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Wrapping BiVO4 with chlorophyll for greatly improved photoelectrochemical performance and stability

叶绿素修饰的钒酸铋对光电化学水分解性能和稳定性的提升

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Abstract

Dull surface oxygen evolution reaction (OER) dynamics seriously hinders the application of BiVO4 (BVO) photoanodes in photoelectron-chemical (PEC) water splitting. In this study, we built an inorganic/organic hybrid photo-anode to improve the PEC performance of BVO by covering a multifunctional film. The film contains modified chlorophyll (Chl) organic compounds and Co and Si ions with a gradient distribution. The Co ions present at the interface between BVO and Chl promote the transport of photogenerated holes, and the Si ions on the surface of the photoanode enhance the hydrophilicity of PEC cells. This modified Chl film not only reduces the OER barrier and promotes carrier transfer but also inhibits loss of vanadium and increases the stability of the BVO photoanode. Finally, the modified BVO photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 5.1 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE (RHE: reversible hydrogen electrode), and the onset potential moves 350 mV negatively in 0.5 mol L−1 Na2SO4. This article provides a general and simple surface hybrid inorganic/organic solution to improve the catalytic ability of photoanodes.

摘要

钒酸铋表面缓慢的催化反应动力学严重阻碍了其在光电化学水分解领域的应用. 基于此, 我们通过覆盖多功能薄膜成功构建出无机/有机杂化光阳极以改善钒酸铋的光电化学性能. 该薄膜包含梯度分布的钴离子和硅离子以及经过改性的叶绿素有机化合物. 其中, 存在于钒酸铋和叶绿素界面处的钴离子促进了光生空穴的传输, 而光阳极表面的硅离子提升了器件的亲水性. 进一步, 该薄膜的存在有效降低了氧化反应的势垒, 促进了光生载流子转移, 同时能够抑制钒的流失并提高钒酸铋光阳极的稳定性. 总地来说, 经过修饰后的钒酸铋光阳极, 测试中光电流密度在1.23 VRHE下达到5.1 mA cm−2, 起始电位负向移动350 mV. 本文提供了一种通用且简便的无机/有机杂化电极的制备方案以提高器件的光电催化能力.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFA1500800), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52025028 and 52002258), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20200877), and the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physical Science and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Thin Films, Center for Energy Conversion Materials & Physics (CECMP), Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China

    Zunyan Lv  (吕遵严), Linxing Meng  (孟林兴), Fengren Cao  (曹风人) & Liang Li  (李亮)

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  1. Zunyan Lv  (吕遵严)
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  2. Linxing Meng  (孟林兴)
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  3. Fengren Cao  (曹风人)
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  4. Liang Li  (李亮)
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Contributions

Author contributions Li L guided the experiment; Lv Z performed the synthesis and characterizations; Meng L performed some data analysis and offered helpful suggestions; Cao F analyzed the data.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liang Li  (李亮).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary information Supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Zunyan Lv received his BS degree in physics from Qing-dao University of Science and Technology in 2019. He is currently a master degree candidate in Prof. Liang Li’s research group. His research focuses on the application of organic porphyrin rings in photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Linxing Meng received his PhD degree from Soochow University in 2021. Since 2021, he has been an assistant researcher at the School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, China. His research interests focus on the field of photoelectrochemical water splitting of metal sulfide photoanode, especially with a focus on nanostructure-based photoelectrochemical water splitting device and unbiased water splitting device.

Liang Li received his PhD degree from the Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2006. From 2007 to 2012, he worked at the National University of Singapore, Singapore; the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan; the National Institute of Materials Science, Japan; and the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Since August 2012, he has been a full professor at Soochow University, China. His research group focuses on energy conversion materials for solar cells, photodetectors, and electrochemical batteries.

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Lv, Z., Meng, L., Cao, F. et al. Wrapping BiVO4 with chlorophyll for greatly improved photoelectrochemical performance and stability. Sci. China Mater. 65, 1512–1521 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1948-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1948-2

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