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Published August 28, 2014 | Supplemental Material
Journal Article Open

Improved Stability of Polycrystalline Bismuth Vanadate Photoanodes by Use of Dual-Layer Thin TiO_2/Ni Coatings

Abstract

Ultrathin dual layers of TiO_2 and Ni have been used to stabilize polycrystalline BiVO_4 photoanodes against photocorrosion in an aqueous alkaline (pH = 13) electrolyte. Conformal, amorphous TiO_2 layers were deposited on BiVO_4 thin films by atomic-layer deposition, with Ni deposited onto the TiO_2 by sputtering. Under simulated air mass 1.5 illumination, the dual-layer coating extended the lifetime of the BiVO4 photoanodes during photoelectrochemical water oxidation from minutes, for bare BiVO4, to hours, for the modified electrodes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that these layers imparted chemical stability to the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the structure and morphology of the polycrystalline BiVO_4 film as well as of the thin coating layers. This work demonstrates that protection schemes based on ultrathin corrosion-resistant overlayers can be applied beneficially to polycrystalline photoanode materials under conditions relevant to efficient solar-driven water-splitting systems.

Additional Information

© 2014 American Chemical Society. Received: June 20, 2014; Revised: August 6, 2014; Published: August 7, 2014. This material is based upon work performed at the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, supported through the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Award DE-SC0004993. XPS data were collected at the Molecular Materials Research Center of the Beckman Institute of the California Institute of Technology.

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August 20, 2023
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