SYNTHESIS OF BiVO4 THIN FILM AS PHOTOANODE WATER SPLITTING AND DYE DEGRADATION

Abstract

Synthesis and characterization of BiVO4 thin film as photoanode of PEC water splitting and degradation of methylene blue had been successfully carried out. BiVO4 was obtained from the electrodeposition of BiOI and VO(acac)2. Variations in potential and deposition time were carried out to obtain optimum performance results. BiVO4 results from a potential of-0.2 V for 10 minutes gave the highest photocurrent. Characterization using XRD and SEM showed that the thin film had nanoporous properties. In addition, analysis with UV-Vis DRS obtained a band gap of 2.51 eV. The application of PEC water splitting was carried out with a tandem dual absorber system, BiVO4 as a photoanode, and CuInS2 photocathode providing an operating current of about 0.5 mA/cm2. The effect of modification with FeOOH catalyst gave a lower photocurrent compared to using a hole-sacrificing agent. In addition, this system can also produce 99.7% degradation of methylene blue. This showed that BiVO4 had a good potency as PEC water splitting material for hydrogen production and dye waste degradation.