Simultaneous enhancements in photon absorption and charge transport of bismuth vanadate photoanodes for solar water splitting

Abstract

n-Type bismuth vanadate has been identified as one of the most promising photoanodes for use in a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell. The major limitation of BiVO ₄ is its relatively wide bandgap (∼2.5 eV), which fundamentally limits its solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. Here we show that annealing nanoporous bismuth vanadate electrodes at 350 °C under nitrogen flow can result in nitrogen doping and generation of oxygen vacancies. This gentle nitrogen treatment not only effectively reduces the bandgap by ∼0.2 eV but also increases the majority carrier density and mobility, enhancing electron–hole separation. The effect of nitrogen incorporation and oxygen vacancies on the electronic band structure and charge transport of bismuth vanadate are systematically elucidated by ab initio calculations. Owing to simultaneous enhancements in photon absorption and charge transport, the applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of nitrogen-treated BiVO ₄ for solar water splitting exceeds 2%, a record for a single oxide photon absorber, to the best of our knowledge.

Abstract

Bismuth vanadate is a promising photoanode for water-splitting, although its performance is limited by its wide bandgap. Here, the authors show that a gentle nitrogen treatment can result in nitrogen doping and oxygen vacancy generation, simultaneously reducing bandgap and increasing charge transport.