Fabrication of Zn-MOF decorated BiVO4 photoanode for water splitting

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a promising photoanode material, which can be used for solar energy driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting to produce hydrogen at room-temperature. However, the PEC performance of BiVO4 is still seriously hindered due to low carrier transmission efficiency and slow water oxidation kinetics. Here, Zn-MOF with large surface area and abundant exposed active sites was decorated on BiVO4 photoanode, exhibiting boosted PEC activity. The optimal photocurrent of BiVO4/Zn-MOF reaches 3.1 times of that of bare BiVO4. The charge separation efficiency of BiVO4/Zn-MOF increased to 50.46%, about 2.16 times of BiVO4. The charge injection efficiency of BiVO4/Zn-MOF rises from 14.0% to 76.8%. The improved carrier transport efficiency and reaction kinetics suggest that Zn-MOF material plays crucial role in the construction of high performance PEC water splitting system.

Automated summary

In this study, Zn-MOF material with large surface area and abundant active sites was decorated on BiVO4 photoanode to enhance its photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity. The decorated BiVO4/Zn-MOF showed significantly improved photocurrent, charge separation efficiency, and charge injection efficiency, indicating the crucial role of Zn-MOF in constructing high-performance PEC water splitting system.