Dual-Functional Surfactant-Templated Strategy for Synthesis of an In Situ N2-Intercalated Mesoporous WO3 Photoanode for Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Water Oxidation

N-2-Intercalated crystalline mesoporous tungsten trioxide (WO3) was synthesized by a thermal decomposition technique with dodecylamine (DDA) as a surfactant template with a dual role as an N-atom source for N-2 intercalation, alongside its conventional structure-directing role (by micelle formation) to induce a mesoporous structure. N-2 physisorption analysis showed that the specific surface area (57.3m(2)g(-1)) of WO3 templated with DDA (WO3-DDA) is 2.3 times higher than that of 24.5m(2)g(-1) for WO3 prepared without DDA (WO3-bulk), due to the mesoporous structure of WO3-DDA. The Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra of WO3-DDA indicated intercalation of N-2 into the WO3 lattice above 450 degrees C. The UV/Vis diffuse-reflectance spectra exhibited a significant shift of the absorption edge by 28nm, from 459nm (2.70eV) to 487nm (2.54eV), due to N-2 intercalation. This could be explained by the bandgap narrowing of WO3-DDA by formation of a new intermediate N 2p orbital between the conduction and valance bands of WO3. A WO3-DDA-coated indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode calcined at 450 degrees C generated a photoanodic current under visible-light irradiation below 490nm due to photoelectrochemical water oxidation, as opposed to below 470nm for ITO/WO3-bulk. The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE=24.5%) at 420nm and 0.5V versus Ag/AgCl was higher than that of 2.5% for ITO/WO3-bulk by one order of magnitude due to N-2 intercalation and the mesoporous structure of WO3-DDA.