Two-dimensional lateral anatase-rutile TiO2 phase junctions with oxygen vacancies for robust photoelectrochemical water splitting

Exploiting the photoelectrode materials with broad solar light response, high-efficient separation of photo -generated charges and abundant active sites is extremely vital yet enormously challenging. Herein, an innovative two-dimensional (2D) lateral anatase-rutile TiO2 phase junctions with controllable oxygen vacancies perpen-dicularly aligned on Ti mesh is presented. Our experimental observations and theoretical calculations corrobo-rate explicitly that the 2D lateral phase junctions together with three-dimensional arrays not only exhibit the high-efficient photogenerated charges separation guaranteed by the build-in electric field at the side-to-side interface, but also furnish enriching active sites. Moreover, the interfacial oxygen vacancies generate new defect energy levels and serve as electron donors, hence extending visible light response and further accelerating the separation and transfer of photogenerated charges. Profiting from these merits, the optimized photoelectrode yield a pronounced photocurrent density of 1.2 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE with Faradic efficiency of 100%, which is approximately 2.4 times larger than that of pristine 2D TiO2 nanosheets. Furthermore, the incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of the optimized photoelectrode is also boosted within both ultraviolet and visible light regions. This research is envisioned deliver the new insight in developing the novel 2D lateral phase junctions for PEC applications.

Automated summary

This study presents an innovative two-dimensional lateral anatase-rutile TiO2 phase junctions with controllable oxygen vacancies on Ti mesh. The junctions exhibit high-efficiency charge separation and enriching active sites, while the interfacial oxygen vacancies extend visible light response and accelerate the separation and transfer of charges. The optimized photoelectrode shows significantly enhanced photocurrent density and incident photon to current conversion efficiency. This research provides new insights for developing novel 2D lateral phase junctions for photoelectrochemical applications.