Harnessing solar energy through chemical bonds, as nature achieves via photosynthesis, represents a pivotal strategy for addressing global energy challenges. Efficiently splitting water to produce hydrogen—a clean fuel whose only byproduct is water—could revolutionize energy production. Achieving this requires the development of a cost-effective water-splitting cell, comprising stable semiconductors designed to directly catalyze water splitting at the semiconductor surface. The quest for effective solar-to-hydrogen production has driven significant research into developing stable and efficient semiconductors that are active under visible light.
On this occasion, we have, for the first time, explored the potential of a tetragonal dendritic nanostructured TiVO₄ photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalyst, synthesized through spray pyrolysis [1]. The resulting photoanode demonstrated an optical band gap of approximately 2.18 eV and exhibited a stable photocurrent density of 0.080 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V, which remained consistent for up to 110 minutes. The optimization process revealed that a substrate temperature of 250 °C, coupled with an annealing temperature of 600 °C, was critical to achieving a single-phase TiVO₄ photoanode. Moreover, the sprayed TiVO₄ photoanode maintained excellent stability for up to 6000 seconds. Notably, the photocurrent density showed a significant increase from 73 to 400 mA cm⁻² at 1.8 V vs. RHE as the annealing temperature was elevated from 500 to 600 °C. These findings suggest that TiVO₄, as an underlying photo-absorbing semiconductor, addresses the challenge of inefficient photoanodes for water-splitting reactions, offering enhanced material performance and achieving long-term passivation without compromising stability.
Check out the article, published in RSC Advances:
Fabrication of TiVO4 photoelectrode for photoelectrochemical application
Manal Alruwaili, Anurag Roy, Srijita Nundy and Asif Ali Tahir
RSC Adv., 2022,12, 34640-34651
About the Web Writer:
Dr. Anurag Roy is a Doctor in Chemical Sciences and is currently an early career researcher in Renewable Energy at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, UK. His research expertise lies in material design, synthesis, and characterization, with a focus on advancing solar energy technologies. With a strong background in both materials chemistry and materials engineering, he specializes in creating custom-designed nanoscale materials. Dr. Roy is also passionate about organizing and participating in science outreach and dissemination activities. You can connect with him on LinkedIn under his name or on X (formerly Twitter) at @Anuroyrag.
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