Interplay of plasma-treated BiVO4 photoanode and CoFe metal organic frameworks enabled synergistic photoelectrochemical water splitting

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is highly attractive for emerging renewable-energy strategy applications. BiVO4/metal organic frameworks (MOF) features have been considered one of the rational photoanode materials for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with augmented reliability, yet the severe carrier recombination and sluggish carrier-injection kinetics stood against their practical feasibility. More critically, the synergistic PEC effects of BiVO4 and MOF constitutes might be less dominated, which rules out the eventual PEC performances. This work presents the hybrid BiVO4/CoFe-MOF photoanodes that unify the theoretical and experimental approaches for unveiling the involved electrochemical kinetics. We interpret that the striking OER characteristics lie in the combination of mitigating surface-state interference on capacitance response through the surface modification of oxygen vacancies in BiVO4 host, and signifying the accelerated electron and ion transport via the interplay of CoFe-MOF decoration. The results are anticipated to provide the multifaceted impacts on the strategic design of practical photoanodes.