2 V versus Ag/AgCl. The enhanced photoelectrochemical properties originate from the effective charge separation and injection, attributed to the stronger built-in electric field created by the oxygen -deficient homojunction. Importantly, this novel method is universally applicable to synthesize oxygen -deficient semiconductor materials, including films and powders.