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Interfacial charge transfer and photocatalytic activity in a reverse designed Bi2O3/TiO2 core-shell

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Abstract

In this study, the electronic and photocatalytic properties of core-shell heterojunctions photocatalysts with reversible configuration of TiO2 and Bi2O3 layers were studied. The core-shell nanostructure, obtained by efficient control of the sol-gel polymerization and impregnation method of variable precursors of semiconductors, makes it possible to study selectively the role of the interfacial charge transfer in each configuration. The morphological, optical, and chemical composition of the core-shell nanostructures were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show the formation of homogenous TiO2 anatase and Bi2O3 layers with a thickness of around 10 and 8 nm, respectively. The interfacial charge carrier dynamic was tracked using time resolved microwave conductivity and transition photocurrent density. The charge transfer, their density, and lifetime were found to rely on the layout layers in the core-shell nanostructure. In optimal core-shell design, Bi2O3 collects holes from TiO2, leaving electrons free to react and increase by 5 times the photocatalytic efficiency toward H2 generation. This study provides new insight into the importance of the design and elaboration of optimal heterojunction based on the photocatalyst system to improve the photocatalytic activity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the public grant overseen by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the “Investissements d’Avenir” program (Labex NanoSaclay, reference: ANR-10-LABX-0035) through project “Z-scheme,” the “Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)” through the UpPhotoCat project, and the “Département de Chimie de la Faculté des Sciences d’Orsay de l’Université Paris-Saclay” through young researcher grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 8000, CNRS, Institut de Chimie Physique, Orsay, 91405, France

    Sabina Ait Abdelkader, Zhenpeng Cui, Christophe Colbeau-Justin & Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal

  2. Materials Research and Technology Department (MRT), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Käerjeng, 4940, Luxembourg

    Abdelghani Laachachi

Authors
  1. Sabina Ait Abdelkader
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  2. Zhenpeng Cui
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  3. Abdelghani Laachachi
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  4. Christophe Colbeau-Justin
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  5. Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal
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Correspondence to Mohamed Nawfal Ghazzal.

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Abdelkader, S.A., Cui, Z., Laachachi, A. et al. Interfacial charge transfer and photocatalytic activity in a reverse designed Bi2O3/TiO2 core-shell. Front. Energy 15, 732–743 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-021-0772-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11708-021-0772-x

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